Tag: Behavioral Change

Coca-Cola: Slurp and Crunch Cinema Spots

Cinema etiquette, packaged as entertainment

Coca-Cola, with the help of Saatchi & Saatchi Denmark and M2Film, created a two-spot public service campaign that highlighted the annoyance of noisy slurps and crunching of refreshments during public viewing at the cinema.

Here, “public service” means a brand-funded reminder about shared cinema etiquette rather than a product offer.

Coca-Cola Gangster

Coca-Cola Stableboy

The move: make the sound the villain

Everyone knows the noise. The spots take that tiny irritation and push it to the foreground, so the whole room shares the same reaction at the same time. By making the sound the villain, the films turn annoyance into an instant, shared norm signal.

In shared public settings like cinemas, etiquette is enforced socially, so in-context cues matter more than abstract rules.

The real question is whether you can correct the behavior in the moment without sounding like you are policing it.

Why it works where it plays

Because it runs in the cinema. The reminder lands in the exact environment where people can immediately correct themselves. It feels like a social cue, not a rule.

Extractable takeaway: When you want voluntary behavior change, put the cue inside the moment of action and make it emotionally legible to everyone in the room.

The behavioral job

Highlight how slurps and crunching can ruin public cinema viewing, and nudge people toward better behavior without preaching.

A short in-context spot like this beats a generic reminder for etiquette nudges because it recruits the audience, not just the offender.

Steal the nudge

  • Micro-irritation: Pick a universal micro-irritation and dramatize it fast.
  • In-context delivery: Deliver the message in-context, where relevance is unavoidable.
  • Watchable change: Use story and character so behavior change stays watchable.

A few fast answers before you act

What was this Coca-Cola cinema campaign?

A two-spot campaign designed to highlight how loud slurping and crunchy snacking can annoy other people during a movie.

Who created the campaign?

The post credits Saatchi & Saatchi Denmark and M2Film alongside Coca-Cola.

How many spots were there and what were they called?

Two spots. “Coca-Cola Gangster” and “Coca-Cola Stableboy.”

Where was this intended to run?

In a cinema context, aimed at audiences during public film viewing.

Sodimac: The 5-Second Skip Behavior Ad

Viewers usually spend five seconds counting down to the “Skip Ad” button. Homecenter Sodimac from Chile uses that exact moment to ask a better question: do you want to skip the ad, or skip the behavior?

Working with agency MayoDraftfcb, Sodimac created a set of environmental messages that turn the skippable format into a moral choice. The button becomes the idea. Either you opt out, or you commit to changing a small wasteful habit.

A tiny mechanic that flips the meaning of “skip”

The creative move is to hijack an interface behavior people already know. That matters because it removes learning friction. The audience understands what to do instantly, and the campaign only has to change what that action means.

In brand communication, this is a neat example of interface-led storytelling. By that I mean the story is carried by a native UI element, not just the film around it.

The platform UI is not just a container for the message. It is the message.

In skippable video media, the first five seconds are the only attention you can reliably design for.

Why this works better than a standard awareness film

It uses the countdown moment as the content, so the viewer understands the choice instantly and the message lands before the skip reflex kicks in.

Extractable takeaway: If the platform gives people a default behavior, design your idea so that default action becomes the point, not the obstacle.

  • It is time-native. The idea fits the five-second window instead of fighting it.
  • It creates viewer control. The viewer makes an explicit choice, not a passive nod.
  • It is measurable. The “change” action is a click, not a vague sentiment.
  • It is consistent with the topic. Environmental habits are about small repeated actions. The format mirrors that.

Reported impact, and the real lesson

The campaign is reported to have driven over 80,000 people to choose the “change” option within a week. This is a smarter use of pre-roll than most awareness films because it makes the click mean something. The real question is whether your first five seconds invite a meaningful choice or just a reflexive skip. The bigger takeaway is structural: if you can turn a default skip behavior into a meaningful action, you get engagement that feels earned rather than bought.

