Who: Coca-Cola and the WWF

Objective:
Coca-Cola has worked with the World Wildlife Federation since 2007 to deliver on three main conservation goals: carbon reduction, water stewardship and sustainable agriculture. Arctic Home first launched in North America in 2011 to address carbon reduction in the place most affected by emissions — the high Arctic. The project is intended to raise awareness and preserve a habitat for polar bears in the Arctic. The ongoing partnership has allowed Coca-Cola to benefit from the WWF’s sustainability strategies and advisors.  

Strategy:
Arctic Home plans to take Europe by storm over the next three years by increasing the number of participating countries from the current 16. For Coca-Cola, polar bears have been brand icons since 1922. Translating that relationship from television adverts and soft drink cans to preserving the environment of real-life polar bears is, according to Coca-Cola corporate responsibility and sustainability manager, Liz Lowe, a natural step. Coca-Cola’s participation in Arctic Home will raise awareness of the greater crisis posed to the Arctic climate.

Rationale:
Lowe says, “One of the prime reasons that we are partnered with WWF is to do our own work on our own business and to have them help us. They can help do work in the field and on the ground in places that we, simply as soft drink manufacturers couldn’t do. What we’re good at is advertising, communicating, marketing. Bringing the appeal of our brand to something like this is to raise its profile sufficiently and to make people participate and become inspired and aware. It’s a real partnership because we both bring different aspects to bear.”