ASIA-PACIFIC – SOUTH ASIA, MAY 22, 2013 – Warring South Asian neighbors Indians and Pakistanis were treated to a moment of unity through Coca-Cola’s Small World Machines, the soda giant’s latest efforts into channeling "happiness without borders".
"It saddens me that we have this neighbor that we can’t even visit." Probably the best way (one out of many) to describe the relationship between the two nations separated by 60 years of historical and political tension.
In March, Leo Burnett Sydney set out two Coca-Cola vending machines to a shopping mall in Lahore, Pakistan and another in New Delhi, India. The machines came with touch-activated 3D screens that simultaneously streamed video feed from the other venue to capture live emotional exchange between people from both countries.
Spectators were encouraged to complete friendly tasks together – wave, touch hands, draw a peace sign or dance – before sharing a Coca-Cola. Filming went on for nearly 10 hours and more than 100 interactions captured.
“The people of Pakistan and India share a lot of common passions and interests – from food and Bollywood movies, to Coke Studio music, to cricket,” said Saad Pall, Coke’s assistant brand manager in Pakistan. “What this project did was connect people who are not exposed to each other on a daily basis, enabling the common man in Lahore to see and interact with the common man in Delhi. It’s a small step we hope will signal what’s possible.”
Wasim Basir, integrated marketing communications (IMC) director, Coca-Cola India, added: “We wondered what would happen if people from these two countries came together, and the answer was clear: goodness and happiness." (source: Coke’s blog)
