Coca-Cola’s Biggest Vending Machine is FAKE

Every single time I watched this Coca Cola's vending machine videos and I basically dreamed to be a participant at least in one or in a flashmob!

And then... on 31st of August I saw these news - "To celebrate London 2012 the company has created a larger-than-life vending machine that gives out free Coke" and the video:

And since I live in London I basically wanted to cry as I thought how did I miss this? This was my dream and I just should have heard about something like this! And then I started exploring...and I got deeply disappointed in Coca Cola as I realised that (well, at least this one) these Coca Cola 'happiness' vending machines are.... FAKE!




First of all, I found out that 'this' biggest vending machine was located in Brick Lane (its a street). On saturday I went exploring (the video went live on friday). I did not see anything like this... Well, maybe I have missed this I thought...

Then I discovered that Coca Cola have created a website and this video was a promotional video - that something soon will come up. I hoped this WILL BE IT. The vending machine will go live on Monday and they'll reaaaally give out free Coke's! But... NO!

At midnight I checked the website and it did not work :)
I checked it in the morning and discovered that this the whole thing was just to give out free Coca Cola bottles - but in order to do this every person needed to be located in the UK and can claim only 1 bottle.

But I decided to explore facebook - and there are a massive amount of complaints! People complain that they can't redeem their vouchers! People from Northern Ireland also complain that they cannot get their free bottles - you only need to be located in the UK island.

What did Coca Cola do? How did they manage all these complaints?
Well I can say that they are pretty bad at it. So many people wrote comments.... they are really bad and slow at replies and the only thing they (Coca Cola or the marketing people) did - replied not even with the personalised messages, but with the standardised ones! Such a shame...

Well obviously they have extended their offer. But what's the point? It is easier to buy a Coke rather get it for free. But if they had really done the 'vending machine' stuff - that would have been a stunning event! The same buzz around the brand, but just thousand less complaints than they got now to deal with...


So they have created this video, they created the buzz and expectations about the massive vending machine... and so what? People complain and complain and complain. In my opinion, promotion failed. Obviously it has created a massive amount of buzz - but what's the point? Everyone already knows about Coca Cola! I exptected to be a participant and really see the vending machine in action FINALLY! But no, it appeared that the vending machine video was...fake. They just created it to promote a new promotion! They probably hired these people to participate and they faked it... Well just the whole fact that they faked it made me disappoint in Coca Cola.
It is the same like kids believing in Santa - I believed that Coca Cola is really good at promotions and it really 'creates happiness' and now I realised that they fake this happines..

To be honest, I do not drink Coca Cola. I do not drink Fanta or Sprite either but I loved their marketing campaigns. And now I do not. I am truely truely disappointed.


You know I just felt like I just needed to write this post.