Creative Corner: Coca-Cola's 'Shadows', Heinz gets its teeth stuck in to sachets and Arsenal fans Visit Tottenham

Happy Friday already!

The old commute has been a little quieter this week, as people crawl back to work after the long weekend and creative pickings have been a bit sparse, too. But, I’ve found three that have caught my attention. Firstly, Coke continues the no-brand logo advertising trend to celebrate the anniversary of its iconic bottle, Heinz serves up a fashion statement in Brazil, and, in a reminder to never underestimate your customer’s opinion, an Arsenal fan-led campaign that doesn't support the club. 

Coca-Cola's iconic 'Shadows'

I’ve written about a number of ‘no logo’ creatives recently that demonstrate the power of design and brand consistency - the ongoing McDonald’s image-only breakfast campaign is one - and this week, Coca-Cola launched an audacious campaign to celebrate the 110th anniversary of its iconic glass bottle.

Entitled 'Shadows', the campaign plays on the distinctive contour of the classic Coca-Cola glass bottle in a series of static OOH posters that rely on consumers’ ability to identify the icon from its shadow alone.

Set to go live throughout Europe, ‘Shadows’ is a celebration of the brand’s iconicity and an example of the power of symbolism in leveraging brand equity. It will be interesting to see the reaction in ad land to this one. Is the ‘no logo’ creative ad land’s equivalent of PR’s float it down the Thames? Confident or arrogant? In my opinion, a bottle as iconic as this should never be kept in the shadows.

Heinz sauce sachets served with a side of swagger

We’ve all been there: chips at the ready and a sauce sachet that is harder to break into than the Bank of England. Recognising this universal struggle of wrestling with stubborn sauce sachets, Heinz has unveiled an unconventional yet undeniably attention-grabbing solution with its custom tooth ‘grillz’.

This blinged-out approach, showcased in a series of striking visuals featuring food enthusiasts effortlessly opening sauce packets with their custom Heinz dental wear, transforms the often messy act of accessing its beloved sauce sachets into a statement of style.

The campaign, from Heinz Brazil, taps into the grillz dental jewellery trend, which has its roots in the US as a symbol of style and self-expression. Ranging from stripped-back silver to bright, blinged-out designs, each piece features a unique nod to the Heinz logo, alongside a ridged bottom edge for easy sauce ripping capabilities.

Sadly, for sachet fans, the custom grillz aren't available to buy, with Heinz instead opting for several influencer promos across Instagram and TikTok.

It’s a step change from its brand collabs, and one that sees Heinz make a cultural statement alongside a solution. Sauce served with a side of serious swagger.

Arsenal fans launch satirical ‘Visit Tottenham’ campaign

‘Gunners for Peace’, a group of Arsenal supporters who oppose the club’s sponsorship deal with Visit Rwanda, has unveiled a “Visit Tottenham” satirical billboard outside the Emirates Stadium that calls for the deal to be scrapped ahead of next season.

The brilliantly scripted billboard from the group signs off with the ironic statement, “We think anything - literally anything- would be better than Visit Rwanda. Even Tottenham.” Which, for an Arsenal fan, is saying something.

Alongside the “Visit Tottenham” billboard, Gunners For Peace also produced a satirical tourist video for Tottenham, the home of fierce rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

The Rwanda Development Board, a government department, has been an Arsenal partner since 2018. Paul Kagame, the Rwandan president, is an Arsenal fan. Arsenal’s sponsorship agreement with Visit Rwanda is understood to cover the remainder of this campaign and next season at least.

The group also handed out armbands on Wednesday this week so fans could cover up the Visit Rwanda branding on their Arsenal shirt sleeves during Arsenal’s mid-week match against Crystal Palace.

Arsenal’s deal with Visit Rwanda has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months due to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In February, the UK Government suspended aid to Rwanda over its support for the M23 rebel group in the area.

Commenting on the campaign, James Turner of the Gunners For Peace supporter group said: “Visit Tottenham is a joke with a serious punchline. It’s hard to think of a worse sponsor than Visit Rwanda, and together with many other Arsenal fans, we are calling on the club to drop them.”

On its website, the Gunners For Peace group added: “Arsenal is a great club. We have standards. Which is why Visit Rwanda needs to end."

I’m sure this campaign will continue to build. Football clubs are nothing without their fans, and, regardless of the amount of money on the table, if ‘Visit Tottenham’ begins to resonate with the players, then Arsenal's c-suite would do well to start listening too.

Well, that wraps up another Creative Corner!

As ever, if you’re launching something that deserves a spot in Creative Corner, or have seen a campaign you just love, please do share it with us. Email paul.lucas@fanclubpr.com