Tag: Hong Kong

Coca-Cola: Chok Chok

Mobile and creative thinking can come together to create really compelling marketing campaigns. In this example, Coca-Cola Hong Kong created a “Chok Chok” mobile app that turned the viewer’s smartphone into a remote control for their TV ad.

To collect the Coca-Cola bottle caps that appeared on the TV screen, viewers had to swing their phones when the ad came on. Those who successfully managed to swing and collect were instantly rewarded with prizes that included cars, sports apparel, credit card spend value, travel coupons and movie tickets.

As a result the campaign was seen by 9 million people and the app got over 380,000 downloads.

The real question is whether your second-screen idea creates a one-step action people can do instantly when the media moment appears.

For those wondering, the bottle cap collection was enabled through the audio signal of the ad, which triggered the application and synced the user’s motion with the ad. The accelerometer in the phone was also used to assess the quality of the motion. Together they were used to catch the bottle caps virtually.

However as far as I know, Honda in the UK was the first to pioneer this kind of an interactive TV ad, even though it did not receive results like Coca-Cola.

In mass-reach consumer campaigns where TV attention and smartphone use overlap, audio-synced interactivity can turn a passive spot into a short participation window.

Why this works so well

It works because it gives the viewer control in a way TV usually does not. Here, “viewer control” means one deliberate physical action that directly drives what you get from the ad. Because the ad’s audio triggers the app and the accelerometer judges motion quality, the “catch” feels causally tied to the on-screen moment instead of feeling random.

Extractable takeaway: If you want participation in real time, design a one-second action that maps cleanly to an on-screen event, then make the feedback and reward immediate.

  • Viewer control is the hook. The ad is not just watched. It is “played” through a simple physical action.
  • Timing creates urgency. You have to act when the ad is live, which turns media time into a moment of participation.
  • Feedback is immediate. You swing, you collect, you win. The loop is easy to understand and easy to repeat.

Steal this second-screen loop

Start with a single, unmistakable behavior the viewer can do in one second. Then use a reliable synchronization trigger (here, the ad’s audio) and a sensor input (here, the accelerometer) to connect the phone action to what happens on screen. This is the right level of interactivity for broadcast media: simple action, obvious timing, instant payoff.

  • One-second action. Choose a gesture the viewer can do immediately when the spot starts.
  • Reliable sync trigger. Use a broadcast-carried signal to trigger the experience, such as the ad’s audio.
  • Sensor validation. Use the phone sensor input to assess whether the action quality is good enough to “count”.
  • Immediate feedback. Keep the loop legible: swing, collect, win.

A few fast answers before you act

What is Coca-Cola “Chok Chok”?

It is a Coca-Cola Hong Kong mobile app that synchronizes with a TV ad and lets viewers swing their phones to collect on-screen bottle caps for prizes.

How did the app sync with the TV ad?

The app used the audio signal of the ad as the trigger, then aligned the on-screen moments with the user’s motion so “collection” happened at the right time.

What role did the accelerometer play?

The accelerometer assessed the quality of the swinging motion, helping determine whether the viewer “caught” the bottle caps virtually.

What is the main takeaway for interactive TV and second-screen work?

Make participation effortless, tie it to a tight timing window, and reward the action immediately so the viewer feels impact in the moment.

Kenco: Kenneth the Talking Vending Machine

Kenco Millicano’s whole bean instant coffee is positioned as the closest thing to a proper coffee from a vending machine. However, people often have negative perceptions about drinking instant coffee from a machine. So, to engage and excite people enough to consider swapping their coffee shop routine for a vending option, Kenco Millicano worked with its agency team on a talking vending machine. The voice for the machine was provided by comedian and voice actor Mark Oxtoby, who spent a whole day in Soho Square interacting with passers-by.

Similarly in Hong Kong, Levi’s worked with TBWA on a talking phone booth dubbed the “Levi’s Summer Hotline”. Inside the booth, two popular local radio hosts connected via video and challenged visitors to answer questions or do stunts. The crazier the stunt, the bigger the prize. The prize printed out in the booth like a receipt, and could be redeemed at nearby Levi’s stores. The activation was reported to have drawn more than half a million interactions over three days and to have driven a 30% sales uplift.

Two executions. One shared trick

Both ideas take a familiar street object. A vending machine. A phone booth. Then they add something people do not expect from an object like that. A voice, a challenge, a human response, and a reward that arrives immediately.

How the “talking interface” mechanic works

A “talking interface” is a familiar street object that responds with voice, turning a simple transaction into a short ask, response, reward loop.

  • Interrupt the script. People approach expecting a predictable transaction, then the unit talks back.
  • Create a small social contract. You do something simple or slightly brave, and the unit rewards you.
  • Turn participation into theatre. Bystanders can understand what is happening fast, and the crowd recruits the crowd.

