The legacy brands celebrate a decades-long partnership with a global campaign packed with collectible cans, AR holograms and fan-first storytelling.
Coca-Cola and Disney have launched ‘Refresh Your Galaxy,’ a new global campaign that celebrates both brands’ 70-year partnership and their shared connection to Star Wars fandom. But this isn’t just a product tie-in. It’s a collectible-heavy, tech-enhanced, fan-centric rollout that feels like it was designed by someone who’s waited in line for midnight premieres.
The campaign drops officially in early July and includes 30 limited-edition Coke can and bottle designs, each featuring a different Star Wars character: heroes, villains and everyone in between. 27 of them will hit shelves globally, while three exclusive designs (Chewbacca, The Mandalorian with Grogu and a First Order stormtrooper) will only be available at Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disney Resort.
“For generations, Coca-Cola and Disney have shared a commitment to creating moments of joy and human connection,” says Islam ElDessouky, Coca-Cola’s global VP of creative strategy and content.
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Help me, AR – you’re my only hope
Beyond the packaging, Coca-Cola is bringing a little sci-fi magic to the marketing experience. Fans can scan participating cans or ads to unlock an augmented reality feature that lets them record and share personalized hologram messages in true Star Wars style, glowing blue visuals and all.
It’s one of the smarter uses of branded AR. Instead of just watching an ad or scanning for a coupon, you get to feel like part of the universe. That’s the trick. It’s not about selling the product but inviting fans into the story.
“Star Wars is a powerful cultural force around the world. This custom campaign is for them and inspired by them,” adds Mindy Hamilton, Disney’s SVP of global marketing partnerships.
And this time, it shows. Instead of feeling slapped together, the campaign feels like the result of someone actually asking, “What would a Star Wars fan want to do with this?” and building the experience around that.
Collect them, you must
The campaign’s kickoff spot takes place in a movie theater, already sacred ground for a fandom setting. When the projector breaks mid-screening, the audience raises their Coke bottles, which ignite into lightsabers as they charge into action. It’s fun. It’s over the top. And it nails the kind of moment every Star Wars fan knows, when anything remotely cylindrical becomes an impromptu lightsaber.
If you’ve ever been stuck in a Star Wars Discord chat debating whether Han shot first (he did), the three exclusive Coke designs might push you over the edge. These bottles will only be available on-site at Disney parks, which, if you’re the completionist type or someone still emotionally recovering from a childhood garage sale where your Kenner Star Wars figures mysteriously disappeared, is both thrilling and slightly dangerous.
This is the campaign you’re looking for
There have been a lot of brand crossovers over the years: some cool, some cringe. This one lands squarely in the “built by fans, for fans” category. It’s not just another limited-edition label. It’s collectible, interactive and clearly built with care. It knows exactly who it’s for.
And for diehard fans, that’s the fun of it. Because sometimes it’s nice to feel like the brands you grew up with still get it. That they know fandom isn’t just about the big movie moments. It’s also about the weird debates, the lost toys, the inside jokes and, yeah, the thrill of spotting your favorite character on a can of Coke.