Do you have a favorite, go-to flavor combination that you mix every time you use a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine? If so, the company wants to know, and you could win $10,000 for your most creative recipes.
Coke is launching its first-ever "Make Your Mix" contest this week. To enter, you need to submit a post on Twitter or Instagram, including the hashtag#MakeYourMixContest, and a photo and description of your ultimate drink recipe by June 30, 2019.
The contest is prompted, in part, because people already do this and share their favorite combinations on social media, Sarah Greenberg Sachs, director of Coca-Cola Freestyle marketing, tells CNBC Make It.
"We just really wanted to reward consumers for doing something that they're already doing, being creative, experimenting and mixing the brands they love," says Greenberg Sachs.
How to play
If you're determined to score the $10,000 grand prize, you'll first need to find one of Coke's 50,000 touchscreen Freestyle machines nationwide that dispense a wide variety of the company's fountain drink brands. There's a helpful Freestyle machine locator where you can enter your address or zip code to find the one nearest you.
Once you find a machine, start mixing. For the contest, you'll need to mix together two to three drink choices offered by the Freestyle machines to create your perfect flavor combination.
Keep in mind that Freestyle machines have over 100 drink options — from popular base options such as Coke and Sprite to non-carbonated options such as Minute Maid juice and Dasani water. Since they first launched in 2009, the dispensers have been delivering almost 200 drink varieties, including dozens that aren't sold in store, such as orange Diet Coke and raspberry-peach Mellow Yellow.
Once you've crafted the perfect mix, submit the recipe on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #MakeYourMixContest. Entries must contain a photo and a description of the components of your recipe, according to the official rules. But don't worry, you don't need to get technical and include exact amounts such as percentages and ounces.
Those entering must be at least 13 years old as of June 30, 2019 and the contest is only open to those in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. But each person can submit up to 10 tweets or Instagram posts, so feel free to get really creative.
The public will ultimately choose a winner
The contest runs through June 30, at which point a "panel of beverage experts" from Coca-Cola will judge all the entries and pick the top five winners, according to the company. Entries will be judged on the creativity and originality of the tweet or post, the taste of the recipe and how close the entry fits with the brand, as well as things like grammar, spelling and how easy it is to execute the recipe.
The five finalists will receive a $100 check and they will have their flavor combinations installed in Freestyle machines across the country starting August 26, 2019. Customers will be able to try all of the finalist' creations until November to help determine the winning recipe.
The winner will be announced on November 11, 2019 and will be based on which of the five finalists' mix receives the highest number of pours (by volume) from August 26 to November 10, 2019.
"It's like American Idol, where the public gets to choose," Greenberg Sachs says. "The beverage experts will choose the finalists and then the country will chose the winner."
As for what combo she thinks will be a winner, Greenberg Sachs is staying mum, saying only that she thinks there will be some surprising mixtures. "Consumers out there are really creative and really inventive."
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