Winners & Shortlists

RETURN TO SANTA

Short List
TitleRETURN TO SANTA
BrandCOCA-COLA GERMANY
Product/ServiceCOCA-COLA MINI CAN 0.15L
Category A04. USE OF AMBIENT MEDIA: SMALL SCALE
Entrant Company OGILVY GERMANY Frankfurt, GERMANY
Advertising Agency OGILVY GERMANY Frankfurt, GERMANY
Credits
Name Company Position
Dr. Stephan Vogel Ogilvy Germany Chief Creative Officer
Uwe Jakob/Matthias Storath/Tim Stuebane/Birgit Van Den Valentyn Ogilvy Germany Executive Creative Director
Uwe Jakob/Johannes Jost/Oliver Tschernick/Collja Lorig/Klaus/Martin Michaelis Ogilvy Germany Art Director
Carlos Pabon/Sebastian Kraus Ogilvy Germany Copywriter
Stephen Kimpel Ogilvy Germany Account Management
Georg Ilse Ogilvy Germany Angency Producer
Chimney Deutschland Gmbh/Co.kg Chimney Deutschland Gmbh/Co.kg Post Production
Willem Grobler/Jenny Pack Chimney) Mirko Schernickau Bpf) Chimney Deutschland/Black Pearl Film Director
Jeremy Nagele Chimney) Rafal Grochowski Bpf) Chimney Deutschland/Black Pearl Film Editor
Timo Wolf/Alexander Broenner Chimney) Alexandra Franzke/Martin Urban Bpf) Chimney Deutschland/Black Pearl Film Film Producer
Andy Stein/Oliver Brandt Chimney Deutschland Gmbh Dop Lighting Cameraman
Kaczmarek/Ixme Aydiho Chimney) Kaczmarek/Fashion Art Kids Bpf) Chimney Deutschland Gmbh/Co.kg Casting
Jan Stuermer/Stephan Moritz Kaiser Music/MOKOH Music Gmbh Music Production
Lars Kellner Ogilvy Germany Music/Sound
Jens Steffen Ogilvy Germany Digital Artist/Multimedia
Michael Longerich/Klaus Martin Michaelis Ogilvy Germany Designer
Sebastian Kraus/Collja Lorig/Jens Steffen Ogilvy Germany Idea
Ralf Zimmermann Ogilvy Germany Programming
Michael Longerich/Klaus Martin Michaelis Ogilvy Germany Animation
Michael Willeke/Philip Hartmann/Michael Schwarz/Berit Leune Coca Cola Gmbh Advertiser's Supervisor

Results and Effectiveness

RETURN TO SANTA was a big success in Germany. Within one month the promotion led to a significant rise in sales of Coca-Cola bottles. 104,285 participants sent in their wishes for friends, families and strangers. The most heart-warming ones were fulfilled right in time and were documented by camera to spread happiness all across Germany.

Creative Execution

Instead of buying expensive media we used something people have a thousand times a day in their hands: the product itself. The Coke bottles were turned into a wishlist and became the communication and response element. Furthermore we claimed a new media channel: bottle recycling machines in German supermarkets. Making a whole recycling system the communication vehicle for the campaign. It didn't matter which drink people prefer, they could take part in the promotion when returning their bottles. Without big media spending Coca-Cola became one of the most prominent brand in German supermarkets around Christmas.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

The objective was to create a Christmas promotion that encouraged sales and brand image. Together with German families it should spread happiness and the spirit of Christmas across the country. Therefore we reinvented an old tradition and proved: no one has a better connection to Santa than the brand that once invented him. Insight: Every year millions of letters addressed to Santa never arrive, simply because the post office doesn't know where Santa lives. But Coca-Cola does. So we turned the Coke-bottle into a Christmas wishlist and used the typical machines of the German bottle recycling system as Santa's mailbox. Each Coke label invited people to make a wish for someone else and return the bottle to a bottle recycling machine. Inside the machine, the labels were scanned and sent to the Coke website - where senders saw when Santa received the wishes and fulfilled the loveliest ones.