The CLIO Awards, among the world's most recognised international advertising, design and communications competitions, has announced The Coca-Cola Company as this year's inaugural Brand Icon Award recipient, recognised for continuous and exceptional creative execution over the years. Pio Schunker, Head of Integrated Marketing Communications, will accept the award for Coca-Cola North America Group at the 54th annual CLIO Awards ceremony, taking place on 15 May at the Museum of Natural History in New York City.
The Brand Icon Award, a new annual honour from the CLIO Awards, distinguishes one brand that has transcended the product or service it provides to become a permanent fixture in popular culture. Each recipient is chosen for elevating its brand to icon status among its peers, industry experts and consumers.
"As one of the most beloved, enduring and valuable brands in history, Coca-Cola continues to set the gold standard for out-of-the-box creative thinking. No one is more deserving of this honour," said Nicole Purcell, executive director, CLIO Awards. "From helping shape the modern image of Santa Claus to teaching the world the words to 'I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke,' Coca-Cola's advertising continues to keep its brand extraordinarily fresh while reminding every generation of the joy of the simple things in life."
The May award coincidentally falls near Coca-Cola's 127th anniversary, when pharmacist and chemist John Pemberton introduced his first Coca-Cola drink at the soda fountain in Atlanta's Jacobs' Pharmacy. Considered the quintessential American brand, Coca-Cola has always been a trailblazer, from supporting the Olympics since the 1928 games in Amsterdam to being the first to offer free coupons for its signature beverage in 1988. Now, with over 60 million Facebook fans, the Company is paving the way in digital too.
The Coca-Cola Company was among the first global companies to create a department (120 strong) to focus solely on creativity in all of its forms, and as a result boasts a heritage including some of the most enduring brand icons, such as the contour bottle, introduced in 1915, and the famous red suited Coca-Cola Santa Claus, created in 1931. Coca-Cola's polar bear and the Happiness Factory are two other recent icons joining the legacy.
"We are extremely humbled that Coca-Cola is the first-ever recipient of the Brand Icon Award. We always have believed that creativity lies at the very core of our business and helps drive it forward -something that we share closely with CLIO," said Schunker, SVP, Integrated Marketing Communications, Coca-Cola North America Group. "We constantly seek new and innovative ways to harness the power of creativity, imagination and passion to drive our business forward and connect with the people who love our brands."
Coca-Cola relies on this creativity and the Company's personal, simple style to keep its brand not only relevant, but iconic. While some strive to update their image continuously, Coca-Cola again has separated itself by staying true to its roots and positioning itself as one of life's simple pleasures through its "Open Happiness" campaign.
"What truly connects us with our fans and is three simple words - 'Coke Brings Joy', and this brand ethos is reflected in everything we do", Schunker continued. "When we talk about Coca-Cola, everything is filtered through the brand's core values of happiness, refreshment, optimism, fun, simply moments of pleasure, authenticity, coming together and uplift. Our message and our values are relevant to people who have loved Coke for years and new fans who may enjoy their very first Coke today."
For more information on the upcoming CLIO Awards, please visit: http://www.clioawards.com.
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