Coca-Cola wrapped up 2024 with a social media-led campaign honouring Quebec’s singer and songwriter legend Jean-Pierre Ferland, who died last year.

The campaign revolves around a five-minute video spot, which features ten Quebecois artists from different generations reinterpreting Jean-Pierre Ferland’s classic song Le petit roi. The ad also includes testimonials from the artists about the influence of the singer and his music on their respective careers.

In partnership with EssenceMediacom for media buying, the brand has been rolling out the campaign on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. A 90-second clip also aired during the year-end Bye bye 2024 program, with Quebec lifestyle media outlets making numerous mentions of the tribute in their publications and reviews of the show.

Goli Samii, account director at EssenceMediacom, tells Media in Canada that social networks were the main channel to share the video due to their capacity to capture the campaign’s emotional resonance.

“Social platforms have firmly established themselves as the central hub for daily content consumption and sharing among friends and family. To harness this trend, we strategically prioritized platforms like Meta and YouTube to organically distribute our video to our fans and followers. By encouraging them to share it with their networks, we are ensuring a more authentic and impactful outreach for our content,” Samii says.

Meanwhile, Maxime Mercier, managing director at VML, says the artist’s life and significance in Quebec provided a unique opportunity to create a meaningful work, allowing the brand to connect deeply with citizens. A moving celebration of the city’s music and artists also fit with the holiday season and the “Real Magic” brand platform, which celebrates authentic moments of human connection.

“For this campaign, we wanted to celebrate Québec’s rich music scene by bringing together artists from all generations… Coca-Cola transcended traditional advertising, crafting a shared cultural experience by bringing a moving rendition of Le petit roi to the public,” Mercier adds.

According to the brand, Jean-Pierre Ferland touched different generations with hits such as Le Chat du Café des Artistes and Je reviens chez nous. His artistic contribution also extended to TV and earned him a place in the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame.

WPP’s Open X, led by VML Canada, handled the creative side.