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Coca-Cola Soda Cans Trigger AR Animated Stories

Scannable codes bring 12 short stories to life in front of your beverage. 

Coca-Cola is using AR technology as part of its latest marketing campaign to bring Coke cans to life with adorable 3D animations. 

Reported first by the Drum, each can is marked with a unique code that— once scanned—triggers one of twelve lighthearted stories, each centered around a small conflict. In one short, two rival football fans vigorously bang the drum of their home teams before becoming friends after a soccer ball launches out of the can. In another, a couple enjoying a scary movie drop their popcorn after becoming spooked. No matter what the situation or conflict, however, each story ends with two friends sharing a coke, further highlighting Coke’s signature motto: “Share a Coke.” 

In a developer video posted to YouTube, you can see the intricate design process developers Ogilvy and Timber went through when creating each 3D animation. 

“This project was a perfect implementation for AR,” said Jonah Hall and Kevin Lau, creative directors and partners at Timber. “People working together in harmony was always the core foundation of the idea. Coke has always been great at associating their brand with happiness and harmony. The concept grew out of this. The nature of AR allowed the viewer to bring these stories into their environment using the practical can of Coke as a prop and become the backdrop for each of these scenarios to play out.”

Image Credit: Coca-Cola

“The idea that our work is being activated by Coca-Cola customers in such a fun and experiential way is a big part of what drew us to the project. This was the perfect opportunity to explore a new medium and to test our storytelling skills in emerging markets.” 

Of course, this is not the first time the Coca-Cola brand has experimented with AR-based marketing. Earlier this month the company launched a campaign for Fanta that had Snapchat users pointing their cameras at Fanta billboards and posters to unlock special AR filters and other digital content. Last year they launched an AR experience on the official NASCAR mobile app that allowed users to walk through an augmented portal and into famous playoff moments.

Feature Image Credit: Coca-Cola

About the Scout

Former Writer (Kyle Melnick)

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