Coke it turning its red cans white to mark a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund to help protect the Arctic habitat of the polar bear, which is facing degradation as sea ice melts at an “alarming rate.” “We’re using one of our greatest assets-our flagship brand, Coca-Cola-to raise awareness for this important cause,” says Muhtar Kent, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company.

 

Beginning November 1st, more than 1.4 billion 'Arctic white' Coke cans will be released. The familiar red background will be replaced with an all-white panorama featuring the image of a mother bear and her two cubs, highlighted by the iconic Coca-Cola script printed in red. The all-white packaging will be on store shelves through February 2012 (white bottle caps will also be on bottles of Coke, Diet Coke and other company brands).

 

Coke has never before changed the color of the red can to support a cause. The company is making an initial donation of $2 million to the WWF and is matching donations made with a package code by March 15th, up to a total of $1 million. Funds will go to WWF’s conservation efforts to protect polar bear habitats.

 

The packaging is part of a larger marketing effort meant to inspire action toward the cause. Coca-Cola and WWF are partnering with filmmakers to co-produce the new IMAX film To the Arctic 3D and Coca-Cola has developed an Arctic Home microsite where visitors can conduct live video chats with WWF scientists, track virtual polar bear sightings and make donations.

 

Launch: November 2011

 

Package design: Turner Duckworth