2016 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Ramadan is a time of year when the values of tolerance, acceptance and equality are foremost in people’s minds. However, demonstrating these qualities is easier said than done. People still judge and get judged based on a whole range of external, inconsequential factors, such as appearance, dress and nationality. At the same time, social media is one of the most judgmental platforms in everyday life. People judge others based on what they’re wearing, where they’re seen and who they’re seen with, often leading to anxiety and even depression. So 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. 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, they saw how far from the truth their first impressions were. The promotional ‘No Label’ cans were also sent to key media figures to get them involved in the campaign and to prompt them to talk publicly about the campaign and its message, which they ultimately did. The campaign travelled across the region 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. Over 25,600 articles were written about the campaign, all over the world, resulting in $30.7 million worth of PR and earned media.

The Brief

Research shows that it only takes 7 seconds to form a prejudice based on someone’s appearance. We wanted to challenge people to set their natural prejudices aside and see others for who the truly are, not merely who they appear to be. This flies in the face of everyone’s basic instincts, so we needed to dramatically illustrate just how wrong these first impressions can be. We wanted to get people to think twice before they themselves resorted to jumping to conclusions about others in the future.

Execution

The entire campaign was predicated by the provocative nature of the Dark Iftar and the natural, yet disturbing prejudices that it revealed. It was designed to use Coca-Cola’s online fanbase and the millions of our 6 social media influencers’ followers to gain initial traction, from where it drew the attention of the world’s news and social commentary channels. The campaign went entirely according to plan, achieving over 18 million views and generating over 25,600 news and social commentary articles during the month of Ramadan, the season when our message was at its most poignant. The entire campaign was viral by design, and it flowed seamlessly.

Output/Awareness: • 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 Knowledge/Consideration: • 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 Action/Business Impact: • 35% engagement rate on Facebook and 33% on Twitter

The Strategy

We hosted an Iftar in the dark and invited 6 social media influencers to be our guests. After speaking to each other during the meal and forming impressions of the people they were dining with, we turned on the lights and revealed just how misinformed their impressions had been. The whole event was filmed and uploaded onto Coca-Cola’s YouTube channel. Through YouTube and the influencer’s own online presence and fan base, the video spread across the region and the world, the provocative nature of the idea sparking comment and debate from the US to Australia and everywhere in between. International blogs and news sites started weighing in as well, and the video was ranked the 2nd most viral video of 2015 by AdWeek.