Coca-Cola China system conference is a B2B, three days event in Sanya (a popular tourist destination on the sub-tropical island of Hainan), designed to reinforce the brand internally and to strengthen the relations with different Chinese bottlers groups by sharing and discussing the future marketing strategies, vision and plans.
The main issue was to find the correct narrative to deeply connect (culturally and visually) such an established American brand with the Chinese way of thinking.
The inspiration came with the book The Art of War by Sun Tzu. A book deeply rooted in Chinese tradition and a required lecture in many American business schools. While exploring the theme, I discovered that Chinese chess strategies are also heavily influenced by "The Art of War". That allowed me to express critical metaphors: how different chess pieces (different marketing strategies) interact on the chessboard (the Chinese market). So I created an iconic visual language to express how to “win” the China marketplace, by mixing Chinese strategic theories and references with a contemporary, digitally inspired graphic design and Coca-Cola Brand Identity and “fun” spirit.
A language that starts in the past but it’s looking forward.
Coca-Cola entirely booked a five-star hotel in Sanya to host the event. 250 guests and representatives of the different bottlers’ groups were invited.
Invitation design: a "message in a bottle" .
After the arrival, guests were welcomed by a cocktail party.
The next day, at the beginning of the conference, Sun Tzu (impersonated on stage by a Beijing-based theatrical actor) is brought back “from the past”. Following a quite tight theatrical script, Coca-Cola China CEO interacted with Sun Tzu, discussing "Art of War" principles, chess strategies and marketing in China, reaching a mutual understanding.
The following speakers introduced Coca-Cola's future strategic platforms for China's marketplace, capitalising on the chess metaphor though a series of animations and slides.
Real-time translation was provided for non-mandarin speaking personnel.
As part of the "welcome pack", an iPad with a pre-installed tailor-made app was gifted to each participant. During the conference, guests could connect in realtime with each other through the app (on a protected intranet), sharing and discussing topics of the conference.
Besides checking schedules, programs and locations, guests could also “publish” questions and thoughts on the stage screen, interacting with the speaker.
Also included in the "welcome pack" were polo shirts (with a modern take on the Chinese collar design) to be worn on different phases of the event.
An outdoor variant + bag for the morning "beach walk with the CEO".
The grid derived from the chessboard was also used in the physical realm: extruded when needed, it's the wireframe to display informations in the exhibition areas within the hotel.
The dynamic Coca-Cola ribbon was used as element to conceptually "wrap" the entire event, connecting different areas, providing directions, and supporting the space's function whenever necessary.
During the "informal dinner", food and shows were designed to explore the local culture, entertain and strengthen relations.
The last day the conference concluded with the arrival of Coca-Cola global CEO, V.I.P. roundtable and the evening "Gala Dinner" with performances and an award ceremony for the best bottlers.
Colour scheme for Gala Dinner / Bottlers' Awards: black & gold with Coca-Cola red accent.
To maintain linguistic coherence, as creative director, I was in control and involved in every single aspect of the event, from the taste and look of food and cocktails to conference presentations and stage design, theatrical script, infographics, visual identity, content organisations, road flags, banners, 3D animations, film shooting and editing, entertainers selection, the welcome kit, customised iPads / app design, uniforms design, soundtracks, award design, etc.
The event was very successful, praised by Coca-Cola Global CEO as “the best Coke event in Asia”.