Coca-Cola’s crushed logo wins Grand Prix for Print and Publishing

Coca-Cola’s “Recycle Me” billboard campaign, which displayed crushed versions of its iconic logo as a reminder to recycle, was honored as the Print & Publishing Grand Prix winner at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Monday. Launched in Latin America, the brand worked with WPP Open X led by Ogilvy New York to source imagery from actual cans. The brand used various methods to crush the cans, including mechanical presses and vacuums, creating a different crushed logo for every poster used in the campaign. The effort is part of the company’s “World Without Waste” strategy, which promotes the idea that sustainability is a collective responsibility and encourages recycling on a mass scale. The campaign, which launched with out-of-home and digital OOH in Argentina, Mexico and Brazil, is expected to expand globally. The campaign drew attention online following its launch, demonstrating how recognizable the Coca-Cola logo is, even when destroyed. “I’m very proud of this work, as ‘Recycle Me’ is such a simple yet powerful expression of our brand and the real commitment we are making to help create a world without waste,” Islam ElDessouky, Coca-Cola’s global VP, creative strategy and content, told Ad Age. “While for many this kind of industry recognition may seem like a culminating moment, for me it’s just the beginning—a sign of how much more Coca-Cola can do, how much farther we can go.” Laurent Ezekiel, chief marketing officer at WPP, called the Grand Prix “a special moment for the entire WPP Open X and Coca-Cola team for the way it exemplifies our shared ambitions and sets the bar for what creativity can achieve through world-class collaboration.” Gold winners Coca-Cola also earned a Gold Lion in the category, for its “Thanks for Coke-Creating” campaign by VML. The campaign, launched in March, also centers on the Coca-Cola logo, celebrating unauthorized street paintings of its branding. The global campaign highlighted different shopkeepers’ interpretations of the logo with OOH ads featuring photos of the street art, including a placement in New York’s Times Square. The same work is shortlisted for a Titanium Lion. Gut Miami won a Gold Lion for “The Most Famous Chalice Model,” a print ad in which Stella Artois announced David Beckham as its new global ambassador—without showing his face. Other Gold Lions winners: • “Stairs” for Magnum Ice Cream by LOLA MullenLowe, Madrid • “Braided History” for L’Oréal de Puerto Rico by DDB Latin Puerto Rico

Coca-Cola’s crushed logo wins Grand Prix for Print and Publishing

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