Coke Zero Turns Keen Commuters Into 007

26th October, 2012

Filming unsuspecting passers-by in an interactive event to promote a brand online is always a bit of a risk. Will Joe Public participate? Will the filming provide enough material to entertain the YouTube viewer? Will people share the clip online?

As part of the Coke Zero 'Unlock the 007 in You' campaign for Coca Cola's official sponsorship of latest James Bond movie Skyfall, Belgian ad agency Duval Guillaume Modem set up an elaborate activation campaign in Antwerp's central station last month.

The set-up included an interactive vending machine that challenged commuters to race against the clock across the station to win exclusive tickets to a special Skyfall screening. As customers set off to complete the task, carefully placed obstacles hampered their progress - from a glamorous woman calling their name to a cart of oranges spilling in their paths.

The resulting online clip is entertaining. Set to a sound-track of the Bond theme tune, performed live in different areas of the station, it shows a handful of Bond-worthy lads attempting the task with vim, and succeeding. The clip might almost be too perfect, however, with some viewers questioning whether actors were used.

But according to Duval Guillaume Modem executive creative director Geoffrey Hantson, the clip is the result of detailed orchestration, involving ten cameras, expert timing, security details on stand-by to intervene should anything go wrong and meticulous preparation - and no actors, at least not among the wannabe 007s, were used.

During the event, nearly 70 people ran for tickets, Hantson says, but the agency of course chose the best moments and the individuals most reflecting the Coke Zero brand for the final edit. With more than 3 million views on YouTube and more than 29,000 'likes', the planning seems to have paid off.

But in the days where authenticity in brand communication is everything - as consumers quickly point out the fakes on social media - ad agencies might have to start throwing in a few imperfections to convince the viewing public.

For example, the slew of men that, according to Hantson, fell at the first hurdle to chat with the glamorous Lady in Red would have been amusing too, if perhaps not very 'Bond, James Bond'.

Source: CreativeReview