[Festival of Media] How a big brand connects with consumers

New and relevent content

The Coca-Cola Chinese New Year campaign centres around the celebration of a special time for Chinese around the world, and is designed to promote hope and positivity by encouraging people to “Give the first Coke of the year to someone special,” says Klues.

In its TV spots, the campaign features local celebrity Liu Xiang, China's 110m hurdles icon, who pulled out of the 2008 Olympics due to an injury and in so doing, attracted a lot of criticism from China's sports fans. The commercial also features Liu Xiang's father, who gives his son a Coke as an expression of hope.

Klues says Coca-Cola became an integral part of the Chinese New Year celebration, thanks to the campaign, and he used the opportunity at the Festival of Media in Valencia, Spain, to urge content producers to think exponentially.

“Media must take a bigger role in both idea and content,” he says.

“Mine new sources of data and understand how a growing number of media channels can be used to surround people; ensure content is new and relevant,” he adds.

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The 135 000km journey

Coca-Cola has been working with FIFA for the past two years and the highlight of their association is the trophy's world tour - which will see it visit 86 countries (including more than 50 in Africa) in a journey not far short of 135 000km.

“In Africa, the slogan is ‘Release your African rhythm',” says Klues.

The world tour constitutes the trophy's longest ever global tour, and its 225-day journey has allowed thousands of fans to enjoy a rare close-up view of the biggest prize in world soccer.

“Coca-Cola's 2010 campaign is the largest experiential campaign in the history of the company,” says Klues.

When asked what the ROI was on the campaigns, Klues said: “People count expenses and they count heads, but to me the most difficult task will be to measure how many people have joined the Coke love."

“However, what isn't measured now, will be…” he concluded.

Jack Klues

As managing partner of VivaKi, Jack Klues oversees a variety of strategic assets spanning Digitas, Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia. Along with his duties at VivaKi, Klues is also member of Publicis Groupe Directoire, the governing body that guides his organisation's parent company, Publicis Groupe SA

Appointed to chairman of Publicis Groupe Media in 2005, Klues led two of the most powerful media services networks in the world - Starcom MediaVest Group (SMG) and ZenithOptimedia. He founded Starcom MediaVest Group in 2000. Recognising the value of smart-buying based on sound strategy, he launched Starcom Worldwide in 1998 with an emphasis on planning and investment. Over the course of his career, he invested in a broad spectrum of specialised services including Denuo (New Ventures), Tapestry (multicultural), Halogen Direct Marketing, Relay (sports) among others.

Klues served as president of the media jury at the 2000 Cannes International Film Advertising Festival, and has earned a number of professional honours, including Mediaweek's Media Director of the Year and Advertising Age's Media Maven. In Klues' first year at the helm, Publicis Groupe Media was named “Most Creative Global Media Organisation” by the Gunn Report for Media.

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