In the U.S. our famous “Share a Coke” campaign will sing a different tune this summer when it swaps out first names for more than 70 genre-spanning song lyrics - from classic hits to recent chart-toppers - on bottles and cans of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero and Coca-Cola Life.

“Share a Coke and a Song”, which kicks off from mid-April, will also feature lyrics from iconic and soon-to-be-iconic Coca-Cola and Diet Coke ads such as “I’d Like To Buy The World A Coke”, “Taste the Feeling” and “Just For The Taste Of It.” It signals a major evolution for one of our most successful marketing campaigns, which across the pond is now in its third year.

“We’re proud of the success of ‘Share a Coke’ over the last two years,” said Racquel Harris Mason, vice president of sparkling drinks at Coca-Cola North America. “We’ve seen incredible enthusiasm from consumers who love the campaign’s personal touch, and we wanted to push ourselves to innovate and provide our fans with new experiences. Evolving the programme to focus on lyrics creates an amazing opportunity for people to share special moments, sentiments and a Coca-Cola with people they care about.”

Joe Belliotti, head of global music marketing for Coca-Cola North America, credits Coca-Cola China with successfully introducing the "Share a Coke and a Song" concept in 2014.

“Music is a universal language,” he explained. “Lyrics can explain how we feel and what we want to say when we can’t find the words ourselves. The art of sharing music to express feelings for someone special goes back to creating mixtapes as a kid, which later evolved to mix CDs and now playlists… that behaviour hasn’t changed. We wanted to find a way to take this idea to 'Share a Coke'.”

The team selected lyrics that capture a moment and reflect Coke’s brand values of optimism, refreshment and inclusion.

Lyrics featured on the debut collection of “Share a Coke and a Song” capture the feeling of falling in love (“The Way You Love Me” and “You Belong With Me”) and celebrating victory (“All I Do is Win” and “We Are The Champions”) to moments of friendship (“Lean On Me”), to flirtation (“It’s Getting Hot in Herre”), sass (“We Never Go Out Of Style”), motivation (“I’m Your Biggest Fan”) and patriotism (“I’m Proud To Be An American” and “Sweet Land Of Liberty”).

“This isn’t about sharing a Coke and your favourite song… we didn’t focus on greatest hits or trending tracks,” Belliotti said. “We picked lyrics that inspire connection. Our goal was to create a list that appeals to diverse tastes, so every music fan can feel there’s at least one lyric that speaks to them. We ended up with a cross-section of universal songs that express a range of positive sentiments.”

Fans in the U.S. can visit ShareaCoke.com from 18th April to choose from a list of lyrics to customise bottles, and access images to share on social media and add to the #ShareaCoke photo gallery. There's also an e-commerce site, which sells bottles and six-packs of Coca-Cola customisable with names and inspiring messages.

“We’re creating an entirely new and different way to connect with music through our packaging,” Belliotti said. “It will be interesting to see this campaign trigger memories of songs fans may have forgotten as well as help them discover new favourites.”

The programme features a new social sharing opportunity that’s all about the music. Fans can use the Shazam mobile app to scan the lyric on specially marked "Share a Coke" bottles and signage, then record a digital lip-sync video to share on social media with the hashtag #ShareaCoke.

“Share a Coke and a Song” will include a summer-long tour of major music events, supported by brand ambassador and multi-platinum international pop star Jason Derulo.

Share a Coke, which originated in Australia in 2011, has since rolled out in more than 70 countries worldwide. Read about how we launched Share a Coke in Great Britain in 2013 and 2014 here: http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/stories/history/advertising/share-a-coke/