The solution
Coca-Cola has appeared in movies and TV for decades, but those placements were passive — viewers saw them, craved, and forgot. In Saudi Arabia, Coca-Cola Middle East wanted to close the gap between seeing a Coke on screen and drinking one.
With Amazon launching Alexa's Khaleeji Arabic capability in the Kingdom, VML Commerce built the 'I See Coke' skill: a catalogue of hundreds of iconic film and show moments featuring Coke, each with a bespoke witty response.
When a viewer spots a Coke on screen and says 'Alexa, I see Coke', Alexa confirms the sighting — for Ghostbusters, 'Who you gonna call?... to share this Coke with' — and emails one of a limited number of discount codes, instantly redeemable through Saudi e-retailer Nana.
Launched on Instagram with influencer amplification, the campaign won two Grands Prix at Dubai Lynx 2024, in Creative Commerce and Digital.
What it achieved
Turn old product placements into a spot-and-win game
Why it worked
It monetized an asset Coca-Cola already owned — its screen history — instead of buying new placements.
The voice command is itself a brand mention: the purchase path begins with the customer saying the product's name.
Scene-specific witty replies made the reward feel like play, not a coupon scheme.
Timing the launch to Alexa's new Khaleeji Arabic capability rode a platform novelty straight into commerce.
What can be applied
Your back catalogue is an unredeemed asset: a voice trigger can convert decades of passive product placement into measurable commerce at zero new media cost.
Aftermath
'I See Coke' took the Creative Commerce and Digital Grands Prix at Dubai Lynx in March 2024 and was recognized at The One Show 2024 in Commerce. VML said the movie-and-TV catalogue would keep expanding, and Coca-Cola framed it as a template for voice-AI creative commerce in the region.
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