Things We Like: Coca-Cola’s FOMO Buster
Imagine this: A robot that takes your place when you are unable to join a party. Sounds like a science fiction movie right? Think again.
The annual Coca-Cola’s Summer Festival is the social highlight of many Israeli teenager’s years and an event not to be missed. But what about the unfortunate souls who are not able make it to the fun-filled summer bonanza?
As part of its ‘Summer of Love’ festival, Coca-Cola has unveiled the Social Robot.
“The special robots carried webcams and microphones and were controlled by users who couldn’t physically be there. Users could control of the robots and navigate them around the campus – talk with their friends, watch the shows, participate in the competitions and be part of the experience. The robots were a hit among the teens – they welcomed them to the camp, danced with them, sunbathed with them and surprised them. They became the stars of the show, as well as media magnets. But most importantly, they allowed everyone to share and be part of the experience”
Although some of the situations for the robots are fairly implausible – e.g. robot sunbathing (!?)
What we like most about the campaign is that it allows teens to experience the event without leaving the comfort of their homes and uses the brand to trigger a user’s vicarious experience.
The beautiful thing about this kind of technology is it directly addresses that particular human fear of missing out and enables us the luxury to stay connected with the outside world in a new and engaging way. No more FOMO! #result
