Where Will Happiness Strike Next?
I still remember nearly two years ago, as I walked through the crowded streets of Yaletown, a bright, roaring vehicle approached me and an enthusiastic volunteer dressed in red from head to toe handed me a cool, refreshing, limited edition bottle of Coca-Cola.
We watched a series of Coke commercials in my IMC class that reminded of the dose of happiness I experienced during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. In this video, filmed in the streets of Rio de Janeiro, several passers-by push a button on the back of a specially rigged Coca-Cola truck dispensing items from beverages to soccer balls to sunglasses to surfboards spreading refreshment and smiles all around.
This short film is only one of the many created by local Coca-Cola teams around the world (in Brazil, Japan, Egypt, Hungary, and India etc.) based on the theme of the award winning “Happiness Machine”, which got more than 3 million views online. To compliment these films, they launched an interactive Facebook hub to allow customers to view and vote on Where will happiness strike next?. With television no longer as the leading medium for advertising, Coca-Cola has found a cost effective way to reach and interact with millions across the globe.
The original ‘Happiness Machine’:
“‘Happiness Machine’ connected with so many people because the emotion was authentic, unscripted and contagious,” said A.J. Brustein, Global Senior Brand Manager, Coca-Cola. “We wanted to inspire that same feeling again by creating something consumers would respond to and want to share with others because it put a smile on their face.”