Corporate Ad Mocking Burning Man's Corporate Influence Is So Accurate That Burning Man Might Sue

via SFist

A still from the ad in question. 

A new advertisement that mocks Burning Man's corporate influences and was itself produced by sandwich company Quizno's (as a faux-installment of The Maze Runner movie franchise) is so meta and self-aware as to be nearly sentient. At once brilliant and sordid, this is the kind of meta-TV that David Foster Wallace warned us about, may he rest in peace. Oh, and perfectly completing the meta-mind-fuck of this whole episode, Burning Man officials are considering a lawsuit against Quizno's — for commodifying its culture.

 Watch "Burn Trials - Out of the Maze and onto the Playa" here.

Coca-Cola Invites the World to Reach up and Support the Special Olympics World Games 2015 Los Angeles

via GNN Liberia

ATLANTA, June 17, 2015 --(BUSINESS WIRE/ME NewsWire)-- This summer, Los Angeles will welcome 7,000 inspirational athletes from 177 different countries to the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games. Supporting children and adults with intellectual disabilities, the World Games is the largest sports and humanitarian event on the globe.

To celebrate, The Coca-Cola Company, Founding Partner of Special Olympics, has assembled a star-studded team to record a unified song for the World Games, titled “Reach Up.” The new song debuts today and will be performed during the World Games. ESPN is the official broadcaster of the World Games and will have a three-hour live telecast of the Opening Ceremony beginning at 9 p.m. ET featuring Robin Roberts, co-host of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” and ESPN’s Lindsay Czarniak and Kevin Negandhi.

“Reach Up” features rock band O.A.R., recording artist Cody Simpson and, accompanied by Breanna Bogucki, a singer and decorated Special Olympics athlete from Illinois who has Autism, and Madison Tevlin, a young Canadian woman with Down syndrome who became a viral sensation earlier this year. Written by Marc Roberge, lead singer of O.A.R., Nathan Chapman and Kevin Kadish the uplifting alternative-rock song encourages people of all abilities to never give up.

Inspired by Special Olympics Unified Sports – a program that brings athletes with and without intellectual disabilities together on the same team to compete – “Reach Up” embodies the values of optimism, acceptance and inclusion shared by Coca-Cola and Special Olympics.

“In all our lives, we’ve been touched by somebody who may not have been born with all the opportunities we were. At the end of the day, we are all doing the exact same thing - trying to appreciate this daily life that we’re given,” said Marc Roberge, lead singer of O.A.R. “I feel like the lucky one, being able to spend time and learn from two incredible individuals - Madison and Bree - involved with Coca-Cola for something as special and as important as the Special Olympics World Games. ‘Reach Up’ is an anthem. I want people to hear it and feel like they can do anything.”

Fans can support Special Olympics by sharing the “Reach Up” music video on social media using the hashtag #ReachUp. Coca-Cola will donate one dollar – up to $100,000 – to Special Olympics for every “Reach Up” video share using the hashtag leading up to the World Games.

Fans can listen to “Reach Up” on Spotify and learn more about the musicians’ story on Coca-Cola Journey.

The Coca-Cola Company is the Founding Partner and Global Sponsor of Special Olympics, the world’s largest health and sports organization dedicated to people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Since 1968 – Special Olympics’ inception – the Company has maintained a deep commitment to the organization and has provided more than $190 million in support of its programs through product, equipment, donations and marketing support.

Coke Zero Entices Final Four Fans With a Drinkable Billboard

via Creativity Online

Coke is promising hoops fans a whole lot of soda to go with the NCAA Final Four action in Indianapolis -- with the help of a massive drinkable billboard.

A giant Coke bottle and twisty straw form the basis of a massive 26x36 foot display in Indianapolis' White River State Park. It features 4,500 feet of tubing that spell "Taste It" while dispensing Coke Zero to a sampling station below.

White River State Park is the site of Coke Zero's Countdown Concert on Saturday. There, fans of rival Final Four teams will be able to compete in a Coke Zero "drink off" on their smartphones. By blowing into the microphones of their phones, they can race to finish virtual Coke Zero bottles projected on digital screens at the event. Winning teams will get free bottles of Coke Zero.

During the Final Four broadcast on Sunday, Coke will also debut a "drinkable" commercial that drives viewers to use Shazam. In doing so, as the spot shows Coke Zero being poured from a bottle, consumers will see a glass on their phones filling up with the soda. Other elements in the campaign include interactive kiosks and flyers that turn into straws. See a teaser video of the billboard here.

Coke Bows Out of American Idol

via WallStreetJournal

Long-time American Idol sponsor, Coca-Cola Co.KO +1.68%said it will no longer support the one-time mega hit.

Coke had been a high-profile sponsor of the program for 13 years. It was one of the big advertisers most closely associated with the program thanks in part to the product placement the beverage giant received because of its ad deal with Fox.

Coke’s ad package not only included airing TV commercials during the program but also included having its brand mentioned and seen throughout the program. For example, Coke cups had been a regular fixture on the judges’ table for several years.

“After 13 years, we feel it is the right time for the Coca-Cola brand to venture into new spaces and pursue other opportunities to connect with teens and leverage music as a passion point,” said Coke in a statement.

News of Coke’s decision was first reported by Variety.com.

A spokeswoman for Fox said that Ford, another of the show’s main sponsors, will return for season 14 of Idol.

Last year, AT&T T +0.84%, another big sponsor, dropped out of the program. Although ratings for the reality show have declined significantly, Coke remained a sponsor of the program. However,  beverage giant did “significantly” reduced its spending on the program, the Wall Street Journal reported last year. A few years ago, the beverage giant was shelling out roughly $30 million on the show and last year was spending under $10 million, the report said.

Although “American Idol” had been a ratings juggernaut for years — reaching over 30 million viewers in 2006 — the show has suffered a big decline in ratings as the program aged and faced competition from other singing competition shows such as NBC’s “The Voice.”  Last season the show averaged 11.9 million viewers.

Coca-Cola renews partnership with WWF to match donations to Arctic Home Campaign

via TheDrum

Coca-Cola renews partnership with WWF to match donations to Arctic

Drinks giant Coca-Cola has partnered with World Wildlife Fund for the second year running as the pair look to raise awareness and funds for the plight of polar bears in the Arctic.

The Arctic Home campaign will see Coca-Cola Europe match all donations made to the campaign, up to €1million, with a focus this year on polar bear mothers protecting their young.

To mark the launch, people from across the country took part in a live art display to form the shape of a polar bear with their bodies.

The Arctic Home partnership was first launched in 2013 as Coca‑Cola committed €1 million to help support essential research into the Last Ice Area, an area of over 1.4sq km in the Arctic.

The sum also assisted with developing plans to map critical polar bear habitats and improve conservation planning, as well to fund an International Polar Bear Conservation Forum.

Liz Lowe, corporate responsibility and sustainability manager, Coca‑Cola Great Britain said: “We’re delighted to continue our partnership with WWF to bring the campaign back for a second year and do even more to raise awareness and funds to help ensure that polar bear mothers have a safe place to raise their cubs.

“The polar bear has been an iconic part of our advertising for over 90 years and so their future is a cause close to our hearts - we want to work together with WWF to ensure a safe habitat for them for many more years to come.”

The artwork was released alongside a new survey commissioned for Arctic Home, which found that 67 per cent of 2000 people polled in the UK said it would take longer than 100 years for all the ice to melt in the Arctic.

However recent scientific research has stated this could happen as early as the middle of this century.