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Thursday, December 6, 2007

Coca-Cola Migrates Coke Studios To There.com

-There.com parent Makena Technologies announced a partnership with Coca-Cola that has migrated the Coke Studios virtual world to the There.com platform, unveiling a new community called CC Metro.

The CC Metro environment will offer activities focused on music, gaming, sports and entertainment, including a hoverboard skate park and a theater presenting Coca-Cola videos. There's also a "music mixer" tool that will let users develop their own music, and users can chat via text or voiceover IP. The avatar characters are called v-egos and are presented in a cute style (as opposed to high realism); add in the isometric 3D look and the package calls Habbo to mind.

Other brands associated with Coca-Cola, like American Idol, NASCAR and the Olympic Games, will also be part of CC Metro. The virtual world will also integrate Coca-Cola's My Coke Rewards online rewards program, allowing users to trade reward points for virtual items at a designated online store in CC Metro. Members can also customize their avatar and obtain property, pets and vehicles using Therebucks, the There.com in-world currency.

The companies say this new virtual environment will initially be focused on U.S. consumers, but may expand to other countries, highlighting the global availability of There.com's platform, which would allow different markets to customize CC Metro for regional consumers.

Worlds in Motion spoke to Carol Kruse, vice president of Global Interactive Marketing at Coca-Cola, about the evolution of MyCoke.com and the new endeavor.

Can you tell us about the previous incarnation of Coke Studios, and why you chose to migrate it into There?

“Coke Studios,” the first Coca-Cola virtual environment originated almost five years ago (January 2002) as CokeMusic.com. Coke Studios is a popular, interactive virtual community where people can connect with each other through personalized avatars. Coke Studios is primarily focused on music related content and activities.

Coke Studios was a pioneer in consumer product virtual environments when it launched, but as the digital world has exploded, virtual worlds have become incredibly sophisticated. Recognizing this, we wanted to take Coke Studios to the next level and create a more life-like, multi-layered experience for our members.

To evolve Coke Studios we needed a digital partner that offered technology and capabilities that we didn’t have. Working with There.com we‘ve built “CC Metro,” a richer, proprietary Coca-Cola virtual experience where people can connect and have fun. There.com’s digital platform offered more flexibility and creativity to develop a more lifelike world through which we can deliver greater and more varied content.

What might you advise from your experience on the benefits of a major brand having its own disparate virtual world as opposed to being part of an existing one?

The answer to this question isn’t really an “either/or” answer. We’ve seen benefits from our own virtual world with Coke Studios, but we also see benefits in joining an existing virtual world. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t be launching our new community, CC Metro, within There.com. While we learned a great deal from Coke Studios, moving forward we‘ll see even greater benefits through our virtual world within There.com.

Ultimately we knew we wanted to create a better virtual experience for our members. Bringing together our experience and brand expertise with Makena’s technology and the flexibility and creativity provided through There.com, we think we will have the best of both worlds.

Why does a virtual world presence appeal to Coke right now, and do you see the brand's role in online worlds persisting?

Since we’ve had a virtual world presence for almost five years, it’s not about whether the concept is appealing to Coca-Cola right now. Based on our experience, we already know that virtual worlds can be successful. Our focus for right now is taking the experience we’ve gained with Coke Studios and our marketing expertise and collaborating with a partner, in this case There.com, to take our virtual world to the next level.

And, yes, we see our role in virtual worlds persisting. We’ve had a virtual world presence for almost five years, and we have several other virtual worlds in other countries like Spain. Plus, we’re launching a new and improved virtual world with CC Metro. We think all that speaks to our focus on continuing to use virtual worlds a way to connect our brands with consumers in the digital space.

What made you choose this particular way of integrating with There, as opposed to simply putting, say, Coke vending machines inside the world and rewarding users for using them, or using realistic in-world ads like virtual billboards or video spots?

