Putting fizz into Christmas
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Coca-Cola is lighting up the UK as its borrowed T-cab Scanias tour the country in the run up to Christmas
Words / Images: Tom Cunningham How do you know the festive season is on its way? For millions of us it’s not the switching on of the Christmas lights, but a certain TV commercial: Coca-Cola’s ‘Holidays Are Coming’ advert, where a convoy of bright red trucks, festooned in fairy lights, can be seen for miles as they deliver the world’s most famous beverage. The iconic commercial was first aired in Germany in 2001 and has since represented the start of the festive season for many European countries, including the UK and Ireland.
This gave Coke’s marketing people an idea: why not roll out a Christmas Truck Tour in Britain? The idea was trialled in 2010 with a Kenworth, but its inability to actually carry a UK-legal load meant a more permanent solution had to be found. The firm responsible for the trucks and trailers, Banbury’s DHB, knew exactly who to call – Coles & Sons: “They gave us a bell to see if we’d be able to supply two T-cab Scanias to pull the trailers they’d been preparing,” says Gary Coles.
By the time Christmas Eve comes around, the pair will have visited more than 80 locations from Aberdeen to Plymouth, which Coca-Cola says equates to ‘touching’ two million customers. ■