Ad by Coca-Cola Created by Southeast Asia Business Unit in Singapore, to Resonate in Various Markets
The Coca-Cola ad campaign is aimed at helping young people fight the post-lunch slump.
“Meme” opens with a group of friends sitting in an Asian cafeteria. Everyone is drinking Coca-Cola except for one young man, who is battling the mid-afternoon slump. When one of them pops the lid off a bottle of Coca-Cola under his nose, the young man wakes up, takes a sip and immediately springs to his feet to dance a jig.
The moment is filmed and shared on social media, and the clip speeds off around the globe, capturing the imagination of everyone who sees it before—within seconds—coming full circle to the phone of the guy who just jigged.
“We wanted a new campaign to position it as the antidote to the lurgy or lassitude that typically affects people in the afternoon. It had to show that—from the pop of the cap or tab on opening, to the hiss as the gas escapes, to the clink and crack of the ice—the unique and delicious taste of Coca-Cola has the ability to ‘fizz up’ even the most lethargic,” said Pratik Thakar, Coca-Cola South East Asia’s Head of Creative Content.
“Meme” was filmed in Cape Town and will roll out in dozens of markets around the world—from the Caucasus, Russia and Central Asia, to pan-Africa, Turkey and Southeast Asia. Different lead characters rotate in to resonate in various markets. Additional 15-second versions will roll out on social media.
The company also recently announced its FIFA World Cup Anthem starring singer Jason Derulo, celebrating the unity of colours around the world. Music has been a part of Coke’s FIFA World Cup marketing efforts for the past two FIFA World Cups. The brand collaborated with K’Naan in 2010 and David Correy in 2014.
Coca-Cola was a four-time global winner of the World Branding Awards, in the Beverages-Softdrinks category.