We have learned from our experience with Coke Studios that a virtual world must be experiential, interactive, offer a variety of activities, and provide people with multiple ways to connect within the community. While more traditional “advertising-type” tactics can deliver a message they don’t provide an experience.

With CC Metro, our focus is on offering an experience rooted in the uplifting, optimistic attitude of the ‘Coke Side of Life,’ which is our core brand focus. Choosing to live on the Coke Side of Life – in the real world or the virtual world -- is choosing fun and CC Metro reflects that attitude.

[]
Posted by Leigh Alexander on December 6, 2007 7:24 AM |

Comments

I was watching my fiancee playing the game ,and It was fun ,just looking at him having fun lol.

I really can't see why MyCoke staff would do such a downgrade? There is horrible! Why would anyone play such a game. It's laggy as hell, the graphics are blocky and unproportional and it's not fun at all. MyCoke staff should've just kept MyCoke the way it was. Everyone who used to play MyCoke is quitting thanks to you guys. Why would you do such a thing? You gave us the impression that we were getting our own new game, not this shit. You should've warned us that you were going to merge with There. If we wanted to play There, we would've been playing There. We wanted to play MyCoke, not There.

Good job MyCoke, I never thought you'd make the same mistake by switching from 1.0 to 2.0, but apparently I was wrong.

Sorry to see Coke go...we all miss the music and the cds. I wish they would have given a separate place for all of us from MyCoke to continue with what we liked doing. Was there no way to put the studios in THERE like we had them????
What about us who were loyal users for 5 years? We just got tossed out to THERE....boom...New game in town.

BRING BACK COKE STUDIOS

CCMETRO IS SO BAD

I MISS COKE ! coke your mean for moving to There.com most people who loved coke are hating cc metro and want coke back !!! bring it back god dammit !

I compleatly 100% agree with Thomas.

I really can't see why MyCoke staff would do such a downgrade? There is horrible! Why would anyone play such a game. It's laggy as hell, the graphics are blocky and unproportional and it's not fun at all. MyCoke staff should've just kept MyCoke the way it was. Everyone who used to play MyCoke is quitting thanks to you guys. Why would you do such a thing? You gave us the impression that we were getting our own new game, not this shit. You should've warned us that you were going to merge with There. If we wanted to play There, we would've been playing There. We wanted to play MyCoke, not There.

Good job MyCoke, I never thought you'd make the same mistake by switching from 1.0 to 2.0, but apparently I was wrong.


And CC-Metro is NOT FUN!
It is horrible.

3D environments are the wave of the future. COKE got this right. It is just that some people like to live in the past or cannot afford a good computer and a reasonable graphics card.

This is a step up for Coke, but it will leave behind all those who have not yet bought into the next generation of computer hardware or highbandwidth internet connection.

Sucks to be them!

gentleman ur dumb. its not about internet connections. ccmetro is by far the most boring online game i have yet to try. all you do is run around on hoverboards and talk to people. it is lame and cokestudios was way better.

I personally think that There.com's integration with coke is a great thing. mind you i never played coke but being an island guide in there.com i have heard a bit from new members that have came from coke. cc metro may not a very fun place to play around at, [yet, keep in mind the island cc metro is on is huge. room to grow (hint hint)] but there.com it self is very fun. you can do more than chat and hoverboard. you can attend live broadcasted concerts and meet celebrities. yes its a shame the music mixer is gone but there.com will eventually upgrade to support such a feature. for those of you who are quitting mycoke may i offer advice. give there.com a chance... or perhaps you should visit a website such as tbux.com and convert your therebucks into cash. that way you can smile at the fact that you actually got paid for all those years in coke.

hope to see you in there! 'tu

DLMckenzie2004

MyCoke and Coke 2.0 was bad enough. NOT THIS!!!

Coca-Cola was so dumb for handing it over to There.com. I thought when Mycoke changed from 1.0 to 2.0 is was terrible but THIS is terrible.
I can't believe they would do that to all of us who loved cokestudios so much.

wow.. i cannot believe they would do this. seriously, i am never drinking another coke ever again.
CC Metro fucking blows.
Bring back coke

Whoever that gettlman guy is he must have never played the original coke studios.

