Coca-Cola on Thursday launched its marketing campaign for the ’12 London Olympics, introducing British music producer Mark Ronson “as the creative linchpin of a global effort called ‘Move to the Beat’ that will bring together music, youth and sport,” according to Emma Hall of AD AGE. Ronson is “creating a music track that will tie together the whole marketing campaign around London 2012.” He “decided which Olympic events he thought created the most promising sounds, and Coca-Cola then found a young athlete from each of Mr. Ronson's chosen events and sports to join the campaign and work as an ambassador for 2012.” Mother, London, is creating a global spot “around a live performance of the song” by Ronson and British singer Katy B “this week in front of a select audience of 1,000, including students and the young athlete ambassadors.” The song, still “unnamed, will be released in March 2012.” Coca-Cola also is “creating an hour-long documentary charting Mr. Ronson's global journey to create the track.” In addition to being released as a song, Ronson's work “will provide the soundtrack for TV commercials, campaigns on mobile and other digital platforms, and Coca-Cola events during the Olympic Games” (ADAGE.com, 9/29). In London, Sean Michaels notes the last time Coca-Cola “did something similar -- borrowing K'naan's song Wavin' Flag as the company's 2010 FIFA World Cup theme -- that song became a global hit, reaching No 2 in the UK” (GUARDIAN, 9/30).
