A new interactive Coca-Cola vending machine with a large format touch-screen and Bluetooth capabilities has taken home the 'Gold Lion' in the 'Point of Sale' category at the 2009 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

The festival, widely considered as the world’s premier showcase for excellence in advertising and design, concluded over the weekend in Cannes, France.

The video vender, which debuted at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and is now in select Simon Malls throughout the US, integrates a Samsung 46-inch LCD touch screen into the front of a Coca-Cola vending machine.

The large-format display combined with Flash technology, motion graphics, high-definition video and Bluetooth capabilities for mobile downloads, creates a uniquely immersive experience for consumers.

Anthony Phillips, global marketing manager, The Coca-Cola Company, said: “The video vending machine incorporates sight, sound and motion video to take the vending experience from transaction to true interaction.”

The new venders were developed by The Coca-Cola Company in partnership with Samsung, a leading technology innovation company, and interactive marketing agency Sapient.

David Butler, vice president, Global Design, The Coca-Cola Company, said: "The video vending machine is a great example of our approach to creating value and innovation through design. We created a user-friendly touch screen interface that can be very functional when we need it to be, but also drive emotional connections for our brands.”

The award is further recognition for the Company’s design efforts, building on the 2008 success, when the Company won the Design Grand Prix – the competition’s best in show award – for Coca-Cola’s new visual identity system. Cannes incorporated a design category into its Lions awards program for the first time last year.

Butler added: “We are honored that our efforts in design are being recognized by one of the most prestigious festivals in the industry. We are very focused on building on our strong design legacy to drive competitive advantage for our brands.”
 
Along with its impressive showing in the design category, the Company garnered recognition for its marketing achievements across a wide span of media channels, including online, outdoor and film.

Notably, a 12-minute video created for Schweppes picked up Gold Lion in the Viral Advertising category.
Titled ’Signs’, the video tells a simple story of love between two people who communicate across office blocks using hand held signs.

Within weeks of appearing on YouTube, the video had been viewed over half a million times, making it onto the top 10 most viewed viral films on YouTube worldwide.

Jonathan Mildenhall, Global Advertising Strategy and Creative Excellence, The Coca-Cola Company, who hosted a seminar for up-and-coming creatives at the Cannes event, said: "Creating compelling communications for one of the world’s most valuable brands, across a mix of media, requires a balance of art and science."

The Coca-Cola Company’s complete list of 2009 Cannes Lions includes:
*Gold (Design, Point of Sale) – Multi-Media Coke Machine; Gold (Viral Advertising) - Schweppes ’Signs’; Silver (Best use of other media)- Fanta ‘Stealth Sound’; Bronze (Film)- Coca-Cola ‘Encounter’; Bronze (Websites & Microsites) - Coca-Cola ‘Encounter’; Bronze (Best use of Ambient Media) - Large Scale, Coca-Cola ‘Illumina La Citta di Milano’ and Bronze (Media) - Coca-Cola, ‘Destapados’.

"We consider this great recognition for our work as testament to our strong focus on producing creative that engages, excites and connects with the millions of people who consume our products every day," Mildenhall added.-TradeArabia News Service