Coca-Cola bids for peace across India/Pakistan border
Leo Burnett Sydney has developed an ambitious campaign for Coca Cola aimed at unifying customers across the vexed political divide between India and Pakistan.
The concept saw the placement of "Small World Machines" to facilitate live communications across the border, and to “provoke happiness in the world through human connections.” Participants are encouraged to interact with the devices in order to receive a Coke.
The devices are in the form of 3D touch screens which project a streaming live video feed onto the vending machine screen, simultaneously filming across the portal.
"Being on the ground in India during the Small World Machines experience is probably the highlight of my career so far,” said Andy DiLallo, chief creative officer Leo Burnett Sydney.
“To be able to take two countries that have been divided and to unite them through the world's most iconic brand, and see the purity of the experience was amazing.
"After spending a year on this project with all the challenges we encountered, when Small World Machines started it was massive relief for me. And then joy, and then just awe to see the people connecting. Coca-Cola's message has always been one of happiness.
I see this activation as a small step in the right direction. Hopefully it works as a symbol of how people can overcome differences and come together with a simple act of joy.
"Small World Machines is a real-world example of the power of creativity."
The campaign execution is described as resembling looking into a full-length webcam, face-to-face with the user on the other portal, who are encouraged to interact with touchscreen animation “including peace signs and smiley faces drawings that could be traced togetherwith hand-to-hand connection. Once the shared tasks were completed, a celebration screen emerged which triggered the vending machine to dispense a free Coke for each person.”
10,000 cans of Coke were given away over three days.