BRING BACK COKE STUDIOS OR ELSE WE'LL ONLY DRINK PEPSI!!!

How could u do this !!!! There.com is crap!! CCmetro is crap!! Please do the right thing and bring back cokestudios! COKESTUDIOS WAS LEGIT!!

look CC Metro is booty man yall need 2 put coke studios back on i luv dat thing man i use 2 be on it a lot of times so please put it back on

calling for a boycott of all coke products! BRING BACK COKE STUDIOS!!!!!!! who's with me!

Ok i had enough, BRING BACK COKESTUDIOS!!!

i think you all didn`t give there.com enought time. there.com is a big world u just need to get out there an play. there are club to join and things to do come back and see. if u need help ask a island guide we are there to help u plzz.

hey people This is JONATHAN5k2006 listen up.... COKE STUDIOS I AGREE but.... the voice for the coke people and buggies you didnt have in that game....


another thing is:
There isnt the biggest place
coke studios isnt the biggest place

HABBO HOTEL! - is the biggest game out here but then again THERE.com is better....

we miss itt. usss, hardcoree coke userss. miss is VERY. we were SO weathly on theree. anddd. on the BS aboutt. your going to get your coins worth anddd. what nott. i didnt get anythingg/ hahahaq/ just make it easyy. andd. bring coke bacck..
its that easyy. i bet you will have more people playing coke if you bring it back then when it used to be theree. SO.

BRING COKE STUDIOS BACKK!.

I WAS PLAYING COKE STUDIOS FROM WHEN IT OPENED!

I HATED THE 2.0 UPGRADE, BUT THIS IT TOTALY OUT OF THE PICTURE!

IT IS SO LAGGED AND ALL MY GOOD FURNI HAS GONE!

ATLEAST TRADE THE FURNI OVER ONTO THERE.COM, OR KEEP COKESTUDIOS ASWELL AS THERE.

AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THESE COMMENTS EVERYONE HATES CC METRO, YOUVE MADE A BIG MISTAKE, THE ONLY REASON YOU DONE THIS IS PROBABLY TO GET MONEY OF THERE.COM

EURGH, WHY SHOULD I JUST LET ALL MY FURNI DISSAPEAR WITHOUT WARNING?

I've been playing cokestudios since the beginning and it's pretty much one of the best games ever. Why coke went with there i don't know. It was so dumb and they lost lots and lots and lots of gamers because of it. They got rid of an amazing game. We can hope cokestudios will come back. I MISS MY FUNRI!! AND COKE STUDIOS!

Im very upset. I loved the cokestudios game which was so much better then habbohotel because it was free and you got a chance to earn your own furniture by making a good mix cd!. The coke company was REALLY SMART for having COKESTUDIOS but NOT cc metro the game is so boring and its not a good advertiser for coke at all? when I played cokemusic I was always asking my mom to buy coke because well I loved to drink coke while playing the game so they were smart before with there marketing but theyve probably lost sales because they changed this game please BRING IT BACK!.

screw cc metro its sucks like hell.

WE NEED COKE STUDIOS BACK!!!

cc metro/there sucks!!!
cokestudios was the best, i miss it.

OMG!! You guys are idiots! Coke could have made more money by selling DB's on the underside of coke lids.. which they prolly did i dont know.. But whoever commented about how CCMetro is 'Next-Gen' and your leaving the bad computers in the dust, thats BS.. cause those gfx are T E R R I B L E.. My eyes are STILL swollen from the crappy graphics, and i still cant believe how CRAPPY they are! CokeStudios graphics were WAY more tolerable than this crappile of sourcecode...

