And you thought Bebo Originals had a monopoly on brand marketing teen video drama? Afraid not – Coca Cola Europe is now inflicting on YouTube “Green Eyed World“, a faux reality drama following supposed would-be London pop star Katie Vogel, 23, as she struggles through both her love life and the music biz.
Geek chatter (via SAI) around the effort centres on the project’s use of Facebook Connect – letting viewers interact with Vogel using their Facebook accounts, despite the project being hosted on rival YouTube. More interesting – this is a five-“season”, social reality brand marketing campaign for Coke’s Sprite drink, right down to Vogel’s green-coloured guitar.
Where Bebo’s KateModern relied on scripted product placements and its Secret World Of Sam King promoted Universal Music Group by writing the label in to the plot, Green Eyed World – produced by Austria’s FFP – one-ups the model with all the fake sincerity that “interactive” social engagement marketing nowadays affords. This from the release: “By joining her journey online, the audience can influence her choices through commenting and voting directly.” Bleurch!
Coke’s European digital marketer Stafford Green: “With this show, Sprite shifts from creating the perfect branded content to content that perfects the brand.” Eh??
But Coke assures paidContent:UK Vogel is a genuine aspiring artist – found for the project by iTunes consultant Denzyl Feigelson. We forgot to ask whether the drama in video is genuine or scripted – but we have a good idea which.
The drinks maker is buying pan-European ads across YouTube’s homepage, is planning mobile, P2P and TV ads, plus related live music events in London and New York. A pilot episode “zero” is online now, with three more per “seasons” due to complete by December.