• Wall Street Journal, Thursday, January 15, 2009 11:01 AM

As I scanned the headlines this morning, I wondered how much bad news could fit into a digital container. Google laying off people; Microsoft mulling it; Nortel declaring bankruptcy, along with retailer Gottchalks; Gannet forcing furloughs. Just go to Reuters and scan the headlines. But then I came across the No. 8 "most emailed" story in the Journal: "Coca-Cola to Uncap 'Open Happiness' Campaign."

While the rest of us wonder what will go flat next, it sure seems that everything is downright bubbly and sugary in cola land (see "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy: Pepsi Relaunching In Times Square.") Then again, sales trends aside, it always is.

The new global campaign is expected to launch in print next week, followed shortly thereafter by TV spots. It will carry the slogan "Open Happiness," Betsy McKay and Suzanne Vranica report. One Super Bowl spot, called "Heist," will feature cute critters in a park absconding with people's Cokes, sources say. The campaign is tied to CEO Muhtar Kent's efforts to improve the efficiency of Coke's marketing. While the "Coke Side of Life" slogan is global, the campaign itself will need a lot of tweaking and reinterpreting in different parts of the world, McKay and Vranica report.

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