Coke Zero Sugar is using artificial intelligence as part of an expansion of its “Best Coke Ever?” global campaign that the brand describes as its “most digital and social-first initiative to date,” including a heavy dose of TikTok and influencer marketing.

The “Best Coke Ever?” campaign first launched in 2021, unveiling a new recipe and package design for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. The new marketing makes an appeal to Gen Z consumers.

Also read: 20 brands catching Gen Z’s attention

The campaign extension was developed in collaboration with WPP’s dedicated Coke agency, Open X, led by AKQA and Ogilvy. The effort includes the use of one-of-a-kind typography, developed with AI, in an attempt to provide the product a chance to “speak for itself,” according to the brand.

“This year, instead of us trying to describe taste, we thought we’d actually give the protagonist a voice. Coke Zero Sugar is the one speaking, and it turns out it’s been trying to talk for quite a while,” Oana Vlad, Coca-Cola Co.’s senior director of global strategy, said during a recent media event.  

The brand used neural network object detection—a type of AI that finds out what objects are in an image—to identify letters within the bubbles, condensation and fizz of a Coke Zero. This approach led to the creation of the font type called “Coke Sans Sugar.”

Over 100,000 photos of Coke Zero were captured at the precise moment when shapes started to emerge, each highlighting a distinct visual aspect of the product. Neural network object detection was used to recognize alphabet letters within this vast image dataset. These letters were then compiled into a digital toolkit that enables the ability to create any word in any language, according to visuals shared by the brand. The resulting font types can be used in Coke Zero advertising, such as billboards, according to a brand video. 

Coca-Cola has invested heavily into AI over the last year. In 2023, AI played a role in the development of a limited-edition flavor, “Y3000 Zero Sugar.” That year the beverage giant also struck a deal with Bain & Company to explore boosting marketing efforts using OpenAI technologies. Coke also unveiled a website that allowed people to create digital art using AI technology and Coke trademarks in 2023. Over 16 million consumers interacted with the initiative called “Create Real Magic,” according to the company’s fourth-quarter earnings report.

Net revenue rose 7% to $10.8 billion in the fourth quarter and 6% to $45.8 billion for all of last year, Coca-Cola reported this week.

As part of the efforts to let Coke Zero do all the talking, the brand also unveiled four ads—with the product as the main protagonist at the helm. In “Bodega Bottle Battle,” the Coke Zero Sugar bottles take part in a singing competition, to the tune of NSYNC’s hit “It’s Gonna Be Me,” to appeal to a customer.

Other ads similarly personify bottles and cans of Coke Zero Sugar.

Another spot, “Closed Caption,” features extreme close-ups of Coke Zero bubbles using macro videography and closed captions to tell the story.

Vlad in a statement said the campaign is “our most digital and social-first initiative to date, featuring an exciting nod to nostalgia with a campaign anthem that’s already back on the lips of people around the world, but leveraged in a truly forward-thinking way.”

As part of the campaign, Coke will introduce an interactive TikTok filter that will turn users into a signing bottle of Coke Zero Sugar.

“By giving consumers the tools to engage with us on the platforms they already play on, through TikTok filters, music technology and influencer partnerships, we’re anchoring Coke Zero Sugar firmly in culture and offering more authentic experiences to interact with us day-to-day,” said Vlad.