THE RUNDOWN

Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold throughout the world. Coca-Cola faced a unique problem in Universities and with the youth – high brand awareness but the youth didn’t demonstrate ‘love’ for the brand. The dire need was to build a mass-media based opportunity with the power to go viral across youth touch-points thereby expanding the Coca-Cola music message. While ‘branded content’ answered the requirement, it was imperative to build it around a strong brand-centric idea. Also, the growth in the digitally connected youth was an opportunity for distributing content over a larger connected audience with a large potential to engage and bring them into the fold of the brand. Coca-Cola Discovery Sessions was conceived as a music-based programme that would showcase musicians of diverse talent and expertise.
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In 2005, Coca-Cola launched Soundwave, an international program that celebrates music, travel and the thrill of new experiences. At the heart of Coca-Cola Soundwave was the spectacular Coca-Cola SoundWave Express, transporting hundreds of Coke prize winners to one of 7 music festivals and giving them the time of their lives. For these lucky ones, Coca-Cola opened the door to the magic world of some of Europe’s best festivals and mapped the route for the ultimate music festival journey.
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THE GOALS

• Al Douglas was brought on to work with Coca-Cola to create, organise and manage all live events for this yearly project which included sourcing artists, European locations, production and logistics.

The Soundwave festival was specially designed to bring young people together from all over Europe to share in the exciting discovery of new music.

• Al Douglas music database has 1000’s of emerging artists was that was used to build the Coke Music database.
• A chance for unsigned artists to perform alongside big names in music.

THE APPROACH

• Al Douglas would manage production, time and stage management of all aspects of the event from transport logistics to venue selection, theme development, design and on the day event management. • A series of exclusive concerts in the UK and European universities and venues including Greece, Berlin Macedonia • iTunes came on board to support the events, distributed free music track downloads and supported the main artists via their website • Sessions brought together representatives of different musical genres • Staging the most promising emerging artists. • Emerging prospects who have registered on the Coca Cola website (coke.com/music) • Collector limited edition aluminium Coca-Cola bottles were made to support the performances.

Coca-Cola SoundWave location and artists – Skopje, Grad Skopje, North Macedonia, Stockholm, Sweden. Headliner: Avril Lavigne. * Eurockéennes – Belfort, France. Headliners: Chemical Brothers, Kraftwerk, Royksopp, Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth, Queens of Stone Age and Garbage. * Dance Valley – near Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Headliners: Deep Dish, Paul van Dyk, Seb Fontaine, Carl Cox, Sasha, Nick Warren, Deep Dish, Paul van Dyk and Seb Fontaine. * Festival Internacional de Benicàssim (FIB) – near Valencia, Spain. Headliners: Oasis, Milo, Keane, Underworld, Basement Jaxx, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Kasabian. * Chiemsee Reggae Summer – Chiemsee, Germany. Headliners: Jimmy Cliff, the I- Three featuring Rita Marley, Afrika Bambaataa. * Coke Soundwave Mykonos – Mykonos, Greece. Headliner: Anna Vissi. * Rock’n Coke– near Istanbul, Turkey. Headliners: The Cure, Offspring and Korn.

THE RESULTS

• Coke Music Discovery Sessions was born and continues to this day in some countries.
• The music had hit the sweet spot of what the youth were looking for and in the connection they built with the Coca-Cola brand.
• Artists included: Faithless, Magic Numbers, Siouxsie Sioux and Echo and the Bunnymen.
• Coke Music SoundWave clearly hit the sweet spot of what the youth were looking for and in the connection, they built with the Coca-Cola brand
• DJ’s included Eddy Temple-Morris
•  Inspired a European compilation album of various artists from home counties https://www.discogs.com/release/1998383-Various-Coca-Cola-Soundwave
•  Coca-Cola crowned the Soundwave-Winner at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, which was televised by MTV. An armada of stars like Juli, Silbermond, Ich&Ich or Die Fantastischen Vier entertained the audience
•  Coca-Cola invited its artists to participate in an interactive music celebration, the Coca-Cola Soundwave. Just a month after its launch, ‘Upstream’ designed an app that projects young and entertaining mobile applications games, wallpapers, ringtones. This promotion received an impressive response.
• To join the Coca-Cola Soundwave participants have to send via SMS, with the unique code located on the 330 ml, 500 ml and 1.5 lt Coca-Cola packs. Every code automatically gives Soundwavers a certain number of fans. Soundwave music prizes comprise an iPod 30 GB every day and an iPod Nano, 2 GB every hour.
• AndiOliPhilipp @ MELT!, Coca-Cola Soundwave Discovery Tour- https://fb.watch/9hXtVANKO2