Coke To Launch Olympic-Themed Products In U.S. In Int'l Languages

Olympic-Themed Coca-Cola Products To Make U.S. Debut Next Week

IOC TOP sponsor Coca-Cola Friday announced that Olympic-themed cans, bottles and packages in the U.S. for the first time will "feature the Coca-Cola script in different languages," according to Joe Guy Collier of the ATLANTA CONSTITUTION. The products, which will arrive in stores May 19 as part of the company's U.S. promotions for the Beijing Olympics, will have 14 designs, and languages for the cans and fridge packs include Ethiopian, Russian, Thai and Mandarin. Coca-Cola's 20-ounce plastic bottles will feature labels with languages from Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Korea, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The products also will have English versions. Coca-Cola also will feature six U.S. Olympians on packaging and advertising, including swimmer Natalie Coughlin and Cavaliers F LeBron James (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 5/10). The ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE reported other athletes appearing as part of the promo include Steven Lopez (taekwando), Sanja Richards (track & field), Andy Potts (triathlon) and Shawn Johnson (gymnastics). Consumers can visit MyCoke.com and design their own digital bottle, learn about the six athletes, download wallpaper and screen savers and enter a sweepstakes for a snowboarding trip to the site of the 2010 Vancouver Games with U.S. snowboarder Gretchen Bleiler. The Web site also will feature "WE8," a "global collaboration between eight exciting visual artists and eight progressive musicians to create eight limited-edition aluminum bottle designs and free, downloadable companion songs." Members of MyCokeRewards.com can redeem their points for Olympic gear and enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a tour of the U.S. Olympic Training Center with a U.S. athlete (BIZJOURNALS.com, 5/9).