A BOTTLE LOVE STORY

TitleA BOTTLE LOVE STORY
BrandTHE COCA-COLA COMPANY
Product/ServiceTHE COCA-COLA COMPANY
Category A01. Food & Drink
Entrant OGILVY GERMANY Frankfurt, GERMANY
Idea Creation OGILVY GERMANY Frankfurt, GERMANY
Production MOVIEBRATS FILMS Berlin, GERMANY
Production 2 PAS DE DEUX Berlin, GERMANY
Production 3 STUDIO FUNK Berlin, GERMANY
Additional Company THE COCA-COLA COMPANY London, UNITED KINGDOM
Additional Company 2 COSMOPOLA Berlin, GERMANY
Credits
Name Company Position
Dr. Stephan Vogel Ogilvy Germany Chief Creative Officer
Tim Stuebane Ogilvy Germany Managing Director Creative
Felix Fenz Ogilvy Germany Executive Creative Director
Bjoern Kernspeckt Ogilvy Germany Creative Director
Bianca Heusch, Nataliia Benivska Ogilvy Germany Art Director
Malu Lara, Steve Hall Ogilvy Germany Copywriter
Simon Usifo Ogilvy Germany Managing Director/Head of Account Management
Max Brunner Ogilvy Germany Account Director
Georg Ilse Ogilvy Germany Agentur Producer
Franka Mai Ogilvy Germany Strategy
David Henning (TVC), Bjoern Dunne (making of/ Casefilm) MovieBrats Studios Film Producer
Cris Wiegandt COSMOPOLA ARTIST MANAGEMENT Director
David Henning COSMOPOLA ARTIST MANAGEMENT Avid/Editor
Lara Guedes, Lisa Faustmann, Lennart Stenzel COSMOPOLA ARTIST MANAGEMENT Visual Effects
Cris Wiegandt, Max Moertl, Andreas Dihm, Robert Loebl COSMOPOLA ARTIST MANAGEMENT Animation/ Innovative Technologie
Cris Wiegandt, Lacy Barry, Barbi Mlczoch COSMOPOLA ARTIST MANAGEMENT Performers/Artist
Kris Steininger Pas de Deux Music & Sound
Leonardo O’Grady, Yvette Lim-Pagnoux, Mariya Kutmanova, Christina Schwoerbel-Binn The Coca-Cola Company Advertister's Supervisor

Why is this work relevant for PR?

This is the first time in history The Coca-Cola Company’s ran a campaign to encourage recycling. The FIRST COMMERCIAL EVER BUILT ONLY FROM PET BOTTLES AND PACKAGING really caught people’s attention. This was mentioned in practically all the headlines the project generated. TCCC was praised - even by eco activists and alternative media - for encouraging recycling and for proving it with a film made from its own products. Furthermore, the brand’s efforts to reply to comments on social media and to keep up with the conversation was acknowledged even by those at first criticizing the brand.

Background

The Coca-Cola Company is the leader of its market also when it comes to investments towards recycling and sustainability. The company uses the highest amount of recycled material in its bottles in comparison to its competitors and only uses packaging that is 100% recyclable. On top of that, TCCC is replacing its PET bottles by Plant Bottles – biodegradable and environmentally friendly. Despite the brands efforts to restructure its system in a sustainable way, these facts were unknown by the public. As a top-of-mind beverage company, TCCC feels obliged to inform people of the possibilities of recycling and, furthermore, of the importance that each one of its consumers collaborating in order to the recycling process to happen by throwing the bottles in the right bin.

Describe the creative idea

We created a stop-motion film that tells the love story between two PET bottles that meet over and over again thanks to the recycling process. Against all odds of life and the way these “lovers” changed after being recycled (since a Coca-Cola bottle can become a Fanta or any other bottle) they always found each other and their love stayed the same. The actual highlight of the project is that it is the first commercial ever made entirely from recycled packaging of TCCC products. Without exceptions, all the elements of the film (dolls, bottles, props and background) everything was constructed from scratch from over 1,400 bottles and cans. For that, the craft team had to develop new techniques to not only sculpt with plastic and metal as to construct a complete moveable set with this material.

Describe the strategy

In Coca-Colas first mass-media campaign encouraging recycling we wanted to change the negative perceptions on TCCC purposefully contributing to plastic littering.Our aim was to increase the awareness that all bottles from TCCC are 100% recyclable, and that, if recycled correctly, can be reused. Therefor we created as the core of our PR campaign a film made entirely from recycled TCCC packaging to prove the fact that all TCCC packaging is 100% recyclable and can become something new. The film was first aired in UK’s most watched TV channel (Channel 4) in noble time. Followed by screenings in the movie theaters and online channels. Aside of the film, a making of helped to lift the discussion. In it, we exposed the techniques used to develop the craft and we gave voice to the artists. This way, our audience could hear about the possibilities of the material and the importance of recycling.

Describe the execution

To convey that recycling is possible and that it is in everybody’s hands, we chose to make the handcraft work noticeable. For that, we set our minds to make every single detail of the piece with recycled material and all the tools as well. In some of the pieces featured in the commercial one can’t really tell how it was made and on other pieces one can imagine how the material was transformed. The ad was aired in the most watched TV channel in the UK in noble time and in movie theaters as well. In social media with a proper paid media push it spread by itself. For that reason, it was possible to reach a big chunk of Great Britain (within 2 weeks, 69% of the population have watched the commercial).

List the results

Overall the campaign was very successful as research showed: Tier 1: The Past-Four-Week-Consumption increased by 21% (Coke: 85% (+12%), Fanta: 77% (+25%), Sprite: 61% (+27%)). The Purchase Intent increased strongly by 19% (Coke: 72% (+8%), Fanta: 66% (+24%), Sprite 60% (+24%)). Tier 2: + 86% Awareness that Coca-Cola cares about the environment + 59% Awareness that all packaging from Coca-Cola Company is recyclable