MANILA, PHILIPPINES – Coca-Cola has always believed in the power of innovation and making connections with people through enjoyment in an assortment of outlets. And in 2024, the brand did exactly that with the power of music. Coke Studio is the conglomerate’s way of reaching its various consumers through another touchpoint — one that resonates more deeply than the beloved refreshing drink. Music has the ability to bring individuals together through a shared love for songs that move their emotions, and artists that just naturally capture the crowds’ hearts with their angelic voices and raw feelings. It allows people to freely express themselves and their individuality — something that Coca-Cola proudly advocates for. By marrying the people’s love for the beverage and their passion for sound, Coke Studio was able to bring “Real Magic” and reach new, groundbreaking heights. Adrian Manlapig,Coca Cola Philippines,Marketing Director “When we launched Coke Studio in 2017, our objective was to really set up a platform for Filipino musical talents to be seen and heard in the industry,” began Adrian Manlapig, Marketing Director for Coca-Cola Philippines. “We envisioned working with emerging and iconic talents, and we want this to really put the spotlight on our local musical talents.” He also shared that cross-collaboration between culture and music was the main intent of Coke Studio, with music as the main vehicle. The impact of Coke Studio in the Philippines is evident in our nation’s inclination towards music and everything it entails as an artistic expression. “We love singing and dancing; of course, music is at the center of those. That's why we thought that uniting the number one passion point of music with Coke would be a good cultural collaboration,” Adrian expounded. Celebrating the eighth season of Coke Studio Philippines On September 05, 2024, Coke Studio welcomed its eighth season in the Philippines with the Ultimate Fandom Concert. This edition’s musical theme revolves around the power of fandoms and creating connections between fandom-to-fandom and artist-to-fandom. The event was headlined by global K-pop sensation NewJeans, who performed their chart-topping hits “ETA,” “Bubble Gum,” “Supernatural,” “How Sweet,” and “Zero” in front of lightstick-waving fans. As a nation of singers, Filipino pride was felt among the crowd as OPM artists displayed local talent on the stage with their collab songs: “Ngayong Gabi” by ALAMAT and Nik Makino, and “Believe” by Kyle Echarri and Illest Morena. The first Filipino Coke Studio Global Ambassador Zack Tabudlo also serenaded the crowd and performed “Fallin’” — his Coke Studio exclusive song with South African rapper Nasty C. On top of these exciting collaborations, P-pop pride BINI also performed their hit song “Blooming” on the Coke Studio YouTube channel. Kyle Echarri and Illest Morena, “Ngayong Grabi”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYnmFvBpm2c Alamat and Nik Makino, “Believe”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfnbw1E4YFY BINI, “Blooming”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5l3rqGpxIx4 The evolution of Coke Studio Apparent in the recent season are the thoughtful innovations behind years of Coke Studio production, research, and evolution. Looking back at the first one, Adrian shared that they were solely focused on sharing musical assets. “Every week, we would have episodes that we would share with consumers via music TV channels, so we would release one music at a time. But times have changed. Things have evolved. Platforms have also evolved as well. We now live in a much more digital age, where many of the brand campaigns we have are two-way now. We can send out our message, and consumers can actually engage and respond with it.” Coming back to the present, Coke Studio has grown into a bigger platform — releasing more musical content online than on traditional media. Adrian highlighted that they also utilize a feature that allows consumers to engage and interact with their assets so they can create their own version. “Collaboration is the central message that we always communicate, but it has evolved through the platform in the past. When you talk about platforms like Spotify, people can now create their own playlists; or on TikTok, they can add their own music or own vocals. It has allowed us to make the campaign a two-way conversation with the consumers now. I believe this has helped a lot in terms of brand-building. Not only are people able to listen, but they are also able to partake in the campaign. And we love these collaborations and engagements from consumers!” Adrian exclaimed. Growing with the music community through generations Alongside the improvements in the Coke Studio platform, Adrian noted that the communities that have been participating each season have drastically changed. He highlighted that consumers these days are “multi-touchpoint” or are reachable via a multitude of media and outlets: “We noticed that in the past, they were very traditional. They just listen to the radio or TV, and that's it. But now, they're more multi-touchpoint; they want to partake in the passive part, and also live, feel and breathe [content].” He cited that aside from listening to their favorite artists, consumers these days yearn to hear them play live in a concert, and even be able to dance to the music and share the experience with other fans. He observed that this is especially noticeable among Gen Zs, and shared that these young listeners opt for more physical experiences rather than digital ones. “What we realized is there are certain demographics who would be inclined to certain genres of music. Some people like P-pop; some like rap, hip hop music, or K-pop. That's a realization that we had.” Adrian shared that from this observation, the Coke Studio team came to a musing: allowing fans of different genres to unite and collaborate in a single event, and learn to appreciate each other’s music tastes and artists. “After the concert, people were telling us, ‘I never thought of certain artists like this before, so I have a newfound appreciation.’ You’d never expect them to listen to that kind of music, but because of this live experience, they were able to discover new musical pieces. That's where we saw real magic come to life. They were able to collide with different fandoms, collaborate with each other. They have a new way of appreciating music, and that's what we stand for at Coke Studio. We want to give platforms for people to really appreciate different genres of music and be inspired with that.” In order to successfully distinguish which artists resonate with today’s young crowds, particularly Gen Zs, Adrian shared that the preparation for the eighth season involved a lot of consumer-listening and help from the giants in the music industry. “We definitely wanted to make sure that the music we produced was attuned to what the consumers like. So we looked at the data behind that. We worked with a lot of industry experts in music: Spotify, Billboard, TikTok. They're also part of the team who made the Coke Studio event very successful.” But even with the expertise of professionals, he divulged that the Coke Studio production team also had some artistic liberties, including refreshing old hits with a modern twist: “It takes a lot of expertise to bring forward to life a big campaign like Coke Studio. But obviously there's also a little bit of creative storytelling. It's not bad to also listen to your heart, to what the soul wants. We look back to past music that has also trended before, and give a new life to it. For example, for Coke Studio season seven, we recreated songs from the past. ‘Bata, Kaya Mo!’ (originally performed by Iñigo Pascual and Ron Henley) is a song from a previous Coke Studio season. I think when we were doing that, we thought maybe a new artist like BINI and PLAYERTWO could breathe new life into this.” Through a combination of research and gut feel, the Coke Studio team was able to elevate the song with a new approach that appeals to modern listeners. “It's a combination of art and science; real magic happens when you combine both.” Riding the wave of musical preferences Adrian shared that the brand now understands that music can be inclusive too — melding artists from different genres and conjuring a rare synergy in a musical single, created especially for Coke Studio. “For example, this season, we collaborated with Nik Makino and Alamat: P-pop and rap. It hasn’t been done before, but through the help of Coke Studio, we fostered that collaboration. We make [Coke Studio] a stage for [artists] to collaborate on musical pieces, and make it big in the Filipino music industry.” Staying true to the theme of “Ultimate Fandom,” he also emphasized that this latest season’s audience wasn’t just about the Gen Zs, but all of the other generations as well. “One song can be hip for one person. Another song can sound different to another person. But the common thread that puts them together is still music. It's music that they want if they're feeling different kinds of emotions. Music helps them, or takes them to different places they’ve never been before. So that alone is the common thread for many generations on how we become inclusive in our choice of work.” “Having said that, we want to make sure that we cover as much [as we can to] stay fresh and young with the choice of artists and music. At the same time, we want to make sure that it's a musical piece that every generation can still enjoy and have the same feeling of upliftment. That's what our considerations are when we try to make these musical pieces,” he stressed. What innovation means for Coca-Cola, and how it’s reflected on Coke Studio Innovation is a trait seen clearly in each effort that Coca-Cola makes for all of its products and marketing strategies. “We always remember to put consumers at the heart of what we do,” Adrian led off. “We've had a lot of initiatives to make sure that Coca-Cola, a 100-year-old brand, will still be relevant to the new consumers in this day and age.” He cited the recent Coca-Cola Creation, K-Wave Zero Sugar, as an example of this. He described the new drink as a product that lets consumers taste and experience the culture of K-wave. “It's not just about the drink, but the experience that comes with it,” he explained. And for an experiential event as big as Coke Studio, the essence and importance of innovation are only heightened. “In music marketing, many marketers will ask, ‘What's the next music video, or what's the next brand jingle that we will produce?’ That's very intuitive to say when you're a marketer. But [at Coke Studio], we really have to think of what inspires the youth; we need to put them front and center. It's not just about the next branded jingle that you will hear — it's about what kind of music they will appreciate.” “When you think of Coke Studio, you would notice the song is not branded, but the production is. Listening closely to what the consumers want is our way to innovate here. What kinds of songs will inspire these kinds of people? Maybe you want to feel very excited or ecstatic, so we combine that uplifting feeling you get when you listen to music, and drinking Coke with it. That entire experience itself is what we sell at Coke Studio. The music selection, the artist selection, plus our association to that kind of music is where the magic happens for us.” A new hope for music and Coke Studio The eighth Coke Studio season was met with thunderous applause and finished with roaring acclamation from fandoms all over. And as we are rejuvenated with the new year, the team has a fresh chance on making it even bigger this 2025. With all the previous seasons honing in on collaboration, Adrian shared that the same wish remains for their ninth and succeeding Coke Studio productions. “Definitely more collaborations, more cultural collisions,” he enthused. “Coke Studio is not just about one genre of music. We will always be an enabler of fostering camaraderie. Music that knows no boundaries, from genre to geographies — that's what we will continue to stand up for. We will also continue to [put the] spotlight on Filipino talent, and at the same time, shed light to global emerging ones.” “We want to continue highlighting that only Coca-Cola can do experiences where we delight consumers with such an iconic cultural experience. We'll definitely continue listening to what our consumers want in terms of their music choices and what uplifts them — it has been our success pillar.” See more performances on Coke Studio Philippines’ YouTube channel or check out Coca-Cola Philippines on Facebook, Instagram, and via coca-cola.com/ph
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