Fifteen years ago, groups like the World Wildlife Fund did not partner with groups like Coca-Cola.
The ultimate American brand, Coca-Cola’s perceived cultural pervasiveness and arrogance meant they were the enemy. But not anymore.
Coca-Cola Canada president Nicola Kettlitz
said Coca-Cola has actively tried to shed its image of taking over the world to one that preserves it over the past decade.
“What happened is that we all learned, and that includes the WWF … that if you want to achieve something big, you have to work in partnership.
“We’ve worked with the WWF for many years on water conservation, and now it was time to take it to a new level.”
Arctic Home is a major campaign launched by the WWF and Coca-Cola to raise money for polar bear research in the Arctic. Kettlitz said Coca-Cola will donate $2 million over the next four years toward that research.
Gerald Butts, president and CEO of WWF Canada, said working with corporate partners who want to change, can effect the most change.
“In general, you can make things happen a lot quicker with companies, especially on big issues,” said Butts, adding that Coke is one of the world’s biggest users of water, sugar, aluminum and other commodities.
“If they decide they are only going to buy goods that are procured and grown in a certain way, then we can change the supply chain overnight. We could lobby 100 governments for 50 years and never get them to change.”
To promote the campaign, Coca-Cola changed their can from the traditional red to white with silver polar bears.
“It wasn’t a hard decision,” said Kettlitz.
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