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Japan Coca-Cola Immediately after the new era name announcement, "Reiwa Bottle" sampling begins
On April 1, the government announced the new era name "Reiwa" (令和), to be adopted starting May 1, the day the new Emperor ascends the throne.
The new era name is taken from Japan's oldest anthology of poetry, the Manyoshu. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stated in a commentary, "It embodies the meaning that culture is born and nurtured as people beautifully come together in harmony."
At the SL Square in front of JR Shimbashi Station in Tokyo, amid crowds eagerly awaiting newspapers' special editions, Japan Coca-Cola conducted a sampling of Coca-Cola bottles bearing the new era name label.
The company urgently produced and distributed 2,000 bottles on the day the new era name was announced, symbolizing the dawn of a new era.
The labels were designed and printed in Tokyo simultaneously with the announcement. The finished labels were transported to Shimbashi by motorcycle courier, and a special team manually applied them. Sampling began approximately an hour and a half after the announcement, achieving a speed rivaling that of the newspaper extras.
Yuji Shiota, IMC Senior Manager at the Marketing Division, commented on the initiative: "We've always sought to elevate moments when all of Japan is in a celebratory mood—be it everyday occasions, holidays and seasonal events like countdowns and Christmas, or when the Japanese national team excels at the Olympics or FIFA World Cup—by proposing a toast with Coca-Cola alongside loved ones. This time, we wondered if we could celebrate the special moment of the new era name announcement with Coca-Cola."
Long lines quickly formed at the sampling locations, and distribution ended in about an hour.
Those who received the special bottles smiled, saying things like, "I missed the announcement, but I'm happy to get the bottle. I'll show it off at work and at home," or "I couldn't get the special edition newspaper, but I'm happier with the Coca-Cola." Some drank it right there, enjoying the special day and remarking, "It's refreshing, just like it should be. It tastes like the new era."
The company ran a Twitter campaign until 11:59 PM that day, offering the new era name bottles as prizes. By retweeting eligible posts from the official Coca-Cola Twitter account containing the hashtags "#コカコーラ" (Coca-Cola), "#新元号" (new era name), and "#令和" (Reiwa), 100 people would be selected by lottery to receive the new era name bottles before the new era name took effect on May 1st.
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