How could the life of Manuel Neuer – goalkeeper of Germany´s national soccer team and FC Bayern Munich – look like, if he hadn´t tried to become a professional goalkeeper? The film takes us through a day in the life of software-tester Manuel Neuer, who explains via interview style what he does in his job and life. No doubt he is happy, but there are moments when he thinks back at when he was goalkeeper in a local soccer team. Leading to a self-reflecting question: “What, if I had really tried to become a professional goalkeeper?!”

The video was seeded on Youtube, Twitter and Facebook all at the same time and spread organically to other websites and web-magazines through shares and postings by fans and professionals like sports editors or celebrities.

• Date Range Youtube: 07.09.-27.09.15; 4,3 Mio Views

• 6.2 MIO views in total (82% Youtube, the rest via Facebook and other platforms)

• 2nd best performing Coke Zero content piece on a global level (although only published in Germany) after Coke Zero Bond viral 2012

• Several unpaid TV features on German Television outstanding positive sentiment ration of 88% with a high engagement rate and users commenting the film in a very positive way

• YouTube comments like „The best film since ever!“ or „That’s how advertising should be!“.

• Experts like 11 Freunde (soccer magazine), Sportbild (sports magazine) and Handelsblatt (economy magazine) quoted and shared the film.

• Comedy shows even produced parodies, where Neuer was replaced by Hitler, Kim Jong-il or Darth Vader.

The film turned out to be unskippable. The scenery we situated Manuel Neuer in was so unusal that it captivated and fascinated viewers through it’s whole 2 minutes 30 seconds.

We created an entertaining, original piece that naturally integrated the brand message and left the viewer with the feeling of having seen not an ad, but a documentary, that showed a new side of the very famous and unsually unaccessable sports person Manuel Neuer.

The film was culturally relevant, because everyone of us knows that moment when you ask yourself: What if I had tried? Where would I be now?

The strategy for the film tackles the problem market research showed: people didn’t believe that Coke Zero actually tastes like real Coca-Cola. To get people to try it for the first time and bind them to the brand we came up with the campaign motto: „You gotta try to experience what´s possible“ and showed everyone why in our online film.

Manuel Neuer was a perfect fit for that strategy, because he acutally tried hard to become a professional goal keeper from the age of 5 on. And still tries everyday to become better.

Market research showed that people didn’t believe that Coke Zero actually tastes like real Coca-Cola. But the ones who tried it liked it so much, that they kept buying it. So our goal was to get new customers to try the product for the first time and turn them into new regular consumers.

Why Manuel Neuer? In 2012 we gave Coke Zero a new asset to seperate it from other light products that were all targeted to women. Together with the client we decided on soccer and Neuer became our testimonial. Since then we’re writing the Coke Zero story together.