I played coke studio's from 2002 and stopped playing a short while after the so called 'upgrade' to 2.0, due to all the new folk playing who became fucking annoying they called everyone n00bs, even people like BLiNGRECORDS, and Hail would get called n00bs by stupid kids who would buy 50 bottles of coke a day to get their shitty nemo furniture, while us with gold records and pins be called n00bs by these idiots, but a few days ago I returned to see what cokestudios was like now, to find this shit, coke you have fucked yourselves over with this one. I'm not suprised this has happened actually, the mods were lazy bar 1, and the developers were even worse, coke is a multibillion $ brand and they cant even find staff who can keep their deadlines, or even bother to change the page which says coke 2.0 will be open on blah blah, when that date passed like 3 months ago.

WHAT THE FUCK!?!?!? COKE STUDIOS WAS THE SHIT!???! THIS GAY CCMETRO IS SOO LAME NOBODY PLAY'S IT..PLEASE BRING BACK COKESTUDIOS OR I WILL HUNT YOU MOTHA FUCKAS DOWN

YA DIGG!?!?
WEEZY OUT!?!?

THERE.COM is the worst move coke could have made, did it really worth buy ever coke user tbux? Instead you could have used that money to have mycoke running for the enjoyment of others, and what about the loyal people who have been players for 5 years!!! Since the 1.0. Never in my life did I think this would happen, COKE YOU JUST LEFT US ON THE SHIP! AND NOW ITS SINKING! You took mycoke with the ages of 12-16 and put them with there which is like ages 9 - 60?! Insanse! Atleast have some respect and open a beta or something?! I gurantee you will get back all your pervious users!

OK honestly, people who Disagree that by Coke Studios upgrading to CCmetro is a bad idea, YOU are completely stupid and ignorant.
Maybe You never played Cokemusic aka MyCoke.
It was by far my most favorite online game, and I never really bother to play games on the internet, but I was by far hooked on this. Best of all it was a Habbo but FREE.
and It was very, very addicting, I played Cokemusic from the very start, and I truly miss it.
The new CCMetro, Is stupid. laggy, not fun and just plain out boring. Maybe Coca-Cola should bring it back and see how much there fan base will grow again. I am truly upset by this and now I hope they make It again or a new game designer makes something similar to it.

Coca-Cola. You truly messed up this time.

Better graphics does not necessarily mean a better game... I liked mixing music and earning Decibels. You can't do that anymore.

It's not an upgrade, it's a completely new thing. Which is great if you're into There.com, but what about those of us who liked Cokestudios? Where's our game?

See how many people loved coke-studios you people should really start listening to the fans.

I could guarantee that if coke-studios came back it would have a lot more people online then before.

Hey, everyone that loved coke-studios here's an email that you can keep bothering so that they could put back mycoke.

mycoke.support@na.ko.com

omfg you haveee to bring coke back, it was the most frikken awesome net game ever. there.com is fucken shite i swear its sooooo bad.

BRING-COKE-BACK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
omg
i heard they might bring it back if enough people complain cus so many people have complained, just e-mail mycoke.com and after a while it will be back :D:D:D

BACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK BRING IT BACKK !!

sheyden_ox

when the cokemusic.com's original homepage changed, I began to complain. I loved being able to see my character on the main screen. Luckily cokestudios was the same. Then 2.0 came. Everything began to lag. That was absolutly awful. I dealt with that though. Throughout those years I built awsome rooms. I got to be number 1 on the list. Then CCMetro changed. Everything I bought and created was gone for some crapy 3d adventure that should be considered copyright. This is just like second life. Come on.

I HATE ccmetro.


BRING COKESTUDIOS BACK!

EVERY ONE needs to go to mycoke.com and and send them a message asking to bring mycoke back...

and if they get enough complaints then they'll have to put it back!!!!!


And CC metro SUCKS my balls!!!!

EVERYONE needs to send mycoke a messgae saying you want coke studios back!!!!!

Sucks total ass. Why move to something so rubbish its putting users off. Terrible

CC Metro sucks ass!
Why the hell would they do this to coke studios?!

