Coca-Cola India Rolls Out Shadow Campaign

The campaign debuted on mobile phone and digital space before being released on mass media; watch the TVC here.

Hitesh Ranot | Delhi | December 13, 2010

Coca-Cola India is all set to roll out the latest communication campaign 'Shadow' for brand Coca-Cola featuring Bollywood heartthrob and Coca-Cola Brand Ambassador- Imran Khan on mass media. Part of the global 'Open Happiness' campaign in India, this is the first ever campaign in the history of Coca-Cola India, which was first released on mobile phones and online media and is now being released on television. The campaign has already been downloaded and previewed by over 300,000 consumers and already has over 90,000 referrals online. The latest communication is targeted at the youth and reinforces the need to connect with other human beings in this lonely world.

Using visually exciting elements of shadow puppetry, the latest 'Shadow' film showcases how a bottle of Coca-Cola acts as a catalyst in making an instant connection between two strangers. The silent yet unique interaction of the two protagonists bridging the gap of urban isolation and connecting over a bottle of Coca-Cola – has been aptly captured and is best explained by the tagline 'Coke Khule Toh Baat Chale' (Coke Opens Up Possibilities).

According to Anand Singh, Director-Marketing, Coca-Cola India, “Brand Coca-Cola has established a strong connect with the youth and we owe this to the consistent communication with the target audience over the years. Open Happiness campaign brings forward the thought of enjoying a bottle of Coca-Cola while taking a pause from the daily routine to connect with others. Through the latest 'Shadow' Campaign, we aim to further create a strong emotional connect with today's youth by highlighting the need to connect with the people around us in our busy cosmopolitan life. I am sure that this campaign will remind people that Coca-Cola is always there to offer that little moment of fun and refreshment when one needs it.”

The strategic communication for 'Coca-Cola Open Happiness' in India has been conceptualized by the creative team of McCann Erickson - Prasoon Joshi, Executive Chairman and Regional Executive Creative Director (Asia Pacific),Tirtha Ghosh, Creative Director, and  Ashish Chakravarty, Creative Chief, McCann Erickson. The film directed by Dibakar Banerjee of Freshwater Films is all set to be rolled out in the second week of December 2010.

Brand Coca-Cola Leverages the Digital Platform

In an attempt to forge deeper connections with its young consumers, the 'Shadow' campaign was first released digitally, a medium that is a phenomenal trend these days. An exclusive preview of the TV commercial of the new campaign was uploaded on the microsite at cokeshadow.in, as a part of the teaser campaign. Users got a first-hand experience of viewing it online and on their mobile handsets and had the option of rating the TVC. They also had the option of sharing it with their friends through social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook. The web link also enabled users to download the theme music as a Ringtone and share it with their friends.

According to Anuj Kumar, Executive Director (South Asia) Affle, “This is the first time in India's advertising history that a company has launched its brand campaign first on mobile phones and digital space before releasing it in mass media. Digital era has enveloped the industry in a way that it has become inevitable for any brand to tap the online space and this move by Coca-Cola India is a testimony of the growing importance of digital marketing. Consumers online have different behavior than the conventional ones, hence it is important to build the marketing plan in sync with consumer needs, to help brand reach out to the right target audience”

Adding further, Anand Singh, Director-Marketing, Coca-Cola India, said, “The new Shadow campaign was first released using the digital platform in order to directly tap today's young consumer, who likes to the first to try out new products and offers. Additionally, the campaign was also made available through SMS and Blue-casting. This unique approach will certainly generate a buzz around the new Coca-Cola campaign by offering the target audience a sneak preview of the commercial and create a viral effect thereof."

Storyboard of the Ad

The film opens with the protagonist (Imran Khan) who has just shifted in a new apartment. After putting down a heavy box and wiping the sweat off his brow, he notices a shadow being cast from the adjoining flat of a person working on a laptop. The person's shadow disappears for a moment and Imran hears the sound of opening of the Coke bottle. The shadow of the Coke bottle is put down in front of the laptop. Imran quickly looks around, grabs a lamp in his room and sets it so that the light falls just next to the shadows being cast from the adjoining flat. In an exciting sequence of shadow-play (flapping bird, dog and a straw), Imran tries to get close to the Coke bottle.

Suddenly the other person turns off the light and the shadow from the adjoining flat disappears. Worried, Imran rushes out of his apartment and into the balcony to realize that the shadow actually belonged to a pretty girl who too had rushed out and is now extending the Coke bottle towards him.

Speaking about the latest initiative, Prasoon Joshi, Executive Chairman, Regional Creative Director, Asia Pacific, McCann Erickson Pvt. Ltd said, “The new campaign is indeed very different from what we have done in the past. We have tried to use exciting elements of shadow puppetry and play to showcase how strangers connect over a bottle of Coca-Cola. It's about bringing people closer, building connect and breaking ice between strangers. It's a beautiful story in an ordinary day of our cosmopolitan life, where a boy in his new apartment enacts trying to reach out and sip out from a 'shadow' of a Coca-Cola bottle, using various elements of shadow-play (flapping bird, dog and a straw). It's about bringing people closer, building connect and breaking ice between strangers. The entire campaign has been executed beautifully and we are sure that everyone will find it appealing.”

Hitesh@BestMediaInfo.com

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