Coca-Cola: it’s more than your typical beverage company! Did you know that in addition to producing the beloved carbonated drink, Coca-Cola has its hands (and products) in various other industries?
From food and technology to fashion and beyond, this multi-faceted business juggernaut continues to innovate with new collaborations. So even if their secret recipe for flavoring ingredients stays locked away—we get plenty of tasty surprises elsewhere.
Below is a compilation of some of the many industries that Coca-Cola has tapped into and collaborated with.
Food and Beverage Industry
Coca-Cola has collaborated with various food and drink companies over the years. Some notable examples of these companies include big names such as Nestle, PepsiCo, and Unilever.
Nestlé
Coca-Cola has partnered with Nestle, a leading food and drink company, on many campaigns. One of the most noteworthy joint ventures between the two companies is Beverage Partners Worldwide (BPW).
This venture began in 1991 but was dissolved in 1994. However, the companies relaunched it in 2001, and the main products were Nestea and Nescafe. In 2018, the two companies decided to dissolve this venture. In the agreement, Nestle gave Coca-Cola the license to produce and distribute Nestea in a few countries, including Canada, Hungary, and Romania.
PepsiCo
Despite being competitors, Coca-Cola has partnered with PepsiCo, a leading food and drink company known for its snack and beverage products, on many marketing campaigns and initiatives.
One initiative includes the “Every Bottle Back” initiative, where Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr Pepper, joined forces with the American Beverage Association (ABA). In this initiative, all bottles made by ABA companies were made of a 100% recyclable material called PET. The beverage companies also invested money to assist in sorting, processing and collecting plastic bottles.
Unilever
Coca-Cola has partnered with Unilever, a leading food and drink company, on various initiatives and campaigns. One recent collaboration took place recently in 2022.
Coca-Cola and Unilever, among many other companies, joined forces to help improve recycling in Malaysia. The companies aimed to assist Malaysia in reaching a minimum recycling rate of 25% and help take care of plastic food and drink packaging concerns.
Fashion Industry
Coca-Cola has collaborated with various fashion brands and designers for marketing events, initiatives, and campaigns. Some big names Coke has partnered with on many occasions include Levi’s, Puma, and Tommy Hilfiger.
Levi’s
On various occasions, Coca-Cola has partnered with Levi’s, a leading fashion brand. Adding to Coca-Cola’s participation in sustainability programs and initiatives, the company collaborated with Levi’s in 2013.
The companies joined with Ekocycle, a brand dedicated to encouraging sustainability in its customers. This collaboration aimed to highlight Levi’s use of recycled materials to create jeans made from plastic bottles.
Puma
Coca-Cola teamed up with Puma, a leading fashion and footwear brand, on many occasions. One of the most memorable times includes a partnership in 2022.
Recently, Puma and Coca-Cola teamed up to release a “nostalgic collaboration” to celebrate aspects of both brands. This collection includes apparel and footwear such as hoodies, shorts, graphic t-shirts, and trainers inspired by Coke’s retro color palette.
Tommy Hilfiger
Coca-Cola has partnered with Tommy Hilfiger, a leading fashion brand, on many collaborations and collections. One of the most iconic ones is when Coke and Tommy Hilfiger decided to launch a re-edition of the very first Coca-Cola Clothes collection.
It was in the mid-1980s when Tommy Hilfiger created the first Coca-Cola collection. Back then, he was relatively unknown. However, these long-sleeve rugby t-shirts were in Coke’s signature color palette. As a result, they became an instant hit among millions of Americans, launching Tommy’s career for the first time.
In 2019, after 30 years, Coke and Tommy Hilfiger decided to launch a re-edition of the collection, infusing the same design with a more youthful one for the new generation. This collection was named the Tommy Jeans Coca-Cola capsule collection.
Toy Industry
Coca-Cola has collaborated with various toy brands over the years. It has also been a part of many collections for different toy brands. Some of these collections were released by toy brands such as Monopoly, Lego, and Funko.
Monopoly
As part of a collector’s edition, Monopoly first released its game board featuring the Coca-Cola Company in 1999. In this version, the main properties were Coke merchandise and collectibles. Additionally, the houses and hotels were replaced by vending machines and six-packs instead. The collector’s edition is still featured and sold on the Coca-Cola webstore.