They need to change it back.
Honestly. No one likes CC Metro anyways.
Its like 7 steps down from coke studios

if they don't close cc metro i think they should at least re-open coke studios on the side. They wouldn't really have to care about the site not like the online modderators did anything anyway. does anyone know if the people who made cokestudios even look at this site? if they did i would expect that they would have re-opened coke already because there is so many people who have been complaining already. i loved playing coke studios and i hate there and i even gave it a chance but it is so dumb. I think the only thing coke had to fix about the game was all the filters but other then that it was all good.

BRING COKEMUSIC BACK!!
Nobody freaking like "There.com"

Bad move! I was a loyal of cokemusic aka. mycoke. It's sad to say, but it was a part of my life! It was so much fun, creating music, earning DBs, getting furni for your rooms. An omg, I had LOADS of furni that filled my rooms up.
Then I sign on one day and all of that's gone? What sense does that make?

Coke lost alot of loyal fans and gamers because of this so-called "Upgrade".
I think maybe they should check the dictionary to see the true meaning of the word.

i really think cc metro blows bring back coke or at least make another page with cokestudios so us users who love coke studios can go back to having a good time on a website you created that was great but now that you converted it with there.com it really really REALLY blows @!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! please take consideration in this please we beg of you

cc studio sucks

i mean metro

everyone take this email and attach this site to your email.Hurry!Support the cause!I miss coke studios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mycoke.support@na.ko.com

its sad that a company like coke with so many ethic and moral messages and stuff make such a thing like ruining our gaming , i lost around 4 years of my life playing coke studios cuz everything i done withing days and nights is gone and kept me without a shit i dont know if u notice that everyone like comestudios but noone like there, intstead of doing that to get people play there, u should make more publicity or even get partnership with facebook something you guys know that it would be a BOOM

and btw u say there is better because its its reallifelike .... omg how do u guys think people would play such a thing like that...people in cokestudios played it as a hobby and if we wanted lifelike stuff, we just go out and have fun cuz coke was a highlysocial place to be in the internet, but there is lifelike shit for loser people that have no life and replaces fresh air for fry food and no sun in their life. think about it and make a reasearch what do people prefer, make a poll like wats better coke metro or coke studios and i am sure that it will be atleast 90% people like cokestudios

i really what coke studeos and i will bring it back i will thack to the guy that made cc metro becuse he is fathers buddy so i will do my best fuck you ccmetro is for assholes and for porn atids

we got coke studeos back i thalk to him yahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

When i first found coke studios closed down i was so pissed .. thought it may have been a broken link .. then learned the bollox truth about this cc metro crap! Coke studios was a class game and so many people want it back me included .. even after so long but it seems they aint willing well fuck it i will never play cc metro because its shit n has nufin on studios!

Dooood.
I can't believe the Coke Company would be so idiotic, and do this so called "upgrade." [More like a downgrade." They seriously need to bring Cokemusic/Mycoke back.
This is insane.

Anyone who played Coke Studios in the past, knows how much better it is than "There".
How stupid is coke to think we need upgrades?
Did anyone complain about it being 'too boring' or 'the same thing'?
I don't think so.
Damn, I went scavenging threw trash cans to get coke bottle caps for decibels, now, I don't even want to get on the site anymore.
They really, really, REALLY need to change back to Coke Studios. It's obvious how much people hate it.
The people who like it, are just ignorant.

CC metro is a piece of shit. anyone who played coke studios would not want to play fucking there. I loved coke studios. That was the worst choice coke could have made. anyone who likes there is an asshole

Well I don't know why mycoke even still has CC Metro after all the negativity they are recieving. True, money is a factor, but CC METRO IS THE LOWEST OF THE LOWEST.

Thanks for ruining my coke by using cc metro. Wonderful jobs, you retards.

PLEEEEEAAASE bring back the old coke studios I HATE CCmetro!

CC Metro = L A G

Should never have taken COKE Studios away!!!

