Coca-Cola has launched a wholesome new campaign honouring the local business people who support it. Local Royalty features four hand-painted portraits created by real royal portrait artists, proving that honour doesn't have to be dictated by blood.
While many ad campaigns are focusing on the digital side of design, it's a refreshing change to see Coca-Cola embracing analogue art. A campaign with heart and intention, Local Royalty demonstrates how stripping back to the tactile can create some of the best adverts.
The four portrait subjects were chosen to represent everyday people from hospitality and retail, including workers from a pub, corner shop, café, and fish and chip shop. Painted by artists who have previously captured royals such as Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III, the Prince and Princess of Wales and Princess Anne, the stately portraits are a wonderfully unexpected homage to life's everyday heroes.
“Independent business owners create the places where local life happens, yet their contribution often goes unrecognised," says Rhona Stephen, senior director, communications for Coca-Cola Great Britain. "With Local Royalty, we wanted to celebrate them in a way that felt deliberately unexpected and enduring. By borrowing the visual language of official portraiture and placing these owners at its centre, the campaign gives their everyday impact the status it deserves.”
The portraits will be displayed as part of a free public exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in London from 28th October to 1st November. For more creative news, check out Coca-Cola's new look or take a look at our guide on how to stand out as a portrait artist.
