2016 Winners & Shortlists

Brief Explanation

First impressions last, but often those first impressions are based on superficial, inconsequential factors like appearance, dress and nationality. In the season of Ramadan when values like tolerance, acceptance and equality are being championed, we wanted to challenge people to form more informed, truer impressions of those around them. Coca-Cola believes that people should be judged on the content of their character rather than mere appearance, so we created a campaign designed to challenge our audience to do the same. We created social media idea for Ramadan that encouraged people to look beyond what they could simply see and truly get to know those around them.

The Campaign

Ramadan is a time of year when the values of tolerance, acceptance and equality are foremost in people’s minds. But people are naturally judgmental, regardless of the season. We used the season of Ramadan to create a social media campaign to challenge people’s prejudices and get them to see others in a whole new light. We brought this to life by inviting 6 social media influencers to an Iftar in the dark. As the diners spoke to each other, they naturally formed mental impressions of their fellow guests. But when we turned the lights on, they saw how far from the truth their first impressions were. The campaign travelled across the Middle East and the world, resulting in over 18 million views, Coca-Cola’s 2nd most viewed video of all time and AdWeek’s 2nd most viral campaign of 2015.

Creative Execution

We invited 6 social media influencers to an Iftar in the dark. As the diners spoke to each other, they naturally formed mental impressions of their fellow guests. But when we turned the lights on, the image they’d formed in their minds and the person they saw in front of them were nothing alike. The Iftar and the diner’s subsequent reactions were filmed and uploaded onto Coca-Cola’s YouTube channel. Through Coca-Cola’s YouTube channel and the influencers’ own online presences, the Dark Iftar idea at first travelled across the Middle East, before our social audience propelled it across the globe. Gaining coverage on local news sites and blogs, and even international news platforms like CNN, TIME and The Washington Times.

•53.9 million impressions •$30.7 million worth of PR and earned media •Over 18 million YouTube views (Coca-Cola’s 2nd most viewed video globally, of all time) •Over 25,600 online articles generated •AdWeek’s 2nd most viral video of 2015 •97% positive sentiment score •Coca-Cola Consumption Intent score increased +51% vs. Ramadan 2014 •Coca-Cola Brand Love score increased +15% vs. Ramadan 2014 •Coca-Cola’s brand equity score of Bringing People Closer Together increased by +39% vs. Ramadan 2014 •35% engagement rate on Facebook and 33% on Twitter