- Coca-Cola tapped Hollywood talent behind and in front of the camera for a pair of Christmas-themed short movies entitled “The Santa Stories,” per an organization blog post.
- “The Note” is directed by Bryce Dallas Howard and stars Colm Meaney as a “scrooge-like protagonist,” while “Ho Ho Heist” is a vacation thriller directed by Steven Caple Jr. that stars Octavia Spencer and Scoot McNairy. A 30-second trailer ad showcases each.
- “The Santa Stories” can be found on Prime Video via Prime Video Direct, Amazon Freevee and the brand’s YouTube channel. The branded content is the newest element of a vacation campaign that has revolved around digital experiences and artificial intelligence.
Coca-Cola is boosting its Santa-heavy Christmas campaign with a pair of short movies that elevate branded content and storytelling. The beverage giant released its first branded entertainment series last Christmas, and the newest iteration allows Coke to maneuver beyond traditional brand-focused promoting.
“The iconic Coke bottle is an element of the narrative, not a product placement,” said Islam ElDessouky, the brand’s global head of creative strategy and content, within the post. “If you are taking the Coke bottle out of the story, there is no such thing as a story.”
The 14-minute short “Ho Ho Heist” is an L.A.-based heist film that sees St. Nick arrested alongside a crew of Santa-styled thieves. It stars Oscar-winner Spencer and was helmed by “Creed II” director Caple Jr. The more traditional “The Note” is a 10-minute Christmas fable starring veteran Irish actor Meaney as a bitter man whose faith is restored by a message in a Coke bottle.
The digital content was released on quite a lot of ad-supported channels, including Amazon’s Freevee and Coke’s YouTube channel, that remain popular with cord-cutting consumers. The project relied on a co-creation model that upped the brand’s storytelling by working alongside actors, directors and other professionals known for blockbuster movies.
“It’s one thing to have Octavia Spencer in a 30-second industrial, but a totally different ballgame to work along with her on a brief film where she’s in her natural element. She’s playing a personality and representing certain values, which is super wealthy as a brand to tap into,” ElDessouky said.
“The Santa Stories” are the newest element of the brand’s holiday campaign, “The World Needs More Santas.” Launched last month in greater than 80 markets worldwide, the hassle featured a latest ad alongside digital and experiential elements. Coke then expanded its generative AI-fueled “Create Real Magic” platform to permit consumers to design digital holiday cards with its brand assets.
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