Coca-Cola has rolled our a campaign, 'Coke Zero Auditions', which draws inspiration from the classic ‘method acting’ exercise. 

Conceptualised Ogilvy India as a part of WPP Open X, the campaign consists of an ad film.

The film unfolds in a casting studio, where actors step in to record their audition tapes. Their task? To convincingly sip an imaginary Coke Zero. But here’s the twist, these weren’t auditions for a campaign; the auditions became the campaign. The film then showcases clips of these performances splashed across billboards at various locations, seamlessly integrated with Coke Zero’s branding. With no product, no copy, just pure minimalism, the film illustrates Coke Zero’s ‘zero impact’ on calories.

What we think about it: Brilliantly cutting through the noise, the campaign makes Coke Zero’s absence its strongest statement. By transforming simple audition tapes - free of stories or flashy taglines it perfectly embodies the brand’s essence. A masterclass in minimalist marketing, proving that sometimes, saying nothing sometimes says everything.

Greishma Singh, vice president, marketing, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, added, “Across geographies and generations, Coca-Cola is known for its taste and iconicity and Coke Zero for all the delicious Coke taste with no calories. This campaign leans into the simplicity of a very clever idea to bring the delicious taste of a Coke Zero to life without the usual taglines, direct messaging... without even showing the product!”

Sukesh Nayak, chief creative officer, Ogilvy India, said, “We realised that the biggest inspiration lies within the name ‘Coke Zero’. In the spirit of ‘zero’, we designed a campaign that simply and effectively shows the Zero impact that it carries, by not showing the product at all. Sometimes it’s the simplest ideas that bring out the most magic.”

CREDITS:
Client: Coca-Cola 
Ageny: Ogilvy
Ogilvy team:
Chief creative officer, Ogilvy APAC: Reed Collins
Chief creative officer, Ogilvy India: Sukesh Nayak, Harshad Rajadhyaksha, Kainaz Karmakar 
Creative team: Karunasagar Sridharan, Darshan Dhonde, Nishigandh Dhende
Account management team: Nikhil Mohan, Anas Dalvi, Tasneem Loharchalwala, Nikunj Bhanushali
Production house: Good Morning Films
Editor: Boxcutter
Coca-Cola team:
Vice president marketing, INSWA OU: Greishma Singh
Senior manager, creative strategy, Coca-Cola INSWA: Aabir Chatterjee
Senior manager, social engagement INSWA: Pavan Nagpal
Senior manager, marketing, Coca-Cola Choices: Shrey Vig