It’s the story of a very special Coke vending machine being placed on a college campus and spreading some “love” to a bunch of unsuspecting kids. And watching it brought a smile to my face and warm fuzzies to my brain. Funny, I think that might be just exactly what the folks at Coke intended with this viral video campaign. The back story – the video launched on January 12th and has already surpassed a million views as the result of being shared on various social media sites. Here’s a link to the video:

and here’s the link to Ravi Sawheny’s terrific story in FastCompany that described the campaign.

I’m one of those wacky advertising types who watches the Super Bowl every year less for the game that is played than for the ads that are featured and even I have to admit that this is one cool viral video campaign. And exponentially less expensive than the cost of producing and running a Super Bowl spot. Ad folks have long been charged with coming up with the latest, greatest super cool idea and that has mostly manifested itself in great creative – TV spots, traditional print campaigns, etc. I think that while that won’t necessarily change, over time, we’ll see more and more of this kind of ingenious creativity marking unique moments in time and then see the people who are the recipients of the message assuming a major role in spreading the message. And it’s just that kind of consumer-driven emotion that enables a brand to really connect with its customers.

Disclosure. I have Coke in my fridge. I’m a Coke girl. I know all the words to “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.” I am old. And I like Coke.

What do you think? Do you agree that these viral kinds of campaigns – video or not, are the kinds of things best suited to capture the fleeting attention span of today’s consumers? I’m kind of thinking that I do. And would love to hear your thoughts.

Superbowl Ad? I Vote For Viral Video Instead is a post from: V3 Kansas City Integrated Marketing and Social Media Agency