How Coke’s latest Creations flavor was inspired by African culture

The latest entry in Coca-Cola’s youth-focused Coke Creations series, Wozzaah Zero Sugar, was inspired by Africa’s cultural influence in music and fashion. Wozzaah, which is Zulu for “come here” or “join us,” is used colloquially in South Africa to encourage people to move faster or “keep up,” said Silke Bucker, senior director and Coca-Cola category lead in Africa. These are appropriate descriptors for a product meant to bring people together while sounding an alert about a vibrant and energetic culture, she said. “Africa right now is shaping culture globally. And it’s our responsibility as a global brand to showcase and tell that story in an inspiring way,” Bucker said. Released ahead of Africa Day (May 25), Wozzaah will be available throughout South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria and Morocco. In the U.S., consumers will have to wait for sampling events being scheduled for July. It won’t be made widely available for purchase in the U.S. “We want people to enjoy the creative vibrancy of the [African] continent. So we are making sure that it’s going into the mass market,” Bucker said. “It’s not something that’s so aspirational, so out of reach, that people don’t get to experience and enjoy it.” Also read: Coke vs. Pepsi—how the Cola Wars are changing Launched in 2022, Coke Creations is meant to stimulate interest in the Coca-Cola brand through limited-time products developed around interests, events or emotions of young consumers—backed up with novel ways of marketing them. Wozzaah tastes like Coca-Cola with “vibrant, tropical flavors,” and comes in a bright yellow and purple can with artwork by Kenyan illustrator Joy Richu. There is no full-sugar version. Wozzaah is the 11th iteration of the Coke Creations, which launched in 2022 with Coca-Cola Starlight. Wozzaah follows K-Wave, a variety inspired by K-pop that debuted in February. “Creations is about experimenting and scaling, and about non-traditional vs. traditional marketing,” said Oana Vlad, senior director of global strategy for Coca-Cola. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs The rise of African culture—particularly in music and fashion—led the brand to explore a product aligned with the trend, Bucker said. The growing influence of African music can be seen in Grammy award wins for South African songstress Tyla in 2024 and Nigerian artist Rema in 2023. Amapiano is one of the fastest-growing music genres out of Africa. Eswatini-born DJ Uncle Waffles is known for helping popularize the style through a performance at Coachella, with an assist from Drake, who has promoted her work in the U.S. as well. “I think that people are looking for authentic and different experiences … things from markets that are different from what we’ve seen before,” Bucker said. “Africa is a place that not many people understand. So music for us is a big way to connect the African culture with the outside world. Fashion is doing the same thing.” Uncle Waffles will play a role in spreading the word about Wozzaah. She will be performing a concert on May 23 in Johannesburg to celebrate the brand launch, and will be making other appearances during the promotion, Coke said. Uncle Waffles is also serving as a host in an interactive experience for visitors to the online Coca-Cola Creations hub. “Wozzaah FM” will showcase audiovisual elements inspired by distinct places in South Africa, Morocco, Algeria and Nigeria. Fans will be able to engage with various elements including customizable Snapchat lenses, the brand said. Coke is separately partnering with what it called Nigeria’s first skateboarding shop, WafflesnCream, on a line of exclusive merchandise such as T-shirts and jerseys, available worldwide. Coke will also work with a group of influencers passionate about Africa to post about Wozzaah. Creations has reliably found a way to connect hard-to-reach young consumers to the Coca-Cola franchise and make a positive impression on them, according to Vlad. More than 78% of the people who engage with Coke Creations on social media are new to the Coke trademark, and half of those are Gen Zers, Vlad said. And 80% of those taking part in Creations experiences say they find the Coke brand more innovative. What’s more, the brand has found that its focus on specific communities has kept the flow of new fans coming. “Right now, what we’re seeing is that each Creation tends to take Coke into a completely different community, which may not be surprising, given how different some of them have been,” Vlad said.

How Coke’s latest Creations flavor was inspired by African culture

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