Coca-Cola seeks to bring back togetherness to meals

Timed around the festive season, Coca-Cola's new campaign seeks to revive the culture of people eating together.

Prasoon Joshi, president of McCann Worldgroup South Asia, the agency behind the campaign, said, "Because of modern day situations, such as eating in office or being distracted by phones, people are not eating together anymore. By taking up this cause, Coca-Cola is aiming to propagate a culture of eating together and bringing back the sanctity of the dining table, which will eventually reflect on Coke's image in the country."

The ad consists of various 'slice of life' moments: such as a mother inviting her son's friend to stay over for dinner after they finish studying; a father distracting his children from an argument by offering one of the kids a Coke, and a family pulling the leg of their son who has shaved for the first time. The ad ends on the note, ‘Saath khao, khushiyaan badhao’.

On the creative execution, Joshi added, "The film has been candidly shot by Ram (Madhvani). The casting too was of 'everyday' kind of people."

Anupama Ahluwalia, vice president - marketing, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, said, “Today’s fast lives are stealing away what could be moments of bonding and togetherness; through the ‘Coca-Cola and Meals campaign’ we are urging consumers to bring togetherness to the meal occasion which seems to be fast disappearing due to modern day pressures.”

The campaign will be a 360-degree one, and the strategy won't be 'in your face', according to Joshi. One part of it will be an on-ground activation with chef Sanjeev Kapoor. Coca-Cola will also be rolling out a campus programme based on the premise, ‘Happiness strikes where you’d least expect it’. This activation will involve mothers paying a surprise visit to certain campuses and cooking for the students. The brand also plans to introduce a 'Happiness Camera' that will click photos of people sharing a meal with their family and loved ones at restaurants.

Credits:

Client: Coca-Cola India
Creative agency: McCann Worldgroup
Creative team: Prasoon Joshi, Rahul Mathew, Akshay Kapnadak
Production house: Equinox Films
Director: Ram Madhvani
Music: Shantanu Moitra