The label on the ninth bottle commemorates Coca-Cola's designation as the official soft drink of NASCAR 1998. The promotion ran from July through November, with more than 20 million bottles distributed nationally.
"This being our first year as the official NASCAR soft drink, we really wanted to do something to tie together in one package the power of the Coca-Cola brand with the power of the thing that draws NASCAR fans to the sport-the drivers, who are featured on their own bottles," says Scott Williamson, spokesperson for Coke.
Avery Dennison's Decorating Technology Div. (Framingham, MA) supplies and gravure-prints the Clear ADvantage® heat-transfer decorating in four colors. Vitro Packaging (Dallas, TX) makes the bottles and applies the labels at its plant in Monterrey, Mexico.
Sold in six-pack cartons retailing for $3.50 to $4, the bottles are available across the U.S. in restaurants, gas stations and grocery and convenience stores.