‘A whole new world’: Coke has a sponsorship deal with a virtual soccer star in ‘FIFA 18’
From Alex Morgan to Cristiano Ronaldo, Coca-Cola has a long history of using soccer sponsors. Now, for the first time, the beverage behemoth is using a virtual one.
In EA’s upcoming “FIFA 18” game for Playstation 4, on sale Sept. 29, Coca-Cola will be promoted through the fictional soccer star Alex Hunter. Players can play as Hunter, who, after rising to fame as a member of the LA Galaxy team, signs a deal with Coca-Cola and shoots a commercial in one of the scenes of the game. The initiative is the latest part of Coca-Cola’s 20-year partnership with EA and was created in collaboration with Anomaly, Mercado McCann and Havas.
“For us, this reinvents brand content and how we approach advertising,” said Alban Dechelotte, senior entertainment marketing manager for Coca-Cola Co. “This is a whole new world.”
For Coca-Cola, it’s all about engaging fans across multiple dimensions. “It gives another way consumers can appreciate the brand,” said Matt Wolf, vp of entertainment, ventures and strategic alliances at Coca-Cola Co. “We think it’s a natural evolution of where content is going.”
Coca-Cola and EA are using their virtual sponsor in every way they would a real celebrity in an effort to “try to blur lines” between reality and the virtual world, said Dechelotte.
For instance, to promote the in-game story, Coca-Cola has created a spot from the scene where Hunter stars in a Coke commercial. Dechelotte said the story reminded his team of Coca-Cola’s commercial featuring Pittsburgh Steelers star “Mean” Joe Greene, which premiered in 1979 and aired during the Super Bowl in 1980. Today, it has more than 3.6 million views on YouTube. So the team decided to pay homage to it, further blurring the lines between reality and imagination. In the original commercial, a kid offers his Coke to “Mean” Joe Greene. In this version, a kid offers a Coke to Hunter. The brand is sharing the spot on social media starting on Sept. 21.
Coca-Cola is also distributing limited-edition custom cans with the digitalized Hunter at 7-Elevens and Walmarts in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Under the tab of each can of these Cokes is a code that consumers can then enter in the FIFA game to download exclusive content that can help them along “The Journey.”
In June, EA even created a Twitter account for the character (@MrAlexHunter), which already has 49,900 followers. On Monday, Cola-Cola had the character account tease a still from the game.
More in Marketing
WTF is the American Privacy Rights Act
Who knows if or when it’ll actually happen, but the proposed American Privacy Rights Act (APRA) is as close as the U.S. has ever come to a federal law that manages to straddle the line between politics and policy.
Here’s how some esports orgs are positioning themselves to withstand esports winter
Here’s a look into how four leading esports orgs are positioning themselves for long-term stability and sustainability, independent of the whims of brand marketers.
Marketing Briefing: Marketers eye women’s sports as a growth area amid WNBA draft, record March Madness
Marketers are considering the space more this year, according to agency execs, with some noting that the women’s athletes may get more attention from brands ahead of the Summer Olympics this July.