Coke Zero teamed up with Ogilvy & Mather recently to develop the world's first drinkable billboard. The 26 by 36-foot, 23,000 pound billboard was built to celebrate the final four NCAA college basketball games in White River State Park in Indianapolis last week, and dispensed Coke Zero through a 4,500 foot straw. The sugar free Coke was siphoned through the straw (which spelt out “Taste It”) to a sampling area with six fountain spouts where people could taste the free soft drink. It used more than 75 valves, four high-pressure pumps and 16 sensors to push liquid and air through tubes to make it look like a straw is emptying. The ambitious billboard supposedly runs on enough compressed air to fill all the basketballs used during the March Madness tournament.
Coke Zero – The Drinkable Billboard
The billboard is just one aspect of the brand's “Drinkable” campaign, which also includes “Drinkable” installations at mall kiosks in the Indianapolis area, a concert, and drinkable flyers, which gave consumers a coupon for a free drink. It's a big marketing push for Ogilvy, which makes sense given that this is the first work to come out of the agency for Coke Zero since it won the account last year. The campaign also includes interactive TV spots, which uses audio recognition through the Shazam mobile app to unlock extra content, including a free bottle of Coke Zero.
The Coke Zero Drinkable Rivalry
Racquel Mason, vice president of Coca-Cola North America, said “This campaign is based on the simple insight that many people think they know the taste of Coke Zero, but they actually don't.” She calls the drinkable campaign an “Innovative approach to removing barriers and making it ridiculously easy for those who are open to try Coke Zero to enjoy it in fun and unique ways.”
The Coke Zero Drinkable Commercial Teaser
These unique ways to experience the soft drink and the brand in general include a virtual drinking race, with a smartphone app allowing users to race to down a virtual bottle of Coke Zero using the microphones on their smartphones. Mason added that the idea behind the campaign is “Less talk and more proof,” and they have doubled down on this approach by creating “Numerous opportunities for college basketball fans in Indianapolis and at home to experience the delicious refreshing taste of Coke Zero.”
Drinking a Commercial
