Coca-Cola is synonymous with Happiness. In 2010, Coke stood for “Open Happiness” with the “Oh oh oooo” jingle of the 2010 Fifa World Cup but this tradition goes back to even before the invention of Santa Claus, where, starting in 1931, magazine ads for Coca-Cola featured St. Nick as a kind, jolly man in a red suit. Because this image of Santa appeared for more than three decades, the image of Santa most people have today is largely based on Coke’s advertising.
Staying in tune with this feeling, for 2011 Coca-Cola released their latest viral video, the Coca-Cola Happiness Truck. This viral follows a similar premise to the Happiness Machine video, which showcased a Coke vending machine in a US college cafeteria, coughing out pizzas, balloons, flowers and of course Cokes. You can watch it here.
The latest installment * Spoiler Alert * takes us to Rio de Janeiro and puts the idea on wheels, with a truck spitting out soccer balls, surfboards, beach toys and of course, you guessed it, Cokes. Intrigued bystanders on the streets of Rio are prompted to push a big red button on the truck (you know you would too), then receive a mystery gift of happiness. Soon, what began as only one timid girl becomes a crowd of thirsty opportunists, lining up for freebies. At this point, the pessimistic videographer in me assumes this turned into a violent riot, but with some clever editing of a few close-up smiles here and there, the message of ‘happiness’ is conveyed. YAY!
On a more analytical note, however, I think this is altruistic marketing genius. According to Coke’s global brand director Shane Grant, the brand chose Rio because “we wanted to show how happiness translates in markets around the world, not just in the US or Western Europe.” However, Grant does not intend to turn the viral into a 30 second TV spot in the States, like they did with the “Happiness Machine” video.
To find out where happiness will strike next, you can check out Coca-Cola’s official YouTube Channel here.
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