Funko
Funko is a famous brand known for its toys and accessories. It’s particularly known for its plush toys. Amongst these plushes, Funko also sells a Coca-Cola plush in the shape of a Coke can. It’s a good toy for small children and sizeable enough that it’s not hazardous for kids.
Lego
Lego is a famous toy brand for its plastic construction piece.. Although these toys have been around for ages, their popularity grew further after the release of the Lego films. Among its toys, Lego also released various Coca-Cola toys, including the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck and the Lego Coke Bottle.
Tech Industry
With the world becoming tech-savvy, Coca-Cola has collaborated with many tech companies for marketing campaigns, sponsorships, and promotions over the years. Some of these companies include big names like Apple, Microsoft, and Google.
Apple
Coca-Cola has partnered with Apple, a leading tech company known for its consumer electronics and software products, on many promotions and events. One of the biggest collaborations occurred when Coke and Apple joined hands on a music partnership across Europe.
The partnership involved Coke and Apple giving away 70 million free songs from the iTunes music store and iPods in the UK and Germany. In addition, a new Coke-branded music website integrated with iTunes and provided links to music on the site was also launched.
Microsoft
Coca-Cola has partnered with Apple, a leading tech company known, on many promotions and events. One of the most significant collaborations occurred when Coke and Apple joined hands on a music partnership across Europe.
Coke announced a five-year agreement with Microsoft to provide new and innovative experiences on Microsoft’s cloud between the company and its employees. The aim is to utilize Microsoft’s resources, such as Dynamics 365 and Microsoft 365, to enhance communication between employees and customers.
Coca-Cola has partnered with Google, a leading tech company known for its search engine and online services, on many campaigns and initiatives. One fairly recent collaboration was when Coke partnered with Google on a holiday campaign in 2019 called “A Year to Share.”
For Coke, Google analyzed trends from each month of the year to collect data on how the Christmas spirit was bridging divisions and tensions between individuals. Consumers had access to this research with Coke on the Google Trends dashboard.
Music and Entertainment Industry
Coca-Cola has collaborated with various artists and companies in the entertainment industry over the years for promotions and campaigns. These include artists such as Taylor Swift and companies such as Walt Disney Company and Universal Music Group.
Taylor Swift
Coca-Cola has partnered with Taylor Swift, a popular singer-songwriter and actress, on various marketing campaigns. One of the biggest collaborations occurred in 2013 when Taylor Swift signed a long-term partnership with Diet Coke.
As part of Diet Coke’s “Stay Extraordinary” campaign, Taylor Swift was featured in print, television, and digital advertising for the company. In addition, she served as a program ambassador for many of Diet Coke’s initiatives and marketing events.
Walt Disney Company
For many decades, Coca-Cola has partnered with the Walt Disney Company, a leading entertainment company known for its films, television shows, and theme parks, on various campaigns, sponsorships, and initiatives.
The relationship between the two companies began in 1942 when Walt Disney himself appeared on “The Pause That Refreshes on the Air,” a radio program that Coke had. Even in 1950, Coke even sponsored Disney’s television special “One Hour in Wonderland.”
Over the years, there have been many collaborations between the two companies in Disney parks. This partnership is maintained to this date.
Universal Music Group
Coca-Cola has partnered with Universal Music Group, a leading entertainment company known for its music labels and recording artists, on marketing campaigns and programs. The most recent notable collaboration between the two companies has been the global Coke Studio platform launch in 2022.
Coke Studio is a music platform by the company which first originated in Pakistan in 2008. Recently, Coke collaborated with Universal Music Group to launch the platform globally. This program aims to provide a platform for emerging artists to showcase their talents to new audiences.
Conclusion
The Coca-Cola company is a big name worldwide. Most people affiliate the company with its flagship drink, Coca-Cola. However, over the decades, Coke has expanded to much more than just the beverage industry.
With affiliations in industries like fashion, tech, and toys, Coca-Cola has branded quite a name for itself. Moreover, it has done impeccable things with its marketing strategies and collaborations.
With its ties deeply rooted in so many industries, the company is sure to last quite a long time.
