Coca-Cola Great Britain embraces local culture
Coca-Cola, usually known for grand-scale advertising at Christmas and sporting events, is taking the opposite approach with 'Counter Cultures'.
Instead of gazing outward, Coca-Cola is looking local. Created by MHP Group (MHP and Studio La Plage) for Coca-Cola Great Britain, the campaign celebrates the independent cafés, pubs, takeaways and family businesses that serve Coca-Cola every day.
At the heart of the work is a message that, while Coca-Cola may be one of the world's biggest brands, its success is built one counter at a time.
The campaign centres on real people rather than actors. Among them is Lewis Baker, 17, who works with his dad at Coca-Cola's Wakefield site, forming part of a wider network of locals featured throughout the campaign.
Rather than presenting Coca-Cola as a corporate giant, the work reframes it as something embedded within communities, handled by people who know their customers by name.
The hero film traces the journey of a Coca-Cola from the brand's Wakefield manufacturing facility to local businesses across South Yorkshire, connecting the people who make the product with the people who sell it.
Along the way, it introduces publicans, café owners, takeaway operators and factory workers whose livelihoods are linked with the brand.
Our take
'Counter Cultures' is a perfect example of the themes we’re exploring in this week’s Creative Moment. It’s notable that a brand as big as Coke is discarding celebrities, emotional soundtracks and high-falutin messaging for local people in ordinary routines.
It seems like a hard sell for a mega brand such as Coca-Cola, but it’s clear the company understands that people frequently care more about their neighbourhood than a universal narrative.
'Counter Cultures' is similar in sentiment to Coca-Cola's earlier 'The Bosses' campaign, which celebrated independent corner shop owners.
For years, major brands have chased global relevance. Increasingly, however, audiences are responding to stories about community and belonging, and Coca-Cola clearly understands such cultural shifts.
Credits
Campaign: 'Counter Cultures'
Brand: Coca-Cola Great Britain
Agency: MHP Group (MHP and Studio La Plage)
Production company: Earthling Films
Director: Ross Bolidai
Photography: Nico Froehlich
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