A pretty lengthy new article from Fast Company looks at the deal Coca-Cola struck with a then relatively unknown rapper named K’naan centered around the World Cup that became one of the brand’s biggest marketing campaigns ever.

Most corporate deals with musicians are one-offs. An artist licenses her song to an advertiser, or her name to a clothing line or perfume. But with K’naan’s full support, Umut, Guy, and Boxenbaum were setting out to craft something broader. “It might sound arrogant or stupid,” says K’naan, “but I feel so outrageously authentic at what I do that the question of selling out or not selling out doesn’t even enter my head. I think people who worry about this must already be worried about their true credibility. I’m just interested in, How do we get my message out?”

Coke’s World Cup tour became the heart of the deal, with K’naan traveling extensively with the trophy, making many more appearances than an established star would have agreed to. Coke paid A&M/Octone and K’naan a $150,000 sponsorship fee, along with a fee of between $7,500 and $25,000 for each performance. To reduce Coca-Cola’s costs, K’naan agreed to trim the size of his band. Coke got 50% of the royalties on the Celebration Mix. To boost the song’s international appeal, K’naan customized 18 Celebration Mixes for specific countries, with local musicians singing up to half the lyrics in their language. In soccer-rabid Spain, he paired with crossover superstar David Bisbal; in China, he recorded with Jacky Cheung and Jane Zhang, the country’s equivalent of Mariah Carey; in Congo, his partners were Barbara Kanam and Patience Dabany, who happens to be the ex-wife of Gabon’s former president and the mother of its current leader. Across the world, there are now 20 versions of “Wavin’ Flag” for sale on albums and on iTunes.

To date K’naan’s World Cup anthem “Waving The Flag” has received over 80 million views online.  So, is he a star???

Tagged as: Africa, Coca Cola, K'naan, Pop, Rap, Soccer, Sports, Waving The Flag, World Cup