Tag: buenos aires

Absolut Unique Access

In October, Klik (a chocolate snack) was the first brand to use WhatsApp to increase brand engagement amongst its teen audience.

Now a month later, Absolut Vodka in Argentina has decided to use WhatsApp as well. This time to invite people to an exclusive launch party. To build awareness and engagement with people in Buenos Aires, Absolut created “Sven the doorman”. Interested people had to then contact Sven via WhatsApp and convince him to give them access to the party. Since he was not easy to convince, the people had to become creative. The results…

The book that cannot wait

Last month I wrote about Austria Solar’s annual report, whose pages became visible only when exposed to sunlight.

Now Buenos Aires based bookshop and publisher Eternal Cadencia has released ‘El libro que no puede esperar’ i.e. ‘The book that cannot wait’ ā€“ an anthology of new fiction printed in ink that disappears after two months of opening the book!

How is that possible? Well the books are silk-screened using a special ink and then sealed in an air-tight packaging that once opened allows the printed material to react with the atmosphere. The result being that after two months, the text vanishes.

In the age of portable electronic readers and e-books, I think this a magical way of adding an element of urgency to reading while motivating readers, promoting authors and at the same time benefiting physical book publishers.

Coca-Cola: Cheer-O-Meter

To promote the excitement around Copa America 2011, OgilvyAction worked with Coca-Cola to set up a giant screen in downtown Buenos Aires for fans to watch their favorite teams and provide unconditional cheer to the Argentinean National Team. But there was a catch. Sound sensors were installed to keep the screen on and if the fans stopped cheering, the screen would go blank. šŸ˜Ž

Why this activation hits

The mechanic is brutally simple. Your cheering is not just encouraged. It is required. That instantly turns a passive viewing moment into a shared challenge, and it makes ā€œsupportā€ tangible.

  • Clear rule. Cheer to keep the screen alive.
  • Immediate feedback loop. The crowd sees the consequence in real time.
  • Social amplification built in. People around you become part of the control system.

What marketers can reuse from the idea

This is a strong example of ā€œparticipation as the power sourceā€. Instead of adding a gimmick on top of the match, the match itself becomes the reward for participation. It also turns a brand message into a behavior, which tends to travel further than a tagline.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Coca-Cola ā€œCheer-O-Meterā€?

It is a live fan-screen activation in Buenos Aires for Copa America 2011 where sound sensors kept the match on screen only while fans kept cheering.

How did the sound-sensor mechanic work?

The cheering volume acted as the trigger. If it dropped too low, the screen went blank, pushing the crowd to keep the energy up.

Why is this effective as a brand experience?

Because it converts brand participation into a simple, memorable rule with instant consequences, and it makes the crowd feel responsible for the outcome.

What is the transferable pattern?

Create one clear rule, attach it to a real reward, then deliver immediate feedback so the audience understands their impact in the moment.