Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has again partnered with FareShare to donate meals to in-need communities across the UK.
The supplier is to take its Coca-Cola Christmas Truck on tour across the UK from this month. For every person that attends the tour, 20p will be donated on their behalf to food redistribution charity FareShare.
Coca-Cola aims to donate the equivalent of one million meals (£200,000) this festive season, with the tour running from 21 November until 22 December.
“These invaluable donations help us get good-to-eat food to the people who need it rather than going to waste,” said Kirsty Ford, head of fundraising at FareShare. “Every day, the food we redistribute to a network of over 8,000 charities in every region helps to strengthen communities.”
The partnership between FareShare and Coca-Cola has been in place since 2017, with Coca-Cola this month passing the milestone of having donated seven million surplus soft drinks to the charity.
Coca-Cola’s support was “instrumental in helping people affected by the cost of living crisis”, Ford said.
FareShare’s chief income & engagement officer, Polly Bianchi, said the tour provided a great opportunity for the charity, which is the biggest of its kind in the UK, to connect with local communities and potential volunteers.
The Coca-Cola Truck Tour took place in 1,400 locations globally last year, with the company expecting it to be “even bigger this year”, its marketing team said.
Coinciding with the launch of the initiative, Coca-Cola’s Christmas Truck is to make its return to TV screens this month. For the first time, the brand is to debut an alternative-AI generated Christmas ad to run alongside its classic spot.
Javier Meza, president of marketing & Europe CMO at The Coca-Cola Company, told journalists on Monday that the company was still “learning how to incorporate AI” in its campaigns and that it was having “healthy debates around boundaries”.
“But we are really embracing a combo of human ingenuity with artificial intelligence”, he said, adding AI had the potential to enhance brand and marketing experiences in a retail environment.
Coca-Cola is also launching a digital AI experience for shoppers to engage with via a QR code on Christmas-themed packs in stores.
The packs will offer the chance to win one of thousands of £50 shopping vouchers to use on festive celebrations or gifting.
“Coca-Cola is synonymous with Christmas thanks to the iconic campaigns and Truck Tour that consumers look forward to every year,” added Rob Yeomans, VP for commercial development at CCEP. “Our new limited-edition packs and shopping voucher giveaway will help retailers build on that excitement and offer their customers a chance to win something to support with the cost of Christmas.”
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