Just as Deepika Padukone’s fans were startled by her Hollywood debut film xXx: Return of Xander Cage, the new Coke ad called the ‘Elevator’ goes viral on the internet.
The video that was released on Wednesday hit close to a million views in 24 hours.
This advertisement features one of Coca-Cola’s biggest brand ambassadors while the plot highlights the importance of Coke in breaking the ice between a celebrity and their fan stranded in a stuck elevator.
Made by advertising agency McCann India, it highlights Coke as a catalyst of social bonding. The ad is also a local edition of Coke’s global campaign.
The ad starts with Deepika trying to escape from the uncontrollable madness of her fans outside a hotel and taking an elevator which suddenly breaks down. A room service attendant also happens to be stuck in the same elevator and is clearly elated! But just as things are getting awkward between the two in the closed lift, Coca-Cola comes in for some relief as the duo dance their hearts out to a peppy track that Deepika was listening to. The ad aims to show that Coke helps smashing barriers and lets loose the latent carefree spirit in you.
“While the countries and places may differ, the simple pleasure of enjoying a Coke remains universal. The ad is truly enjoyable due to celebrity quotient of Deepika Padukone, upbeat music, great storytelling and a positive message that no matter what you do, you can always bond over Coca-Cola,” said Debabrata Mukherjee, vice-president – marketing, Coca-Cola India.
Notably, Coca-Cola India which has worked with Sidharth Malhotra, Alia Bhatt and Farhan Akhtar in the past is currently working with only brand ambassadors – Padukone and Diljit Dosanjh. Apart from television and digital, the campaign will be followed by a pilot run of the on-ground consumer engagement activities leveraging 3D hologram technology. The company is also running a campaign where fans will get to meet their favourite stars.
Coca-Cola India has launched the campaign with Padukone after a gap of almost 6 months. The last campaign from the company featuring the actor was around ‘mehman nawaazi’ during the festive season. It also featured another Bollywood actor, Renuka Shahane.
Prasoon Joshi, chairman Asia Pacific, chief executive and chief creative officer – India, McCann said “The new Coca-Cola ‘Elevator’ campaign captures a tale of togetherness between total strangers. The brand breaks the ice and makes the connection between the celebrity and the awe-struck fan special. The choice of music and dance make the film truly enjoyable.”
Interestingly, this campaign comes soon after Coca-Cola’s first major tagline shift in January 2016 to ‘Taste the Feeling’ from its seven-year-old tagline ‘Open Happiness’.
