Who: Coca-Cola, with Taxi (as part of Open X) for strategy and creative; Untitled Films for production (directed by Tyler Williams); School and Fort York for post production; TA2 for audio; EssenceMediacom for media; and Weber Shandwick for PR.
What: “Balikbayan Magic,” branded boxes with prepaid shipping that overseas Filipino workers can fill with treats, snacks and other gifts to send back to their families and loved ones in the Philippines, a tradition known as Balikbayan.
What: “Balikbayan Magic,” branded boxes with prepaid shipping that overseas Filipino workers can fill with treats, snacks and other gifts to send back to their families and loved ones in the Philippines, a tradition known as Balikbayan.
When & Where: The 200 boxes were distributed around the Toronto Filipino community and promoted via PR. There’s also a short documentary film about the Balikbayan tradition being shared on Coca-Cola’s social channels.
Why: The Balikbayan box is a tradition for more than two million overseas Filipino workers, who send more than seven million boxes home annually. The boxes take on extra magic during the holidays, by connecting families who can’t be together.
Coca-Cola is helping people enjoy those moments by providing the branded boxes and covering the shipping. The campaign aligns with Coca-Cola’s overarching brand platform of “Real Magic”
“Sending a Balikbayan box and the tradition of sharing with family, even when you are far away, is a deeply important cultural insight we are excited to celebrate,” said Stephanie Eaddy, group director, cultural marketing at The Coca-Cola Company.
How: There are two parts to this. For the boxes themselves, Coca-Cola and Taxi worked with a Filipino cargo and remittance company in Toronto to ensure door-to-door delivery of the Balikbayan boxes. In terms of distribution, 150 were given to four Filipino restaurants around Toronto, with management asked to give them out to staff and regular customers. The other 50 were made available to members of the Filipino community, who could email Coca-Cola to request one.
The wider awareness comes from a nearly two-minute film about the Balikbayan tradition, and one Filipino woman named Eli Agay, who is going to school in Toronto and was given a Coca-Cola box to send back to her family. “With shipping covered, that changes everything for me,” says Eli. “I’ll be able to put more items in the box and bring more smiles to my family back home.”
The film ends with the box arriving at the home of her family in the Philippines, and a video call with Eli as they open it and discover what’s inside.
"Through this initiative, we aim to help Filipino families feel more connected than ever, bringing real magic this holiday season,” said Sasha Ortega, Taxi associate creative director.
And we quote: "As a company, we strive to deeply understand our consumers and the role we can play to bring a little magic to the holidays through our flagship brand, Coca-Cola. This initiative came from understanding the insight into the importance of sharing holidays with your family and friends.”— Stephanie Eaddy, group director, cultural marketing, The Coca-Cola Company
[videopress ODZqdESQ]
