![How Coca-Cola Created Its "Happiness Machine" [INTERVIEW]](https://helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/archives/06mqZ8koqFmdvnmz5mws0sm/hero-image.fill.size_1248x702.v1647018832.jpg)
Q: After Coke approved the "Happiness Machine," what was the next step? How did the idea shape into a real experience?
Brustein: Coke’s goal was to create an organic experience. Other than the janitor loading the machine, nothing was scripted. If the video had been scripted, it wouldn’t have had the same effect. The girl mouthing “Oh My God,” students helping each other lift the huge sub, hugging the Coke machine -- these true moments are what gave the video life.
Q: How did you create an organic reaction?
Iannacchino: Coke wanted the machine to be magical but didn’t want to reveal the secret behind the magic. To accomplish this we had to show it was a normal Coke machine. The janitor unlocked the machine leaving the door wide open while he loaded bottles of Coke inside. This created a misdirect for the audience, leaving everyone to believe the machine was authentic. Setting up the scene this way helped create an organic reaction which relayed the magic of the brand.
Q: People may think the success of this video was due to Coke giving away free stuff to college students. Do you believe this is true?
Iannacchino: We would argue that it was the element of surprise, not that somebody got animal balloons or two Cokes instead of one. What Coke really gave away was a sense of happiness which created an emotional connection with the brand. Students involved in this video were caught up in their everyday lives, and this little moment touched them. We used free stuff to surprise people but what we gave away was happiness and a smile. The key is engagement, whether you were there or just watching, free stuff was just the catalyst.
McClay: Giving away free stuff wasn’t what resonated with the audience at the end of the day. After doing testing we found it was the students’ expressions of happiness and the way they reacted that people enjoyed. You can film people being given free stuff all day long and it will fall flat on the audience. The way people react is what matters.
3 Tips for Executing your Idea
Simplicity and starting with a great idea is the key. You have to get it out of your head that if you make it they will watch it, Iannacchino said.
Brainstorm. Once your team feels strongly about an idea, challenge one another to make it better. You can always improve the idea up until the day you shoot, Iannacchino added.
Where you have a wide dispersed team it’s important for everyone to be looped in, briefed and approving things through the entire process so there is always forward momentum with positive energy, McClay said.
Putting it all Together
Q: How did you put it all together?
Iannacchino: The first thirty days we ramped up into production. The web video was set to launch January 1, 2010 and we began shooting in early December. We took a working Coke vending machine and re-built it to do the things we wanted it to. There wasn't a big budget for this project -- mostly sweat equity.
Q: How did you pick the location?
Iannacchino: Location was key. We had to find a space that was entrenched in Coke’s demographic. We knew we wanted a college campus but it couldn’t be just any campus. The college we picked had to be Coke affiliated, on board with our idea with heavy foot traffic by students and have a space that would allow for the important element of secrecy.
St. John’s University ended up being the perfect location. We built a secret room in their cafeteria over a weekend so it looked like construction to the students. Because we did it this way no one asked any questions.
Q: What were some of the challenges you faced?
Iannacchino: Going back and tweaking the story, finding the perfect location, and building of the actual "Happiness Machine." Lots of things didn’t work but that was okay. Imagine a eight by fifteen foot room for two days, with five cameras, planning for the worst and hoping for the best!
SECRET: The sub -- we only had one, so there was one shot to get it right. The giant sub ended up being the item that punctuated the story.
2 Tips for Putting it All Together
Technology and digital space, as well as equipment, are cheap and accessible. Use this to your advantage, Iannacchino said.
Be invested in your idea. Plan and prepare to execute your video well, Iannacchino added.
Getting It to Go Viral
Q: How much did Coke spend to promote the video?
Brustein: Coke spent zero on promoting "The Happiness Machine." One status update was posted on Coke’s Facebook Page, one tweet and that was it. Within a day the video was picked up by bloggers and it spread from there. Of course we could have bought views but the experiment succeeded without any promotion.
Q: What was the process to get the video to go viral?
Iannacchino: We uploaded the web video to Coke’s YouTube channel on day one. The video then moved through the advertising trades before it picked up steam with consumers. In the first five days there were seven hundred thousand visits and in the first week one million. It hit the top of the viral video chart that week.
Q: Why do you think "The Happiness Machine" video went viral?
McClay: Something being viral wasn’t the strategy, but instead it was a possible outcome. The strategy was to produce great creative content that resonated and wasn’t a hard hitting commercial. We wanted it to have pass-along value and never intended to seed it with paid dollars. It was all about the exercise of producing creative video for online distribution. We aimed for something the audience would use and enjoy.
Q: How can other brands increase web video distribution?
McClay: Several tactical things need to be accomplished in order to get distribution. Getting bloggers to post about your video, tweets and Facebook mentions are just a few ways. But the big spikes happen when the video hits the homepage of YouTube or Yahoo.
Getting featured comes down to whether your video is creative, which is dependent upon the perception of the decision makers. The number of views is also critical. If you can create pass-along value it will increase your views. People like to share humor. When something makes me laugh, I think my friend will laugh too.
2 Tips for Getting a Video to Go Viral
Spreadable video is important; put the same effort into your creative ideation as you would a television commercial and you will produce some amazing content. Don't think small because the aspect ratio is, Iannacchino said. Push creative boundaries.
If your strategy is to go viral from the outset, then it's likely to fail, McClay said.
Conclusion
The key ingredients, as always, are imagination and hard work. Both Coke and Definition 6 put an enormous amount of creativity, time and energy into "The Happiness Machine.” “One thing to take a way is that it wasn’t a fluke," Iannacchino said. "A lot of work went into it.”
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