Coca-Cola Partners With Prime Video For Holiday-Themed Short Films

Coca-Cola has been intrinsically linked with the winter holiday season in several ways for decades, with the company embarking on a new initiative that brings short films to Prime Video to highlight how cultures celebrate the season worldwide. Christmas Always Finds Its Way consists of multiple shorts and, while they incorporate Coca-Cola, offer a longer format to tell stories that traditional commercial spots don't afford. Interestingly, of all the various brands out there that honor the holiday season, many historians point towards Coca-Cola's 1931 painting of Santa Claus by Haddon Sundblom as what cemented the rosy-cheeked and bearded image of the figure that has dominated pop culture for the past century.

Per press release, "Coca-Cola -- a brand synonymous with the holiday season for nearly a century -- is kicking off a new tradition in 2022 with the launch of its first-ever Christmas anthology series under the 'Real Magic Presents' creative platform.

"Christmas Always Finds Its Way, streaming now on Amazon Prime Video in more than 100 countries and on YouTube in the Philippines, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia, shares diverse stories of human connection and triumph over adversity to show that the holidays always bring people together. Brian Grazer and Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment produced the three films -- which were shot on three different continents -- in collaboration with PRETTYBIRD's roster of award-winning directors:

• "Alma" (12 mins) is set in a town in Mexico famous for making Christmas decorations for the world all year round. Residents no longer feel the magic of Christmas, until an event reignites the magic of the season. Brazilian director Vellas, who is widely regarded as one of the best Brazilian commercial directors and is about to embark on a Latin American Netflix series.
• "Les Petits Mondes De Noël" (11 mins) is a romantic love story that unfolds between two estranged lovers working at neighboring stores in Paris, who rekindle their connection as they create their decorative holiday window displays. French director JB Braud earned critical acclaim for his short film In the Still Night and Apple's shot-on-iPhone campaign Le Peintre (The Painters).
• "Christmas Bites" (10 mins) is a comedy set in the United States around a vampire who meets his girlfriend's parents for the first time, and what happens when he meets his long-time rival, Santa. OSCAR and Emmy-nominated American director Alex Buono is best known for his Netflix series Russian Doll (Season 2), Hulu's gonzo sci-fi/action/comedy series Future Man, and Comedy Central's Detroiters.

"The series is part of Coke's 'The Holidays Always Find a Way' campaign -- which also includes TV, digital, experiential, outdoor, and retail creative. Coca-Cola Latin America partnered with OpenX from WPP on the creative development and production of all campaign elements, including the Christmas Always Finds Its Way anthology.

"Christmas Always Finds Its Way represents the brand's entry into longer-form branded entertainment, which provides an opportunity to explore themes in greater depth than a 30-second commercial. The films express the range of emotions of the holiday season, and are intended to be watched independently."

"Everyone will have their own favorite," Luciana Mendes, Director of Creative Strategy, Coca-Cola Latin America, shared in a statement. "We saw the anthology concept as a way to reach consumers organically in the spaces where they are most engaged. We know that during the holidays, people love to watch Christmas specials and other heartwarming content with friends and families on streaming platforms. And as a brand ingrained in popular culture, especially this time of year, Coca-Cola is uniquely positioned to share stories like these that reflect our values."

Pratik Thakar, Global Head of Creative Strategy and Content for Coca-Cola, added, "'Real Magic Presents' is an extension of the ambition of the 'Real Magic' brand platform, which is to use universal storytelling to bring to life the magic all around us in everyday moments of connection and humanity. We are looking forward to working with other talented writers, filmmakers, producers and platforms to bring more stories of 'Real Magic' to life."

Coca-Cola's Christmas Always Finds Its Way is now streaming on Prime Video.

Will you be checking out the shorts? Let us know in the comments!