Divided by decades of conflict, including 3 major wars, the border between India and Pakistan was the backdrop of a unique experiment by Coca-Cola to bring to life its new global strategy ‘Crazy for Good.’

The aim was to prove that a moment of happiness has the power to bring the whole world closer together.

To do this Coca-Cola commissioned the development of a never-before-seen innovation that would connect the two troubled nations like never before: Small World Machines.

Equipped with groundbreaking touchscreens invented for the campaign, the machines opened a portal between the countries, allowing people, for the very first time, to connect eye to eye while physically interacting.

Sending messages of peace, love and happiness, participants were rewarded with bespoke Coca-Cola cans featuring the languages of both countries.

To achieve all this required the overcoming of incredible obstacles. First there was the invention of the technology, which took 12 months. Then there were the 2 countries themselves. Permanent political tensions mean internet traffic between them is often nonexistent. Electricity blackouts are common. Internet speeds are slow. And conflict meant the first attempt to connect had to be aborted.

In short, the project was nearly impossible. But the lure of success was irresistible. Nothing like it had ever been achieved by a brand. But if any brand was meant to make it happen, it was Coca-Cola, the brand that stands for shared happiness.

The connection would be a story the whole world would hear and share.

The project was 12 months in the making due to the difficulty of creating the technology that had never existed before. It began with an online teaser, hinting that something unique was coming to India and Pakistan.

Because of the politics of the region it took two attempts to bring the experience to fruition, the first attempt being aborted due to political turmoil.

Nevertheless, we persisted, drawing people to the event through posters and social media.

Eventually, and just before more political unrest, the machines were turned on. For 3 days, over 600 people put aside their differences and made a friend across the border.

Over 700 people put aside their differences and interacted with the machines. Over 10,000 cans were claimed.

Small World Machines were developed over 12 months, culminating in a live event in March 2013. They are ready to be deployed in other countries. Newer versions could access more than two countries at once, users choosing which country they stream. The number of countries could increase to as many as 6-8 at a time.

The teaser film released in December 2012 gained immediate traction. Articles appeared in sources as varied as Fast Company, Co.Create, PSFK, The Economic Times and AdAge.

The live activation began an intense wave of social media dialogue. Additional blog and news coverage spread as far as Japan, Spain, Brasil, Venezuela, Paraguay, Mexico, Russia and Germany. The final film launched in April 2013 will be accompanied by a global PR strategy covering every Coca-Cola market.

Coca-Cola Small World Machines was activated as a three-day live event between the people of Lahore, Pakistan and New Delhi, India during March 19-21, 2013.

During the event over 10,000 attendees put aside their differences and became part of the experience, creating over 700 connections across the border.

What started as a live event in two countries, has just been released as a film on YouTube, accompanied by a global PR campaign covering every market around the world where Coca-Cola is sold.

Immediately upon launch it has been shared around the world by the public on social media and on news websites.

Here is what’s happened so far:

• 58,163,753 TOTAL EARNED MEDIA IMPRESSIONS

• 18,535,132 TOTAL REACH across Facebook and Twitter.

• 4860 UNIQUE MENTIONS online from news websites, TV broadcasts, blogs and forums.

• 25% INCREASE in worldwide mentions of Coke or Coca-Cola within Tweets.

• Trending in the Top 10 on both YouTube and Twitter.

• Broke a traffic record by 2x at coca-colacompany.com at an average of 5.5mins spent on site.

• Pakistanis & Indians spent most time on site with 9:33mins and 7:38mins respectively.

• Highest shared story in history from coca-colacompany.com by over 500%

And most importantly over 55% of total reach came from India and Pakistan, showing that the social discussion of togetherness and peace is happening with the right people.

1.4 million YouTube views and counting.

Coca-Cola is now planning the next stage of Small World Machines, with locations like Israel and Egypt currently on the table.