Coca-Cola created a branded mobile browser that allowed users to surf the web for free and a device that recharged data minutes at the point of sale.
Teenagers in Brazil are web-savvy, but due to the expense of data plans, they aren’t always connected to the mobile web. Coca-Cola’s “Happiness Refill” campaign was developed to increase mobile connectivity among teenagers and showcase the brand’s presence as an innovator in the mobile arena.
The campaign had two main components: a mobile browser and a data dispenser. The Coca-Cola-branded mobile browser let users surf the web, listen to Coca-Cola FM, and check the weather. The branded browser was developed first for Android devices (the top OS among Brazil’s emerging middle class) and later rolled out to iOS and Windows handsets. The Data Dispenser, a Coca-Cola vending machine that dispensed data instead of soda, was the brand’s first foray into creating an integrated “drive to store” experience. The Data Dispenser had a built-in computer that connected to the user's mobile browser and released 20 MB data packages with each recharge. At present, there is only one Data Dispenser, located at Coca-Cola’s concept store in Copacabana Beach. The brand hopes to install more dispensers at points of sale in the following months.
Happiness Refill launched in May 2012 and continues to reach an exponentially expanding audience. The campaign is also being expanded to other Brazilian mobile carriers. Ultimately, Coca-Cola aims to become the leading provider of data credits in Brazil.
