Coca-Cola grew a living billboard around its bottle silhouette

A white Coca-Cola bottle stands out against a wall of green plants. Across the display, a line explains what makes the greenery part of the idea: “This billboard absorbs air pollutants.”

Unveiled in June 2011 in Makati City, Metro Manila, the installation brought Coca-Cola Philippines and WWF-Philippines together on a 60-by-60-foot advertising structure.

Created by Momentum Philippines, the “Living Billboard” made planting part of the medium. Its surface carried both a recognisable brand shape and a claim about what the plants could do.

Thousands of plants formed the background

The billboard used 3,600 Fukien tea plants arranged around a central Coca-Cola bottle silhouette. Above them, Coca-Cola and WWF branding identified the partnership.

The composition gave the installation a straightforward visual hierarchy. The bottle could be recognised from a distance, while the plant-covered surface gave people a reason to look more closely.

Greenery occupied the space where a printed background would usually sit. The brand’s familiar outline held the image together without needing a photograph of the product.

Reused bottles became the planting system

Old bottles from Coca-Cola products were repurposed into pots, giving the packaging a practical role within the display.

The containers held a lightweight growing mixture made with industrial by-products and organic fertilisers. They were adapted to secure the plants as they grew sideways, with holes for drainage and irrigation lines.

A scheduled drip irrigation system delivered water and nutrients to the roots. That construction mattered because this was an advertising surface that needed to keep growing after installation.

The recycled containers and watering system also gave substance to the campaign’s environmental theme beyond the visible layer of leaves.

The environmental claim came with an estimate

At launch, project botanist Anthony Gao estimated that each plant could absorb up to 13 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. Across 3,600 plants, that produced an estimated total of 46,800 pounds a year.

That figure described projected absorption capacity. It was presented as an estimate, rather than a measured result from the installed billboard.

The project formed part of Coca-Cola’s “Live Positively” programme. Its creative approach connected that platform to the physical construction of an outdoor advertisement.

The bottle silhouette supplied the recognition. The plants supplied the unexpected material. Together, they made the billboard’s construction the subject of its message.

Credits

Brands: Coca-Cola Philippines and WWF-Philippines. Advertising agency: Momentum Philippines. Creative Director and Copywriter: Peter Acuna. Art Director: Joseph Velasquez. Media: Yasmin Mallari.