I know quite a few people who love the Coca-Cola brand. In fact, I have a few small vintage items which include a poster from the 50's and a straw container.



So when I came across Design The World a Coke - I was excited, then confused.



The mission of this campaign?

"As the Olympic Games come to Beijing, China this year, we are inviting youth from around the world to express themselves creatively through our Design the World a Coke digital experience and share with the world. We're psyched for you and your friends to be a part of it!



It is our hope that by participating in our design community, each of you will have the opportunity to share your ideas, aspirations and creativity openly with one another. This experience is about individual self-expression, but at the same time, it's also about learning and understanding about one another across cultures and geographies too. So what you say and create counts! As we're a planet of nearly 6 billion carbon-beings,…"

My thought-process:

I initially thought that this campaign was for the coke advocate who loves the brand soooo much that they would want to design their own bottle and be well, the evangelist and then be able to purchase a case (trust me, this would be a popular item at weddings) - similar to personalized M&M's.



Second thought - the advocate/evangelist would probably contribute anyway, so no need to focus on them.



Third thought - where does the Olympics come into play here? I realize it is about diversity and expressing your culture - but should there still not be a tie in to what most think about the Olympics? Most of the initial designs I came across in both the gallery and tool didn't allude to what I think of in regards to the 'the games'? I am missing the connection?



Fourth thought - the site itself has a lot of great functionality and interactivity and is great for a lover of coke - but if you are not a fan? Then what? Does your 'Creator' audience change?



Fifth and final thought - Coke is already an international brand so this makes perfect sense. Is the message lost though with the connection to the Olympics or is it just a timing thing?