After Brazil and The Philippines, Coca-Cola’s Happiness Truck found its way to New Zealand as part of the soft drink behemoth’s activation as the Official Tournament Supplier of Non-Alcoholic Beverages for Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand.
Teaming up with former All Black captain Tana Umaga, the truck is part of Coke’s Rugby World Cup Social Life initiative and is amplified by online coverage and webfilm support.
The Happiness Truck is just part of Coca-Cola’s integrated campaign spans on-pack promotion, point-of-sale, traditional advertising, outdoor executions, digital and experiential elements, grass roots rugby programmes and PR work.
The broadcast TVC, which launched in May and ran until October, features a coach filled with Rugby supporters from around the world driving stopping at a remote New Zealand cafe where a seemingly spontaneous game of rugby begins with a Coke bottle as the ball. The on-pack promotion, which offered the public the once to win one of 100 double ticket packages, also ran for a lengthy 20 weeks.
Coca-Cola also partnered with New Zealand channel TV3 to find New Zealand’s Rugby’s ‘Unsung Heroes’. Former All Black Josh Kronfeld partnered with TV presenter Drew Neemia spearheaded te initiative and appealed to the country to nominate Kiwis who are doing great things for rugby at a grass-roots level. Four lucky winners received a surprise visit by Josh and Drew and wwere presented with a double ticket package to the Rugby World Cup 2011 Final.
Coca-Cola’s repeat rights at what is claimed to be the world’s third largest single sports event, sees it provide soft drinks to fans as well as supplying all 20 teams with water and its sports drink Powerade.
Comment:
Happiness Truck is perhaps the most compelling element of Coke’s Rugby World Cup activation – not least because it certainly seems to genuinely bring happiness to unsuspecting people on the streets it visits.
Its success is such that some marketers feel that its supporting virals and webfilm of the truck in action is actually a more emotionally compelling piece of video than Coke’s actual Rugby World Cup TV ad.
Links:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBQpfHnxUgw
www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwsLG3dyjKw
www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVap-ZxSDeE
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