In busy public places where attention is scarce, interactive installations win when the first five seconds are obvious and the payoff is immediate.

The real question is whether you can make a vending moment feel like a social interaction, not a compromise.

Why it lands

The “talking” element is not a gimmick. It flips an inanimate object into a social moment, which makes the interaction feel personal even when it is happening in public. That shift changes the emotional framing from “machine coffee” to “a quick story I was part of”. For brands, that is how you replace a negative perception without arguing about it.

Extractable takeaway: If you want people to try something they think they dislike, do not debate the product. Change the moment around the product so the first experience feels human, surprising, and worth retelling.

What these activations are really doing for the brands

Kenco’s machine makes “vending” feel warmer, and it makes the product choice feel less like compromise. Levi’s booth turns brand interaction into a game with a tangible receipt-style reward that pushes people towards a nearby store. Both installations are a conversion point and a content engine at the same time.

Steal this loop for street activations

  • Use a familiar object. Familiarity reduces explanation time and increases participation.
  • Make the first step low-risk. A small action opens the door to a bigger payoff.
  • Keep the loop short. Ask. Respond. Reward. Long flows die in public space.
  • Design for onlookers. The audience around the participant is the multiplier.
  • Make redemption effortless. If the reward requires extra effort later, participation drops.

Vending machines are one of my favourite formats for street-level innovation. I have featured plenty of them on Ramble. If you want to go deeper, browse the vending-machine archive.

A few fast answers before you act

What is a “talking vending machine” in marketing terms?

It is an interactive out-of-home installation where a vending unit uses live or scripted voice interaction to trigger participation, then delivers an immediate reward to reframe the product experience.

Why does “talking back” increase participation?

Because it breaks the expected script of a transaction. That surprise creates curiosity, and curiosity pulls people closer long enough for the reward loop to start.

What makes these ideas work in high-footfall locations?

They are instantly legible, fast to complete, and entertaining for bystanders. The environment supplies the amplification through crowd behaviour.

What is the biggest execution risk?

Throughput and reliability. If interactions slow down, misfire, or confuse people, the installation becomes friction, not fun.

How do you measure success beyond views?

Participation rate per hour, completion rate, average dwell time, sentiment, and whether the activation produces measurable trial or store redemption lift.

Listerine: Flipbook With Bad Breath

Bad breath is one of the most embarrassing issues for people when they socialize. Listerine decided to bring this experience to life with a flipbook that released a pungent onion scent.

To induce trials, a coupon was attached to the back of the flipbook and people could redeem it for a free Listerine bottle at nearby locations. Reported redemption rates reached 66%.

How the flipbook makes “bad breath” real

The mechanism is sensory contrast. By sensory contrast, the idea uses an unpleasant smell to make the problem felt before presenting relief. The flipbook invites curiosity, then the onion scent turns the message into a physical reaction rather than a line of copy. The coupon sits at the exact moment of discomfort, offering a clean, immediate next step.

In personal care and FMCG trial programs, multi-sensory sampling can convert awareness into action by making the problem visceral and the solution frictionless.

Why it lands

This works because it skips explanation and goes straight to feeling. The real question is whether the brand can make an invisible hygiene problem feel urgent without needing a long explanation. People do not need to be persuaded that bad breath is awkward. The scent creates instant empathy, and the coupon makes the brand’s role clear. This works because the unpleasant smell collapses the distance between message and felt need, so the offer lands exactly when the problem feels most real. It is not just “remember Listerine”. It is “fix this now”.

Extractable takeaway: If you can make an invisible problem tangible in seconds, you earn attention. When the solution is placed immediately at the point of reaction, trial becomes the natural next move.

What to steal from this trial mechanic

  • Use one sensory punch: pick a single sense and make the idea unmistakable, not subtle.
  • Place the offer at peak relevance: the call to action should appear exactly when the user feels the problem.
  • Keep the conversion step simple: a clear redemption path beats a complex signup flow.
  • Design for public reaction: when people react visibly, the activation creates its own distribution.
  • Measure beyond reach: redemption and repeat behavior are the real KPIs, not just views.

A few fast answers before you act

What is the Listerine “flipbook with bad breath” activation?

It is a flipbook handout infused with an onion scent to simulate bad breath, paired with a coupon for a free bottle to drive trial.

Why add scent instead of just showing a message?

Scent turns an abstract problem into an immediate, physical experience. That speed is what makes the idea memorable and shareable.

What role does the coupon play?

It converts the reaction into a next step. The coupon makes the solution actionable at the exact moment people feel the discomfort.

Is the 66% redemption figure reliable?

It is reported in trade coverage. If you need it as a hard metric, keep it but treat it as reported unless you have the primary source.

Where does this pattern work best?

When the product solves a problem people already recognize, and when you can make the problem instantly tangible without crossing into humiliation or offense.