Coca-Cola European Partners’ Christmas 2016 activations for Coca-Cola include the return of its iconic television commercial and Truck Tour and the launch of a new charity initiative to provide meals to those in need.

The first of two on-pack promotions sees Coca-Cola partner with FareShare. The UK-wide charity fights food waste and hunger, by redistributing good food that might otherwise go to waste, to charities and community groups that support vulnerable people. These organisations transform the food into nutritious meals, which they provide alongside life-changing support.

Consumers can scan special labels on promotional 500ml PET bottles and 1.25ltr promotional bottles using their smartphones, and upload the images to a dedicated website. Each image upload will trigger a donation to FareShare that will provide one meal to someone in need, adding to the 18.3 million meals it provides each year nationwide.

Meanwhile, the Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour is back again for 2016. This year it will visit 43 locations around Great Britain. Samples of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Coca-Cola Classic and Diet Coke will also be available to consumers.

The tour will be promoted on 1.75L bottles and 330ml can multipacks of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Coca-Cola Classic and Diet Coke. The promotional packs will also give consumers a once-in-a-lifetime chance to win a visit from the iconic truck to their home a few days before Christmas. A festive gift hamper, worth £5,000, is also up for grabs,.

These promotions will launch from the beginning of November, helping to build excitement ahead of the ‘Holidays are Coming’ advert, first airing in mid-November.

Amy Burgess, trade communications manager at Coca-Cola European Partners says: “Cola is the biggest seller within the soft drinks sector, and this is no different at Christmas time, with its value share of the soft drinks category in growth in the four weeks immediately before the holiday during 2015 (AC Nielsen Total GB, Wk End 26.12.15).

“Coca-Cola is synonymous with Christmas, and sales see a notable increase in the build-up to the big day (AC Nielsen Total GB, Wk End 26.12.16), with the annual ‘Holidays Are Coming’ advert seen by many as the unofficial start of the festive season.”

A list of the Coca-Cola Truck Tour stops will be revealed on November 4 at: cocacola.co.uk/trucktour.