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Brenda Phiri Entertainment Reporter
Coca-Cola Zimbabwe engaged artistes in the Share a Coke campaign as a way of celebrating local arts and encouraging other companies to support the arts industry, an official has said.

The company appointed Dr Oliver Mtukudzi, Jah Prayzah, Ammara Brown, Alick Macheso and Rebecca Chisamba as partners in the campaign. Coca-Cola celebrated the artistes by branding some of its products in the celebrities’ names

Speaking on the move, Takunda Jinda, senior brand manager for Coca-Cola Zimbabwe, said the gesture was meant to celebrate the local stars.

“We have been aligning ourselves with music over the years and such initiatives are our way of honouring musicians and giving them the respect they deserve. In the case of Tuku, he has over 60 albums and has flown the country’s flag high across the world. We want to our younger artistes to be encouraged to work hard as well,” he said.

He said the brand was committed to uplifting the entertainment sector in different ways in spite of talk about how most local corporates were quick to associate themselves with established artistes while there are nowhere to be seen when the same artistes are struggling to build their names.

He highlighted that their support was not limited to arts but various disciplines including sport.

“Coca-Cola is a brand that has been around for 128 years and over the years, we have been coming up with ways of uplifting talent on different stages. We sponsor various initiatives like the Coke On The Beat, a programme that exposes upcoming musicians’ work and profiles. Our Coke Green Stage at Hifa is also a platform for upcoming musicians to perform for free for local and international audiences,” he said.

He said other initiatives were in the form of concerts among other endorsements.

The worldwide Share a Coke campaign has seen pet bottles and cans being branded with popular first names, nicknames and expressions.

The latest development has, however, seen the company extending the labelling with names of local celebrities.

Mtukudzi said the move shows that companies have confidence in artistes.

“I am obviously excited about this. It is proof that as artistes, we continue to be recognised for the good work we do. It is evident that we are touching hearts otherwise the corporate world would not honour us like this,” said Dr Mtukudzi.