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This Christmas Coca-Cola is giving people the opportunity to use its advertising site in the heart of London for their festive tweets.

The campaign, created by design agency Sedley Place, allows consumers to tweet their Christmas messages to the Twitter account, @cokezone, which is then displayed on the Coke-owned ad sign in Piccadilly Circus. Tweets can also be viewed on Coca Cola's website via a webcam.

The advertising board in Piccadilly has evolved dramatically from simple static images over recent years however this represents a new means for companies to directly engage with their consumers. Mindful that Piccadilly is a meeting place for pedestrians (and that motorists do not get the full effect of the advertising), Coca-Cola recognised that there was scope to complicate executions and make the area more interactive some years ago.

Using Twitter is the most recent of a long line of innovative strategies to use the space to engage with consumers. Previous campaigns have included a partnership with 'Start' where the billboard featured a 20 to 30 second animation designed to drive awareness of an initiative to promote and celebrate sustainable living; a partnership with iTunes where passers-by text a certain word (visible on the billboard) to receive one or more free iTunes songs; and showing the scores and countdowns for the Football World Cup.

Zoe Howorth, market activation director for Coca-Cola GB, said: 'The Piccadilly sign provides Coca-Cola with a unique interactive platform and we're delighted that consumers can use it to spread their Christmas messages this year. 'This activation puts our fans at the heart of the activity, allowing them to engage and communicate with people everywhere.'

The campaign runs until 23 December.

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