Coke China seeks 'refreshing' ideas through crowdsourcing

The "Coca-Cola China Video" contest offers €25,000 (US$31,175) in prizes and runs from 24 November to 18 January. The shorter "Coca-Cola China Print" contest offers €5,000 (US$6,200) and will run from 1 December to 11 January. Both contest are open to entries from anywhere in the world. The brand expects to announce results in February and March.

The brief for the video contest (English, Chinese) asks participants to "Show us why the taste of Coke is so unique and wonderful."

The company explicitly warns that it will reject submissions that look like ads, because it is seeking creative expressions about the taste of the cola. "If you had to explain to an alien who has never tried it before, which particular element of the Coke taste experience would you talk about?" the brief asks.

"Taste is an incredibly personal thing, which is why we want to engage the wider creative community to come up with their own interpretations of what drinking an ice-cold Coke feels like," Richard Cotton, creative excellence director at Coca-Cola, told Campaign Asia-Pacific. "We have worked with Eyeka on similar initiatives in other markets with great results, and indeed it is not the first time we have crowdsourced in China, having launched a couple of initiatives last year. We are working on this initiative through our agency partners at McCann."

Other brands that have worked through Eyeka in the past include Hyundai and Unilever.