Sydney’s Kings Cross Coke Sign has returned with a new face and a familiar beating heart, as Coca-Cola Australia unveils a refreshed creative celebrating the everyday human connections that have unfolded beneath the landmark for more than half a century.
The update builds on the brand’s ‘Meet Me at the Coke Sign’ platform, which invited Australians to share the memories and moments they’ve tied to the iconic site.
This latest chapter centres on a single image titled On the Steps, created by WPP Open X and led by Ogilvy Australia with support from Hogarth.
The photograph, shot by renowned street photographer Sam Ferris, captures a quiet exchange between two people at the foot of the sign – a small scene designed to echo the countless stories the landmark has witnessed.
A new look grounded in a long community history
Ferris has chronicled Kings Cross and its characters for more than a decade, and the creative deliberately leans into that lived-in authenticity.
The shot reflects the neighbourhood’s energy and unpredictability while anchoring the Coke Sign as a cultural waypoint – a meeting spot, a landmark, a backdrop for everything from first dates to last trains home.
Martyn Ferguson, Marketing Director, Coca-Cola South Pacific, said the sign’s longevity is central to its emotional pull.
“The sign has been a fixture in Kings Cross for over 50 years, witnessing countless memories along the way. From celebrating love during the marriage equality vote to turning green and gold in support of the Matildas at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, it has been part of some truly unforgettable moments.”
He said the new creative pays tribute not just to the brand’s history, but to the people who’ve made the sign part of their own stories.
“This beautiful, creative refresh is the latest addition to the memories made around the sign, and Coca-Cola extends its gratitude to the people of Kings Cross and the city of Sydney for embracing it.”
Human connection at the centre of the creative idea
The work reinforces Coca-Cola’s long-running positioning around connection – an idea expressed not through big, cinematic gestures, but quiet, familiar moments.
Anthony Campagna, Creative Director WPP Open X, said this was core to the team’s approach.
“Coke’s always been about connection. It’s the small, human moments that bring people together and make everyday interactions feel meaningful. That’s what this image brings to life.”
It’s a sentiment that resonates in Kings Cross, a place where the sign has outlasted countless eras of nightlife, redevelopment and cultural shifts. The creative strives to capture that continuity: a reminder that no matter how much the neighbourhood transforms, people continue to meet, talk, reunite and reconnect under the same glowing red beacon.
A familiar landmark with a refreshed role
For Coca-Cola, the new creative refresh does more than update an iconic site – it reasserts the brand’s place in Sydney’s cultural landscape.
The Kings Cross sign has become a symbol that transcends advertising, woven into everything from local mythology to tourism campaigns and late-night directions.
With On the Steps, the brand is leaning into that cultural ownership, keeping the sign relevant while acknowledging the stories that have anchored it for generations.
As the new image rolls out, the sign once again shifts into a new era – still bright, still unmistakable, and still carrying the weight of thousands of everyday moments shared beneath it.