The designs were rolled out in Great Britain this Monday, and the Coca-Cola Great Britain cited Jacobs’ “youthful spirit, with provocative artistry”, dubbing him the perfect partner for Diet Coke.
The ‘Diet Coke Sparkling Together with Marc Jacobs’ collection cans (pictured below) will be available across North Western Europe as a whole and The Nordics from March.
Jacobs said: “I felt very privileged to be asked to do this, because of course I’ve admired the work of other designers who’ve been asked to participate in this project in the past. Diet Coke and Coca-Cola are iconic brands, and I like an icon.”
The rise of female empowerment…
Coca-Cola Great Britain said that the ‘I Heart’ designs – pictured below and right, contour bottle designs are also planned – were inspired by three decades, and captured the “rise of female empowerment” through the 80s, 90s and 00s “with a whimsical twist”.
I Heart 80s references the launch of Diet Coke at Radio City NYC, where it made its first US appearance in 1982.
I Heart 90s showcases the “extravagant attitude of the era where fashion, music and art collided in a glamorous exploration of strong femininity and daring attitude”.
Finally, I Heart 00s is described as a “playful and lighthearted illustration of the sporty cool decade, embodying humor, sexiness and energy”.
“The evocative silhouette is directly inspired by the Marc Jacobs spring/summer 2013 runway show and features his signature red polka dot motif, a hallmark of his early collections,” Coke added.
Diet Coke ‘hunk’ reprise
Jacobs also features in a new Diet Coke video (below) that pays homage to the classic Diet Coke advert from 1994, where shirtless construction worker attracts a group of female office workers to enjoy a ‘Diet Coke break’.
To the theme of ‘I Just Want to Make to Love to You’, three young women gasp as a photo booth prints a series of pictures, presumably featuring an attractive man sitting inside.
The advert – which despite being tongue-in-cheek is sure to upset some fans of ‘female empowerment’ – then sees Jacobs emerge from the booth, to further sighs of admiration.
Asked about paying homage to the ‘Diet Coke Man’ adverts from the 1980s, he added: “I don’t have much shame in terms of taking off my clothes. If someone had the idea that I could somehow redo or make a wink at that legendary advertising campaign, I thought ‘why not? Sounds like fun’.
Diet Coke is also airing a new Diet Coke Hunk advert in Great Britain along similar lines to the 1994 advert, featuring English male model Andrew Cooper.