Since the time I started writing this blog, I have come across many innovative vending machines. Some I featured right here on Ramble.
Now to add to this collection, here is an invisible vending machine from Coca-Cola Turkey that becomes visible only when couples walk by. The machine was created specially for Valentine’s Day (last week) and was installed in Istanbul to spread happiness Coca-Cola style. š
Coca-Cola is at it again, this time unleashing happiness in Sweden. A special Coke machine sits at a bus stop to spread some summer happiness in the middle of the cold and dark Nordic winter. The resultsā¦
A bus stop is pure waiting time. That makes it a natural canvas for surprise, generosity, and shared reactions. When the environment is grey and cold, the contrast of āsummer happinessā lands even harder, because it flips the mood of the moment instantly.
You do not need a complex mechanic to create a strong brand experience. Put the idea in the right place, at the right time, and make the reward feel unmistakably human. When people are surprised together, the story spreads on its own.
Click here to see other Coca-Cola Happiness campaigns from around the world.
It is a series of experiential campaigns where a Coca-Cola machine behaves unexpectedly, giving people a surprise that feels generous and shareable in public.
Because waiting amplifies attention. People are already paused, watching, and open to distraction. The setting turns a small surprise into a social moment.
The reward has to be simple, immediate, and emotionally clear. If the moment reads as kindness or delight first, the branding can stay light and still win.
Engineer contrast. Put warmth where people expect cold. Put play where people expect routine. That is how a short interaction becomes a memorable story.
Coca-Cola in Romania seems to have broken new ground in the country with its integration between Twitter and TV, as it included live consumer tweets during its ad.
The insight for the campaign came from the fact that in Romania 60% of people donāt eat meals together, but instead eat them alone while sitting in front of their TV. So Coca-Cola decided to use tweets to create open invitations for people to actually come together and have a meal with a Coke.
As shown in the video below, the TV ad included a subtitle bar that was used to run the tweets that consumers sent using the hashtag #LetsEatTogether. Coca-Colaās ad agency, MRM Worldwide, then edited the tweets and inserted five to seven of them into each ad placement.
The campaign increased Cokeās Twitter followers in Romania by 15% as hundreds of tweets were aired on TV. The campaign even made it to the evening news as its uniqueness made Romanians wait everyday for the ad.
The execution is simple. It borrows the visual language of TV subtitles, then uses it for social proof. Viewers see real people inviting others to eat together, in real time, inside the ad break itself. That makes the message feel less like a brand instruction and more like a public invitation.
It also turns participation into a lightweight ritual. Tweet the hashtag. Watch for your message. Share the moment when it appears. The format gives people a reason to keep an eye out for the ad, which is the opposite of what usually happens during commercials.
What did Coca-Cola Romania do in this campaign?
They integrated live consumer tweets into a TV ad by running curated hashtag messages in a subtitle bar during the commercial.
What was the insight behind #LetsEatTogether?
That many people in Romania ate alone in front of the TV, so the campaign used tweets as open invitations to share meals together.
How were tweets handled for broadcast?
Tweets using #LetsEatTogether were edited and five to seven were inserted into each ad placement by the agency.
What changed in performance?
Cokeās Twitter followers in Romania increased by 15% and hundreds of tweets were aired on TV.
What is the core lesson for cross-media experiences?
If you bring live participation into the primary screen, you can turn an ad break into an event people actively watch for.
