There have often been times where AdNut has been called out by humans for annoying chirping, and not just from caustic ad reviews.
We squirrels, you see, are partial to calling out any dangers and disturbances in our surroundings with some healthy chattering at significant decibels.
But few animal sounds meet the harshest levels of irritation as those of the guttural projections emitted by the fake rubber species of chicken curiously present in nearly all households, much to the delight of the young humans who squeeze them.
The sound resembles not a healthy chicken cluck by any means, but a sickening honk that suggests a fowl beast is in its final death throes.
Nonetheless, the perilous calls seem to bring an initial smile to human faces, at least for the first couple of honks, before annoyance sets in.
It’s this lighthearted moment that the folks at Coca-Cola with help from WPP Open X, led by VML, supported by Ogilvy and WPP Media are counting on to connect with Japanese consumers, in a bid to instill a thirst for Coke to be paired with their chicken meals.
The ‘Chicken Screams for Coke’ digital activation uses audio-recognition to detect if the rubber chicken’s haunting clucks sound like “Cocaaaa‑Colaaaa.” Those whose chickens get close enough are rewarded with a digital redemption for a free Coke at a vending machine.
“Chicken isn’t typically thought of as a Coke meal in Japan,” said Tish Condeno, senior director of the Coca‑Cola Trademark Category at Coca‑Cola Japan. “So instead of telling people otherwise, we looked for a playful way to make the connection feel natural. The rubber chicken is something people instantly recognize, and by turning its sound into ‘Coca ‑ Cola,’ we created a new association that’s fun, memorable, and easy to share.”
While Ad Nut recognises the campaign is just a bit of good fun, Ad Nut wonders whether using a dying bird sound will truly make consumers hunger for such a meal, whether those who get a free Coke will truly drink them while eating chicken, whether having to emit an annoying sound over and over again to win will truly be a fun experience and whether enough Japanese consumers will truly want to dig out their rubber chickens and pair them with their phones to get a Coke.
Ultimately, the success of the campaign will be determined by the level of participation, so Ad Nut can’t predetermine its effectiveness. And given the popularity of rubber chicken tunes, Ad Nut might once again be misjudging the lengths to which humans will go for a Coke and a smile.
