ATLANTA – Diet Coke’s first major marketing push of the year will focus on women’s hearts and curing a devastating disease. 

The campaign will be supported by new Diet Coke ads, packaging and events to raise awareness about women’s risk of heart disease in conjunction with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s “The Heart Truth” campaign.

The Heart Truth program introduced the Red Dress as a national symbol for women’s heart disease in 2002. Beginning, Jan. 22, it will appear on 2.5 billion Diet Coke, Caffeine-Free Diet Coke and Diet Coke Plus products. National TV, print and online ads will run during American Heart Month in February, but the first print ad will appear in the Jan. 18 issue of People magazine.

The soft drink company will be leveraging events as well, sponsoring the Heart Truth’s Red Dress Collection fashion show during Fashion Week 2008. From mid-February through April, Diet Coke will tour 10 cities with the Heart Truth Road Show. The exhibit will show six red dresses previously worn by celebrities and offer free health screenings.

“Our research with consumers has told us that women today are increasingly mindful of making choices that positively impact their lives,” said Katie Bayne, CMO of Coca-Cola North America, Atlanta, in a statement. “Through this partnership, Diet Coke can help raise awareness about heart disease, the number one killer of women, while showing women how to incorporate heart-health into their lives.”