Atlanta-based The Coca-Cola Co. is expanding its “The Ahh Effect” campaign with added features for its second year. The teen-focused effort will build on its history of innovation with several marketing firsts for Coca-Cola in interactive and broadcast media this coming year, the company says.
Launched as a socially and digitally led program last April, the campaign will continue to bring to life the feeling of happiness, uplift and refreshment people experience while drinking an ice-cold Coke, also known as “The Ahh Effect,” it says.
Beginning this week, the campaign’s first dedicated TV ad is airing on teen-targeted TV networks, including Adult Swim, MTV and MTV2. The 30-second “Feels Like Ahh” spot is designed to recreate the feeling of drinking a Coke through a fun montage-style music video that highlights a collection of the interactive games, videos and GIFs found within www.ahh.com, the campaign’s website.
A second TV commercial, “This is Ahh,” will premiere at the end of April and will be the first-ever spot produced by Coca-Cola to exclusively feature user-generated content. Now through April 10, the brand is inviting teens to submit a short video clip showing what it feels like when they take a sip of Coca-Cola at www.ahh.com/thisisahh or via social media using the hashtag #ThisisAhh. The entries that best illustrate their feelings will be featured in the commercial, the company says.
“Our efforts to connect with teens through ‘The Ahh Effect’ exceeded our expectations in 2013,” said Andy McMillin, vice president of the Coca-Cola Trademark for Coca-Cola North America, in a statement. “With digital still at the core, we’re now expanding into real-world activations and TV as the next phase of its evolution. ‘The Ahh Effect’ will be everywhere teens will be, and we’re going to connect with them in ways that appeal to their natural curiosity and love of fun, bite-sized content.”
Coca-Cola also is joining forces with some celebrities to showcase its refreshing, energizing and fun qualities on www.ahh.com and beyond, it says. Content featuring viral dance sensation Marquese Scott and YouTube stars Joe Penna and Kurt Hugo Schneider will be shared on www.ahh.com and other teen-favorite destinations through mobile, digital, connected TV consoles, search, TV, social media and more, the company says.
Also as part of the campaign expansion, www.ahh.com has been redesigned and now features new experiences that follow the same recipe of randomness, creativity and delight that caught teens’ attention in the campaign’s first year, the company says. One of the most popular experiences called “Cat or Not” has transformed into the new “Laser Cats” feature, which challenges users to keep a laser beam from an ever-increasing herd of laser-hungry cats, it says. Another component, “Fortune Cookie,” reminds teens that a sip of Coke makes you feel like the luckiest person in the world with an endless supply of fortunes, it adds.
“Our mobile-friendly approach really resonated, but we believe it was our willingness to try something new and speak to teens in their language that’s the real success story here,” said Jennifer Healan, group director of integrated marketing content and design at Coca-Cola North America, in a statement. “The content was at times quirky and light-hearted, but [that] was absolutely crucial to starting a dialogue. And we’re listening by adding more levels and functionality to the games they love and constantly introducing new content based on their suggestions.”
Offline, behind-the-label content featuring “Ahh” moments will appear on 20-ounce Coca-Cola products and at partner locations like AMC Theatres, 7-Eleven, McDonalds, Domino’s Pizza, Simon Malls and Six Flags. Customer experiences will drive fans to various “Ahh” URLs and will introduce “Ahh” into new properties like Live Nation.
Coca-Cola worked with Wieden+Kennedy, Portland, Ore., to create the campaign.
