Australian teenagers weren’t drinking Coke. In fact, 64% of teens hadn’t drunk a Coke in the past month.

To re-engage teens, we tapped into a rich insight: that teens love to escape into their own little world, away from parents and adults.

So last summer, we gave them such a world.

We created a campaign that you – as an adult – wouldn’t even know about.

We launched a range of six limited-edition coloured Coke cans.

But there was more behind it than colourful cans.

By using a call to action (#colouryoursummer) printed on the cans and placed subtly within our advertising – teens discovered the cans were actually codes.

Through world-first mobile image recognition technology, the codes unlocked a hidden world full of games, content, and unique experiences including real-world activations.

Over the summer months of 2014 / 15 (November – February) Coke, for the first time in 127 years, shed its iconic red, launching our new 250ml can in a five vibrant limited edition colours.

However, to really engage teens, we utilised something we learnt: teens love to discover things. So we created a campaign for them to discover.

By using the hashtag (#colouryoursummer) on the cans, and subtlety within our comms, teens discovered this was more than just a coloured cans campaign. They discovered the cans were actually . . . codes.

Through world-first mobile image recognition technology, teens used our advertising, and the cans, to discover a hidden world full of unique experiences:

· 125 mobile games

· Over 70 pieces of branded content

· Access to the world’s hottest celebrities

· Real-world activations

· Over 7,000 prizes and rewards

And, as planned we never said a word about the codes . . .

The coloured cans became the summer’s must-have item.

8.75 million cans were sold - 27% above forecast.

Teen consumption increased by a staggering 7% points across the campaign period (Sept 2014 –Feb 2015).

838,428 unique codes were unlocked – 838% above target.

We had over 47.2 million earned impressions on social media.

Over 91% of teens engaged with the campaign on Facebook.

By giving them access to a world full of colour, teens were once again drinking Coke.