After shunning the Diet Coke & Mentos wave (see “more” for details about that), Coke seems to be “getting in touch with its inner YouTube,” according to this AdWeek article.

Says the article:  “In the first challenge, set to run through August, users are invited to submit short videos, but they’re not limited to creating ads or odes to the brand. Instead, Coke is asking for 45-second video expressions of “the essence of you.” Visitors will rate submissions, culling them down to 10, which will be judged by a group of professional filmmakers.

To read more, visit this Flash site: Coke .

Credit to Coke for harnassing the power of viral marketing- it’s a strong way to energize the brand and involve customers in keeping the Coke brand current.

Adweek: “Coke got a lesson in the power of consumer creativity with the recent hit viral video of two men creating geysers with Diet Coke and Mentos (when combined, they spark a liquid explosion). Asked about it, a Coke representative told The Wall Street Journal in June that it was “entertaining,” but didn’t “fit with the brand personality.”