125 Years Young! Coca-Cola Kicks Off a Summer-long Celebration of Sharing Happiness

Atlanta, GA - A 125 th anniversary comes along just once, so why not commemorate it for an entire summer? For people in the U.S. who love Coca-Cola, the celebration of the world’s favorite brand’s 125 th year will extend well past its May 8 th anniversary as a variety of activities will invite people to enjoy “125 Years of Summer Fun.”

Beginning in May, summer-long programs will spread the message of 125 years of sharing happiness with the millions of people whose love for Coca-Cola make this anniversary possible. From packaging and advertising to promotions and integration into key properties, Coca-Cola will celebrate this milestone with people everywhere and thank them for their devotion to their favorite brand.

“For 125 years, Coca-Cola has refreshed the world and celebrated with people as they enjoy fun times with family and friends,” said Stuart Kronauge, Vice President, Coca-Cola Trademark Brands , Coca-Cola North America. “From Memorial Day through Labor Day, at the racetrack, the movie theater, their favorite park or a backyard barbecue, Coca-Cola is always where people gather to enjoy summer fun.”

Special 8-ounce commemorative bottles will mark the 125 th anniversary and celebrate 125 Days of Summer Fun. During the summer, a brand new package size, a 1.25 liter bottle for Coca-Cola, will hit store shelves. Print and radio ads will draw the connection between 1.25 liters of refreshment and 125 Years of Coca-Cola. For the third summer in a row, limited collector series Coca-Cola packaging will include new iconic summer images meant to convey the fun of a “Day at the Beach,” through sunglasses, surfboards and flip flops, and a “Day at the Park,” through baseballs, kites, picnic baskets and stars and stripes.

“It’s because of the millions of people who enjoy the world’s number one brand every day that Coca-Cola has reached this milestone in its history,” continued Kronauge. “As part of the celebration we want to thank everyone, everywhere, for drinking Coca-Cola, so we’ve created two summer-long programs that offer 125 days of prizes. It’s one of the many ways we’re showing our appreciation to the people who love Coca-Cola.”

The first, available through My Coke Rewards, is designed to help busy moms create summer fun for their families by offering a variety of rewards including concert ticket vouchers, theme park tickets and experiences, trips to national parks and beach prize packs.

For the second program, which will help ramp up summer excitement for teens, prizes can be instantly claimed with special text-to-win codes found under the caps of Coca-Cola trademark brands. Featured items include movie passes, concert cash, airline ticket vouchers and gift cards for electronics. Over the course of 125 days, someone can win a new prize every two minutes.

National advertising running on key programs such as American Idol and the Coca-Cola 600 will be tagged with special “125 Years of Sharing Happiness” messaging. Moviegoers will also see in-cinema advertising with special anniversary messaging.

Major events like the Coca-Cola 600, the Coke Zero 400, Essence Music Festival will feature messaging about the 125 th anniversary of Coca-Cola, including a special Coca-Cola message during -- what else -- the 125 th lap of the Coca-Cola 600.

In addition to commemorative packaging, shoppers will also see special 125 th anniversary displays in their local retail outlets and collectible cups in food service locations. The Coca-Cola Freestyle fountain dispenser is even joining the celebration by upping its offering of drink choices from 106 to 125.

Coca-Cola associates will also join the effort by taking part in a special Day of Service. This system-wide, family-focused program will give Coca-Cola associates a special way to celebrate their favorite brand’s 125 th year by saying thank you to the communities where The Coca-Cola Company operates. Employees will be able to take a day out of the office to Live Positively by joining their families to volunteer in their local communities.

On May 7, Coca-Cola will host a special festival at Pemberton Place in Atlanta for employees and their families. The event includes a 125 th Anniversary Celebration Concert that will be streamed online as a live “thank you” to people around the world at www.Coca-Cola.com/125, with integration through social media including YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Viewers of the live stream will be able to use Facebook Places and Foursquare to virtually check-in to the event, which will feature musicians from Somalia, New Zealand, Britain and the United States, including the Grammy award-winning singer and American Idol season one winner Kelly Clarkson.

Coca-Cola was created on May 8, 1886 in Atlanta, Georgia by Dr. John S. Pemberton and first served at Jacob’s Pharmacy. On May 8, 2011, Coca-Cola marks its 125 th anniversary.

The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. Led by Coca-Cola, the world’s most valuable brand, the Company’s portfolio features 15 billion dollar brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply and Georgia. Globally, we are the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, juices and juice drinks and ready-to-drink teas and coffees. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company’s beverages at a rate of 1.7 billion servings a day. With an enduring commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active, healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities where we operate. For more information about our Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.