Client: The Coca-Cola Company 
Office: Toronto, Canada

Coca-Cola believes in bringing holiday magic to the world. But in a country as diverse as Canada, Christmas looks different for everyone. Toronto alone is home to over 200,000 Filipinos. Many send big gift boxes known as Balikbayan boxes back to their families in the Philippines. But shipping costs were rising. We created “Real Magic” by creating custom boxes with shipping covered and turned a cultural moment into national relevance by sharing the Filipino tradition of Balikbayan with Canada. 

Balikbayan Cannes 2026
The Balikbayan tradition holds deep meaning for Filipino families, and the response to the program over the past two years made it clear how impactful this initiative is. Extending the program for a third year allows us to continue supporting a cultural practice that brings joy, generosity and connection across distances.

Stephanie Eaddy

Cultural Marketing Lead, The Coca-Cola Company

For 95 years, Santa Claus has been part of Coca-Cola's holiday campaign. But in a country as diverse as Canada, Christmas looks different for everyone and cultural traditions play an important role in the magic of the season.

Flipino-Canadians represent one of the Canada's largest and fastest-growing immigrant communities. Toronto alone is home to 200,000 Filipinos. They celebrate Christmas through a deeply cherished tradition: sending gift big boxes, Balikbayan boxes, to their loves ones in the Philippines. These boxes symbolized the deep bond between Filipinos living overseas and their families, showing how they stay connected to their culture as they build their lives in Canada. However, the magic of the holiday tradition is under threat due to rising shipping costs.

Coca-Cola used the Canadian maple leaf and the Filipino sun to create custom-designed Balikbayan boxes with all shipping costs included, so that Filipino-Canadians could send more gifts back home, instead of paying specialist shipping companies hundreds of dollars.

This three-year program yielded exceptional results, demonstrating that genuine connection drives success. "Cares about my culture" soared to 92% (a 40-point increase), "Brand Relevance" reached 91% and "Purchase Intent" hit 94%, significantly outperforming the general population. Demand for the custom boxes was overwhelming, with all units claimed within the first week each year. Coca-Cola didn't just celebrate a Filipino tradition. It became a part of it. 
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2025 Cannes Lions

Outdoor / Culture & Context
Silver

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2025 Campaign Agency of the Year

Out of Home/ Print
Winner

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2025 Marketing Awards

Multicultural - Holiday/Seasonal Advertising
Multicultural - Out-of-home
Multicultural - Experiential/Special Events/Stunts

Gold

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2025 Strategy Awards

Multicultural´Strategy
Gold

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2025 The Drum Awards

Experiential: Community-Focused
Gold

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2025 Atomic Awards

Niche Targeting
Gold

Press

Coca-Cola Canada Embraces Filipino Tradition with Third Year of Balikbayan

Read Article

Coca-Cola takes Balikbayan platform on family-reunion journey

Read Article

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