Get a multi-million dollar investor to start it up and THEY will all COME!

If it's not broke, then don't fix it.

There was nothing wrong with CokeStudios, so why replace it?

BRING COKE STUDIOS BACK!!!

CC Metro is probably THE worst game ever. So laggy and the fact that you have to download the program makes it worse, spending money for a game like that isn't worth it.
Please Bring Coke Studios Back, too many people miss it!

MyCoke was fun, the easy navigation of moving around small rooms listening to their music, it really got everybody involved, it took time and skill to make a great tune, and was FULL of CokeStudio Lovers!
'There' does not have the same people, it has turned from making friends to a virtual dating and interaction that lead the wrong type of people into the game. I have heard evidence of 3D pedophilliac online 'games' and how it also ruins online dating, its on the news - on the web.
'There' is so big, confusing and doesn't classify as a game to me. You could of made this work, you just didn't research on the real problem - and that is the players! Lack of polls, lack of interest, this game was not planned.. just one idea of being '3-dimensional graphics'. So scrap the idea, and bring the real MyCoke back together and reunite with the loyal players. Not some sick tarty game with virtual satisfaction to old creepy strangers.
We all make mistakes, and we try and fix them. Can you?

I agree, this whole merging with there can go shove it. I loved coke studios because I got all the easy interactivity of habbo without walking two steps and finding a child molestor. hell I had fun pimping out my little studio, but when I tried the new thing I couldn't figure out for the life of me how to do anything at all. I'm sorry that there were retards on the board the day that decision was made. but I'll always remember those halcyon days. I say to thee give me back my old pixelated coke studios, let me throw loops in any order I please and call it music. that was a word we in the real world call "FUN" something that game developers seem to have forgotten about these days.

I agree metro sucks maybe if everyone who hates metro posts comment they they might grow there brains back and let us play cokestudios again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

here is a pic of my room and this was just my fun room and this was only 1/4 of what i had
[IMG]http://i518.photobucket.com/albums/u347/annoyedeasy/17211591a6074003895l.jpg[/IMG]

BRING BACK COKE STUDIOS!!! CCMETRO IS STUPID.COKE STUDIOS, NOW, OR I WILL SWITCH TO PEPSI!!!

Isn't Coke just a soda company?

They gave up on cokestudios and not bringing it back now and CCmetro fucked themselves over and guess what there goes your rep as a good game ONCE better than habbo and took a turn for the worst

R.I.P Coke Studios
You'll always be remembered

Wow coke....your "partner" there.com...well i dont wanna sound mean because yes, a 3d world would seem fun but...cokemusic was fun because it was the way it was i cant believe you guys did this, no one plays the game anymore its friggin horrible. Im a hardcore gamer aka (Nerd) i would play world of warcraft, crysis, call of duty 4 all on computer and i friggin loved coke studios but now....that partner really fucked you over....you guys really fucked yourselves over...so please grow a dam brain and go back to coke studios, or at least dedicate a server with the ORIGINAL game to us then we can have some fun, because cc metro is just horrible. The 3d world is like a cheap version of second life...i hate it and evidently, so do alot of other people...iam curious to how many of your players you lost.

Hey! If you guys have your account info for coke studios that had furniture in it and no longer use it, can u send me the info email and pass?
Thanks!

oh my email is electraa@gmail.com

Thanks!

I suppose i shall post now,
CC Metro, is a slow, 3d game, it has barely any good features, if any, and cannot stand up on its own,
There proberably trick Coke into the Contract, i do have something in my head though, what if Coke, can't actualy make, A server of Coke-Studios under some kind of contract with There(.com) partners, Then, MAYBE, it will end soon? Like a year contract? Or they could just be nasty.

CCMetro is absolutely horrible. I just bought a new alienware laptop, and it's STILL choppy and horrible...

Hope you're happy Coke. Nobody plays the new game. Hell, even if you would have just started making Coke Music pay to play I would have paid.. Nobody wants There.com


RIP fun game

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