The Coca Cola Small World Machines are digital vending machines able to reduce down to zero the distances that separate peoples and individuals.
These vending machines have been encouraging Pakistanis and Indians “making love, not war” on both sides of a border, where armed conflicts and terrorist attacks maintain a tense calm, if not have as outcomes the death of people in both communities. The coflict lasts for years, spiced with religious overtones. It is a US born drink, fully agnostic with a strong sense of frienship, caring and peace in its core values, that now amends the behavior of politicians military responsibles and other people of hate and prejudice, bringing into sisterhood in a “tech-friendly” way strangers located on either side of the border.
In short, more Coca-Cola vending machines and less short-range missiles.
The Small World Machines provided for a friendship experience in an easy manner: The machine encouraged a person in India and elsewhere in Pakistan to place the palm of his/her hand on the device at a particular location on the screen. The participants then had to complete a task together hand in hand. For example, drawing a heart on the screen of the machine, the hippie symbol of peace, dancing opposite each other before the machine, etc …
Completed the task together, the vending device rewarded the participants on both sides of the border with a free coke.
The idea came to Coca-Cola “brand new and freshly imported ” from the advertising agency Leo Burnett, specifically from its headquarters in Chicago and Sydney.
To watch the video, click here
The action that has been running since March 2013, was shared on 20th May by Jay Moye, from Coca-Cola, on The Coca Cola Company Journey. The video was published last 19th May on the US multinational’s YouTube channel.
Although the idea is brilliant and fits perfectly into the brand insight, which is full of happiness, sharing, peace and harmony, friendship, etc …, this is not the first time that Coca Cola uses a vending machine for much more than distributing products of the company.
I still remember the “Hug Me” campaign. Whenever a person embraced one of the Coca Cola vending machines with that request on it the device dispensed a coke, brand free, for the “hugger”.
To watch the video click here
During the 2013 Winter Olympics, the hug should be given to another person. The machines encouraged to do it on their screens.
Once embrace was given, the machine dispensed cokes and other products like gloves, hats, backpacks, etc.. for free, as a reward.
To watch the video click here
There have been machines rewarding with coke bottles at no cost in turn, whenever a person sang a Christmas carol before them.
To watch the videos click here and here
I still recall also the mobile app that allowed the user dispatching a free Coca-Cola in the distance to gift “a friend.”. The combination of smartphones and these “connected” Coca Cola vending machines allowed the recipient picking up the coke at no cost in any vending device of the brand located anywhere all over the world.
To watch the video click here
These kind of retail self service devices are providing a lot of room for Coca-Cola to play. The brand is not only placing its badge on them but modifying the design of the machine itself, its shape and size to communicate the essence of products they dispense. Just as an example Diet Coke vending machines have rrecently “got slender.
To watch the video, click here
Leaving aside the concept communication, these thin devices are providing for actual advances in the vending retail segment. They fit almost any space available in a room, store or location on the streets, bus/underground/train stations, etc.
On the opposite side of the slender Diet Coke vending machine I would tell it was the giant vending device installed by Coca Cola in London during the 2012 Olympic Games. The large size of this machine was proportional to the small market share of coke in the UK.
To watch the video, click here
The “love story” between the brand and technology applied to retail started off with a clear “shopper” orientation when Coca-Cola launched in 2010 the first interactive vending machine with a multimedia touch screen in colaboration wit Samsung.
Image over the headline.- Caption of the video Coca-Cola Small World Machines-Bringing India & Pakistan together. © The Coca-Cola Company/Leo Burnett Chicago & Sydney.
Related Eastwind Marketing links:
Diet coke vending machines get slender
http://www.eastwindmarketing.es/blogs/eastwindmarketingycomunicacion/en/2013/05/10/diet-coke-vending-machines-get-slender/
Coca-Cola Organizes “guerrillas” all over the world
http://www.eastwindmarketing.es/blogs/eastwindmarketingycomunicacion/en/2011/02/26/coca-cola-organizes-guerrillas-all-over-the-world/
Saatchi&Saatchi turns Israelis and Palestinians into blood brothers
http://www.eastwindmarketing.es/blogs/eastwindmarketingycomunicacion/en/2011/09/24/saatchisaatchi-turns-israelis-and-palestinians-into-blood-brothers/
Related external links:
Coca-Cola Small World Machines – Bringing India & Pakistan Together
Coca-Cola Vending Machine 2013 Special Olympics World Winter games Korea 2013
Coca-Cola: Sing For Me Vending Machine
Project Re: Brief. Coca-Cola Mobile app demo
Unlock the 007 in you. You have 70 seconds! Coca-Cola Zero Marketing Guerrilla
Coca-Cola Small World Machines-Bringing India & Pakistan together (credits):
CLIENT/AD OR CAMPAIGN: The Coca-Cola Company
AGENCY: Leo Burnett Chicago & Sydney
GLOBAL CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Mark Tutssel
CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER: Andy DiLallo
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Dave Loew, Jon Wyville
CREATIVE DIRECTORS: Grant McAloon, Vince Lagana
ART DIRECTOR: Justin Carew
COPYWRITER: Iggy Rodriguez
DESIGNERS: Omari Miller, John-Henry Pajak, David Mugford
DIRECTOR – CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY: Chad Mirshak
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGISTS: Brendan Crich, Keong Seet, Scott North
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION: Vincent Geraghty
DIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION OPERATIONS: Michael Shanahan, Amir Mireskandari
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Adrian Gunadi
PRODUCER: Stephen Clark, Michelle Browne
EXECUTIVE STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Wells Davis
STRATEGY DIRECTOR: Olivier Tse
EXECUTIVE ACCOUNT DIRECTOR: Bob Raidt
ACCOUNT SUPERVISOR: Katie Nikolaus
DIRECTOR: Patrick Fileti
DOP: Patrick Fileti
EDITOR: Patrick Fileti
2ND UNIT DIRECTOR: Angus Forbes
2ND UNIT DOP: Angus Forbes
TECHNOLOGY PARTNER/COMPANY: The Super Group
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Highlight Films
MUSIC COMPANY: Song Zu
