Younger generations have grown increasingly apathetic towards the soft drinks category. In the past 15 years, soft drink consumption declined by 60% for teenagers (Food Institute, 2023). Without the same nostalgic memories or emotional attachment previous generations have had to soft drinks, it was important for us to celebrate our shared values around authentic human connection, and what that means today.

We are living in an era where we have a million so-called ‘friends’, but spend less and less time connecting with the people who really matter. Indeed, 73% of Gen-Z report feeling alone sometimes or always (Forbes, 2023). With much of Gen Z’s lives lived online, the real magic of moments in person together can feel few and far between. We wanted to drive affinity and enforce the role we play in celebrating everyday moments of real shared connection by putting their connection over the perfection of our product.

The ‘Spills’ campaign relied entirely on capturing the perfect moment when emotion is at its peak and our Coca-Cola is spilling out of its bottle. To do so, we took hundreds of photos as we were shooting our films, ensuring that what we capture is always active and filled with emotion. As such, no shot was posed. From the woman’s skirt to the spill itself, each element had to feel like it was in motion to evoke the sheer love felt by our couple. Through this technique, our final composition required no edits to the movement, emotion, or even the spill itself — except for color, each of these elements are presented as it was captured.

As ‘Spills’ was launched recently, results are now starting to roll in. During its inaugural week in the United States, ‘Spills’ ignited a wave of interest among Gen Z, making a lasting impression across digital and physical landscapes. Impressively, our films achieved an average completion rate of over 85%. Our digital OOH presence in bustling New York City streets garnered over 111,300 impressions, while Boston experienced an impact with 198,646 impressions. Across the Atlantic in Brazil, ‘Spills’ gathered 2,664,561 impressions, reaching 1,875,673 people.

As the campaign continues to impact people, ‘Spills’ has already proved its global resonance, setting the stage for a powerful narrative that transforms the negative perception of a spilled Coke into a celebration of love, captivating audiences worldwide.