London, June 6 (ANI): A special edition of Coca-Cola bottles bore the image of Robert Burns, making the Scottish Bard the first real person to be featured on the bottle.

The company set another milestone by reproducing the image of Scotland’s national poet, dedicating a special edition to a nation.

First Minister Alex Salmond pointed towards the significance of the colourful red, white and gold tribute as the first of the one million bottles of Homecoming Scotland 2009 edition were delivered to go for sale.

“Andy Warhol described the Coca-Cola’s contour bottle as ‘the design icon of the decade’, but now that it is decorated with my ‘Man of the Millennium’ I think its visual identity is even more significant,” the Scotsman quoted him as saying.

“This year, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to remind our friends and family of everything that makes Scotland unique.

“This unique design for 2009 captures the spirit of that celebration, and is a fantastic way of translating our heritage and identity into the language of popular culture.

“Coca-Cola’s support is a huge vote of confidence in the pulling-power of Scotland’s Year of Homecoming - as a party with huge commercial potential. This new design is a fantastic way of tapping into the Scottish market and its global connections,” he added.

PR guru Mark Borkowski also hailed the Homecoming Coke, dubbing the branding idea “cool”.

He said: “The average human can only drink so much liquid and we are all urged to drink healthy drinks like water. Coca-Cola have been pretty imaginative and confident with their brand and image and I think this is a cool idea.

“I think these bottles will be a hit with the Scottish public and become sought after by collectors from the Scottish diaspora around the globe. The only real problem is what would Burns have thought of it?” (ANI)