| Polar bears | |
|---|---|
| Coca-Cola character | |
 A polar bear costume at World of Coca-Cola | |
| First appearance |
|
| Created by | Ken Stewart |
The Coca-Cola polar bears are polar bear characters used as mascots for the Coca-Cola Company. The animated characters have been a popular element in Coca-Cola advertising since 1993, and the company sells merchandise, such as tumblers and plush versions of the bears.
The Coca-Cola Company first used a polar bear in a 1922 French advertisement depicting a bear squirting Coca-Cola into the mouth of a thirsty anthropomorphized sun. However, the use of the characters was sporadic until 1993. That year, the Coca-Cola polar bears appeared in an animated film called Northern Lights (which was part of the "Always Coca-Cola" promotion that debuted during the commercial breaks of Game 3 of the 1993 NBA Finals) where they gathered to drink Coca-Cola and watch the Aurora Borealis, which was successful with consumers. [1] [2] The use of polar bears in the 1993 ad campaign was, according to creator Ken Stewart, inspired by his labrador retriever dog which resembled a polar bear. [3] The polar bear has since become "one of the most popular symbols of Coca-Cola." [4] Following the success of Northern Lights, the Coca-Cola Company has produced many more commercials and films with anthropomorphic polar bears, as well as products such as tumblers and plush bears. [1] There's also a walkaround costume of the Coca-Cola polar bear at World of Coca-Cola designed by Jim Henson's Creature Shop.
In 1995, the Coca-Cola Company won an injunction against the Polar Corporation, a family-run soft-drink company, for running an advertisement in which a polar bear threw away a can of Coca-Cola. The court ruled that the Polar Corporation could continue to use the polar bear character, but that it could not show it throwing away Coca-Cola. [5]
In 2012, the Coca-Cola Company created a live advertising campaign that had polar bears react to the Super Bowl, which was described as "a brilliant marketing move". [6]
In 2011, the Coca-Cola Company pledged to donate US$2 million to the World Wildlife Fund to protect polar bears, but has been criticised for giving such a relatively small amount of money compared to their advertising budget and profits. [1]
In 2011, the company changed its drink cans from red to white with images of polar bears for the Holiday season, but consumers protested the change. The Coca-Cola Company reverted the change after one month. [7]