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Coke Catches Viral Fever, to Host New Coke-Mentos Clip

A wary Coca-Cola at first distanced itself from the exploding Diet Coke and Mentos viral video phenomenon, fearing a loss of control over its brand, but it has now fully embraced the concept.

Coca-Cola has signed a formal deal with Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz, the creators of the first exploding Diet Coke-Mentos video, and using an exploding-soda video has unveiled its most recent “Coca-Cola Challenge,” which asks consumers to submit videos showcasing creative uses of everyday household items, writes MediaPost (via MarketingVox). Though Mentos immediately embraced the wacky pair, sending them free Mentos to produce their clips, until now Coke had been reticent.

But now, the current Coke challenge, called “Poetry in Motion,” is introduced by Grobe and Voltz, who run the viral video production firm EepyBird.com. Coke will also host their latest Diet Coke/Mentos viral video, set to launch Oct. 30.

Nielsen/BuzzMetrics CMO Pete Blackshaw, whose firm monitors word of mouth for Coke, said independent viral video can serve as a proving ground for marketing ideas instead of having them professionally created by agencies.