WebProNews

Coca-Cola has launched a social media campaign that will send three bloggers to more than 200 countries over the period of a year.

The campaign called "Expedition 206" is part of the beverage makers Open Happiness marketing effort launched at the beginning of the year.

Coca-Cola has selected nine finalists and is allowing fans to make the final decision by voting for their favorite candidates on the Expedition 206 website through November 6. Fans can vote once each day during the three-week voting period.

Beginning in Madrid on January1, 2010 and ending at the World of Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta on December 31, the story of the bloggers travels will be available on the Expedition 206 site, as well as on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Flickr, and other social networking sites.

Adam Brown,
Digital Communications,
Coca-Cola

"This mash-up of social media -- online photo galleries, video clips, blogs, microblogs, social networking -- combined with an amazing journey, enthusiastic travelers and a theme of happiness is a great way for us to connect with people around the world," said Adam Brown, director, Office of Digital Communications and Social Media, The Coca-Cola Company.

"The global adoption of social media has given us a way to deliver a year-long reality TV series without the TV."

Fans will be able to interact with the three bloggers via the Expedition 206 website and offer suggestions on where they go, what they do and who they visit in each country. Stops along the way include the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games, the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai.