The soft-drinks firm will use the agreement to showcase its brands, including its Schweppes portfolio. The partnership comes as Coca-Cola continues to reduce its investment in TV activity.
In 2003, it spent the lion's share of its ad budget on TV, which made up £30.3m of its £37.5m expenditure. By 2006 TV made up £19m of its £31.9m annual promotional spend, according to Nielsen Media Research.
The JCDecaux deal was overseen by Cathryn Sleight, marketing director of Coca-Cola GB, who said it will enable the company to maintain 'a consistent brand presence'.
As well as traditional sites, Coca-Cola has bought sites including the M4 Torch, a 32m-high ad superstructure, and large-format billboards, which will carry an illuminated Coca-Cola branding badge.
JCDecaux picked up the work following a competitive pitch; it is believed the outdoor firm's commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its network was key to the decision.
Coca-Cola will be the first advertiser to use JCDecaux's recyclable 'high-definition' billboards, made from a form of vinyl that can be recycled. The outdoor firm claims to have been a pioneer in developing green initiatives; in Paris it has introduced a fleet of advertiser-sponsored bicycles for the public to use free of charge.
Coca-Cola operates a similar partnership agreement in the US with Clear Channel, which also pitched for the business in the UK.
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