71. ‘This Coke is a Fanta, so what?’

Homosexuality is not very well accepted everywhere, there are still countries where either kaw or the society is hostile towards the subject. People from the LGBTQ community face continuous bullying and discrimination from society. Homosexual expressions like ‘Sward swallower’, ‘pillow biter’, ‘he plays for the other team’, etc may seem like innocent jokes but they have a demeaning and insulting connotation behind them. Brazil had its own homosexual expression called ‘essa coca é Fanta’ it means ‘that coke is a Fanta.’ People in Brazil from the LGBTQ community were subjected to this slang on a regular basis as a joke.

Coca Cola picked up on this demeaning expression and decided to do something extraordinary which has now changed the perception of the expression. Now people say it with pride and acceptance.

In 2017, Coca Cola launched a limited edition can with an amazing twist. This Coke literally had Fanta inside! It was launched on International LGBT Pride Day. The campaign was called ‘This Coke is a Fanta, so what?’

The idea was so unique and highly appreciated by the audience. People openly stated their sexual orientation by saying ‘This coke is a Fanta, so what?’ The campaign aimed at eliminating the shame behind the expression and made it a matter of pride. It urged people to not take it as an insult and changed the perception of millions. The idea was loved by people to the extent that they started making their own ‘this coke is a Fanta’ drink after the limited edition was sold out. Manufacturers started fake merchandising products that had the campaign tagline and many people showed up in the carnival with Coke or Fanta printed on their outfit.

With zero media investment the campaign earned 1, 068, 984, 850 media impressions. It was named the most engaging organic campaign in Brazil in 2017. This campaign is the best example of how brands can change perceptions for good with a little bit of creativity.