Coca-Cola’s new #sharethegood film features a mysterious red Coke machine appearing in a square in a European village over night (actually shot in Strada Apollonia Hirscher, Brasov in Romania).
A caption reads, “This time of year a little kindness can go a long way.” On the machine are two buttons, ‘FREE COKE FOR YOU’, ‘#SHARE THE GOOD.’
On cue, various Coke generation people, all with big smiles and a happy nature investigate the machine. Noticeably, none are fat!
At first they press the ‘FREE COKE FOR YOU’ button, because that means you can show people happy at getting a free Coke. Although it’s the full sugar one rather than diet, so no encouragement to keep down the calories this Christmas!
Then they press the ‘#SHARE THE GOOD’ button and a door opens in the top of the machine and a red balloon floats out. Attached below is a present in box, that turns out to be a Xmas ball. With it is a note, “Someone specila has shared this with you. Keep spreading the joy.”
As the film progresses, we see lots of balloons in the sky and many happy and wonderous faces and lots of couples and kids opening the boxes, finally ending on a kid hanging a red glass ball on a tree. Cute.
Ok, the idea is sweet but it’s another typical hidden camera style stunt, of which there are hundreds on YouTube at the moment. Every brand seems to have one. But what for me kills it is that it all looks very fake, there’s no hidden camera it’s all shot to camera. There’s no normal grumpy people. No one is complaining. All the shots are so clichéd it’s almost painful. But sadly these stunt videos are all becoming the same.
The big mistake is that #sharethegood is being used by lots of other organisations, mostly good causes. Umm, bit of a Coke up there!
But can Coke really convince us they are about the good of mankind and want to bring peace and happiness to the world? Or are they just another commercial corporate trying to con us to flog fizzy drinks? That’s for you to decide, but I can’t find any mission statement attributed to Coke that says “We make fizzy drinks for the good of humanity.” And at this point, please don’t mention Fanta and its dubious history having been sold to the Nazis during the Second World War!
For a Coca-Cola YouTube channel with 191,584 subscribers, it’s a bit of a surprise that only 38,216 people globally have viewed it to date. Well at least those number sound real, unlike so make faked up bought YouTube views these days.
A minor point, “You don’t need to be a scientist of a math’s genius”, one YouTube commenter says, “to calculate that all those balloons couldn’t have fitted into the one Coke machine.”
Happy Cashmass!
This year, more than any, brands all want a slice of Christmas. They want to be the cake and be eaten. They have moved on from the Christmas dressing to the spirit and emotion in an attempt to cash in on the goodwill and cash of all men (and women).
John Lewis, this year and last, have really captured that territory and turned a £7m TV ad spend into a £110m gain – who says TV is dead, seems to be live and thriving. And again it’s one of the most talked about ads of the year.
M&S have pulled off a great TV spectacular with Tim Burton’s Alice story, featuring Helena Bonham Carter. Sadly their product isn’t as spectacular.
As for Sainsbury’s home video one, emotive but creatively lacking any inspiration or imagination. Boring.
Progressively consumers are becoming more suspicious of big brands ethics, their reasons to exist and how they treat people and sell to them. And no matter how spectacular the spend, how many famous people, or how big the idea, consumer see through it all and seek out the ethics and ethos of the brand before they decide to have a relationship with them.
I think there is a fine line between using the spirit of Christmas and trying to convince people your are the spirit of Christmas.
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Watch: Coca-Cola Christmas Red Balloons