Design rules for your next skippable campaign

  • Build for the first five seconds, and make the idea readable without audio.
  • Use the interface as a prop, buttons, timers, overlays, or any native UI element that viewers already trust.
  • Offer a single clean choice, so the click means something unambiguous.
  • Make the action lead somewhere useful, tips, tools, pledges, or a next step that matches the promise.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the core idea in one line?

It reframes the skippable pre-roll moment. Skip the ad, or skip the bad habit.

Why does this mechanic fit environmental messaging?

Because sustainability is built on small decisions repeated often. A skippable ad is also a small decision, repeated often.

What makes this different from a normal call-to-action?

The CTA is embedded inside a familiar platform behavior. The campaign is not asking for extra attention. It is redirecting an existing action.

What is the biggest risk with “interface hijack” ideas?

Here, “interface hijack” means repurposing a familiar UI element like the Skip button without hiding what is happening. If the viewer feels tricked, trust collapses. The choice has to feel fair, clear, and reversible.

What should you measure to prove it worked?

Click choice rate, completion rate, and downstream behavior on the landing destination, plus any lift in eco-tip engagement over the campaign window.

Durex: Baby App

Making the consequence tangible, not the lecture louder

In consumer health marketing, the hardest problems are rarely about information. They are about motivation in the moment. This Durex idea is a clean example of turning a behavior barrier into an experience.

Condoms can feel like a downer. So how do you convince guys to put one on, and make Durex the favored choice?

This is the right move when information is not the problem. Make the consequence tangible, not the lecture louder.

Using the iPhone, Nicolai Villads, Peter Ammentorp and Raul Montenegro created what is called the Durex Baby application for the iPhone.

How the Durex Baby app worked as a behavioral nudge

The mechanism was simple. If the barrier is that protection feels like a mood killer, shift attention to what happens without it.

The app simulated the realities of having a baby, using the phone as a constant companion device. It turned an abstract risk into a persistent, personal experience that could be felt rather than explained. Because the phone stays close, the simulation can interrupt everyday moments, which is why it lands as a nudge instead of a lecture.

In consumer health marketing, consequence simulation works best when the audience already knows the facts but needs a visceral prompt.

The real question is how you make “responsible” feel like the easiest choice in the moment.

Why simulation can change decisions faster than persuasion

Most messaging about safe sex competes with optimism bias, the tendency to assume consequences happen to someone else. A simulation reduces that distance by making “later” feel like “now,” reframing the trade-off from short-term inconvenience to long-term responsibility.

Extractable takeaway: When persuasion stalls, build a simulation that collapses time and personal distance so the audience feels the outcome and re-evaluates the trade-off on their own.

The intent behind building it for Future Lions

The app was created for the Future Lions 2010 competition organized by digital agency AKQA and the Cannes Lions Advertising festival.

The business intent is clear. Use mobile to translate a sensitive topic into a playful but pointed interaction that can travel socially and be discussed without heavy moralizing, while keeping the brand associated with the responsible choice.

What to borrow from Durex Baby

  • Turn abstract risk into felt experience. Simulation can outperform warnings when the audience tunes out lectures.
  • Use the device people always carry. Mobile is effective when the behavior change depends on everyday moments.
  • Reframe the trade-off. Move attention from short-term friction to long-term consequence in a way people can grasp instantly.
  • Make it discussable. Playful interaction can open conversation on topics people avoid in direct language.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Durex Baby app?

An iPhone app concept that simulates the realities of having a baby to encourage safer choices and reduce resistance to using condoms.

What was the core mechanism?

Behavioral reframing through simulation. The phone delivers an ongoing experience that makes the consequence of not using protection feel immediate.

Why does this approach work better than a warning for some audiences?

Because it reduces optimism bias. People are more likely to change behavior when the consequence feels personal and present, not distant and theoretical.

What business goal does it serve for Durex?

Positioning the brand as the responsible default choice by shifting the decision from mood-based resistance to consequence-based clarity.

What is the main takeaway for marketers?

If persuasion is failing, design an experience that makes the outcome feel real, then let the audience reach the conclusion themselves.