In support to international LGBT+ pride day, Coca-Cola launched a limited edition can. A red Coca-Cola can with orange Fanta inside, featuring the message: “This Coke is a Fanta. So what?” A special can that ignores labels, challenges prejudice and empowers people. Showing that there’s nothing wrong about a Coke being a Fanta. The iconic cans carrying this simple message against prejudice were intentionally designed to create PR buzz.

With Coca-Cola owning both brands, we had the best-case scenario. We created special iconic red Coca-Cola cans with the message printed on the surface: “This Coke is a Fanta. So, what?”. By the end we had the final product, a Coke with Fanta inside. The cans were initially distributed in small scale and to key influencers, but they took over social media and the streets, with people making their own DIY Coca /Fanta bottles, carnival costumes, clothes, cellphone covers, transforming this expression in a symbol for Coke and Brazilians to fight prejudice.

- 1 Billion media impressions for a local market idea, with 0 U$ media spent.

- Media coverage in all major news channels including Veja, Globo, Hypeness, Exame, and Hypeness.

- Google search bar is one of the best thermometers of pop culture in Brazil and we changed it without media spent, only organic reach and engagement. Before our campaign, if you searched “Essa Coca É Fanta” on Google, the first thing that pops up on search was offensive homophobic memes, all related to homophobic words. Now, “Essa Coca é Fanta” is only exclusively related to empowerment and pride terms.

- Biggest search on Google history for the term

“That Coke is a Fanta”.

- Trending topic on Twitter.

- The can changed a Homophobic expression into a empowering statement of pride

We created a limited-edition can that flooded people’s timelines, made headlines in all major publications, and created huge PR buzz in Brazil. And when 0 dollars were invested on media, PR becomes de most important thing for the idea. “This Coke is a Fanta” cans carried a message of equality that inspired spontaneous engagement from individuals and the media, generating over 1 billion impressions. But most importantly, changed a homophobic expression into a powerful statement of pride.

The past year, Coca-Cola Brazil saw a decline in sales among younger generations (20-35), mainly due to a lack of relevance with the brand, perceived as too old-school, or traditional. As we explored potential business solutions, we quickly realized the first thing to do in order to convert them into the next generation of Coca-Cola drinkers was to first capture their hearts. With LGBT rights being a hot topic in the media, it was the right time to make a statement. While “Essa Coca é Fanta” has always been a pejorative term, a huge brand like Coca-Cola taking action and reinterpreting its meaning into a positive one was the right move to re-connect with the younger crowd they were in risk of losing. The solution was literally in our hands.

The world is full of homophobic expressions such as “He plays for the other team” or “He is a pillow bitter”. In Brazil, one of the most famous expressions is “Essa Coca é Fanta” which in English means: “That Coke is a Fanta”. For years, this expression was used to make fun of the LGBT+ community in the country. Hundreds of offensive memes were created and even songs, all with the discriminatory intentions. It was time for us to do something about that.