Soft drinks war intesifies as Coca-Cola also signs up with Harry Potter

The soft drink war is set to intensify after Coca-Cola signed an exclusive deal to become the sole global marketing partner of the upcoming Harry Potter film.

The £103million deal means that when Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is launched in November, the young magician's face will not only appear on cinema screens around the world but also on cans of Coca-Cola, Minute Maid and Hi-C.

Despite the size of the deal, the author JK Rowling has barred all product placement from the film.

Instead, the principal focus of the marketing push will be the promotion of literacy programmes and community reading schemes around the world.

Tom Long, Coca-Cola division president for Great Britain and Ireland, said: "The key to our plan will be about relationships, local communities, connecting with people one to one and looking at the things we traditionally do in a whole new way."

The Harry Potter agreement coincides with a "Think local, act local" initiative aimed at making the marketing of brands more flexible and responsive to local conditions.

Meanwhile, it seems that the proposed deal between Coca-Cola and Procter and Gamble announced last week will not affect the UK on-trade until it is ratified by the regulatory authorities.

The two companies announced that they are to create a stand-alone company to develop and market new juice drinks and snacks on a global basis.