Coca-Cola's GPS Campaign Takes Advertising to New Heights

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May 12

Pop-Top: Coke Can Goes GPS

Talk about your "can do" spirit. The sky's the limit for Coca-Cola this summer.

As part of the soft drink firm's Unexpected Summer ad campaign, specially designed Coke cans feature a Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite transponder and cell phone.

Winners who find one of these cans press a button to activate it, volunteer to participate and then have the grand prize delivered to them wherever they are.

The high-tech cans feature specially designed graphics and a recessed panel with buttons that, when pressed, activate the GPS technology and cellular phone. The inside of each winning can is configured with a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card that enables the can to serve as a cell phone that works in conjunction with the GPS transponder.

Between May 17th and July 12th, more than 100 GPS cans of Coca-Cola will be available across the U.S. in specially marked 12, 18, 20, or 24-packs of Coca-Cola (classic, caffeine free Coke, cherry Coke and Vanilla Coke).

A winning U.S. Coke connoisseur could snag an all-new 2005 Chevy Equinox, home entertainment system, cash, or any number of additional grand prizes.

"It's a consumer promotion for the 21st century," explains Coca-Cola.


this is gunna be crazy!!!

i cant believe this, the future is NOW!!!

Exellent marketing ploy. Not all of us are ancient, should appeal to the kids nicely.

Is there actually any coke in the can, with all that technology and batteries I wonder...

I dont speak German so I can't confirm this but it looks legit. This is S C A R Y. I'm not sure I would want to be officially tracked down w/ in 50 feet by a nationwide adverstising venture and one of the largest corporations even if it wasn't.

www.coke-gps.com... Unexpected Summer

I like Coke........I would like to win something from them.......to regain a potion of the money they have gotten from me.....I SWEAR that stuff is addictive!

Yeah... That's probably why we are still up too! lol

they shouldve made it so the button etc was hidden and that if you open the can the GPS is automatically activated.

um so what do you win??

You Win a Chevrolet Equinox or one of many "other" prizes. If they would've done that they would've been sued by the stupid people that accidentally drank the GPS transmitter. lol.

There is no Coke in the can.....try to find a lite pack.

coca cola actually ran a similar promotion in Australia last year.

here's an excerpt from an article about it

Purchasers of winning bottles have been amazed to discover their bottle of Coke actually has a GPS phone hidden inside.

Winners know instantly if they have won when they open the bottle�instructions pop out telling the winner what to do next. They are then instructed to pull off the label and unscrew the bottle into two halves which reveals a Benefon GPS mobile phone.

Once it is turned on a phone call is automatically made to �Thrill Seeker HQ�.

The phone uses a GPS and Benefon Software tracking system where winners can be pinpointed to their exact location. The Thrill Seeker team is immediately dispatched to locate the winner and deliver their prize package if they are in a metropolitan area.

�Currently, SMS is the technological leader in consumer interaction, but Coca-Cola wanted to go one major step further by instantly interacting with consumers via GPS,� Coca-Cola Australia public affairs and communications manager Joanna Ryan said.

�GPS not only enables quick prize delivery as well as incorporates a hi-tech promotional mechanic that appeals to the target audience which is males 18�30.�

Ryan said the combination of satellite and digital technology had never been used before in a consumer promotion in the world.

The bottles have been specially designed to make sure they look and weigh exactly the same as a normal bottle.

next they are going to be putting the same gps capability in all cans and other items and tracking the whereabouts and actvities of their customers....its just the beginning of all of this and its only going to get worse imo