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Coke runs out of DS, Wii rewards in four days
Coke drinkers love them some Nintendo, it seems. The newest phase of the My Coke Rewards customer loyalty program, which began on April 16, was sold out of all available Nintendo merchandise by April 20, according to the deal-watchers on slickdeals.net.Yes, that means that at least a few people managed to redeem the 3250 reward points needed for a Nintendo DS and the 6250 points for a Wii in less than four days. For those keeping score at home, that translates to 1084 bottles of Coke for the DS or 2084 bottles for the Wii. In four days. Are these people buying drinks for Army battalions or something?Slower drinkers needn't worry, though -- the DS and Wii reappeared on the rewards site yesterday afternoon, meaning that more people can pursue obesity and tooth decay as they pursue their Nintendo system of choice. God bless America.
Drink enough Coke, get Wii for free
If you're looking for another possible avenue for Wii ownership, and you have a very loose definition of "possible," may we suggest the MyCokeRewards store? Coca-Cola has been including codes on their products that correspond to points; these points can be redeemed for items on their website. Thanks to a tip from reader Sam, we can alert you to the fact that they've added Wiis to their selection-- for 6,250 points, which comes out to 625 cases of Coke, or 2084 20-ounce bottles. Better start raiding dumpsters for those reward codes!* We've used MyCokeRewards quite a bit and love it: among our purchases are the custom-printed 20"x28" Katamari Damacy poster seen above, and one Playstation 2 game with free bonus controversy! It's nice to get free merchandise for something we'd be doing anyway-- drinking delicious, chilled beverages.*Wii Fanboy does not encourage the raiding of dumpsters.[Thanks, Sam!]
Banking and insurance adverts show gamer demo growing up
Our ever vigilant tipsters on the lookout for GTA IV news let us know about the latest commercial for HSBC bank. The GTA inspired advertisement is the latest in HSBC's campaign touting their understanding of customers locally, even though they are global mega-bank. We doubt the commercial is showing footage from GTA IV, but it is worth noting that this is the latest in a string of advertisements speaking to the aging gamer demographic, notice how the dad is playing the game. However, unlike the ad for Coca-Cola, these commercials are for insurance and banking -- that ain't kids stuff.Although the Katamari Damacy Traveler's Insurance ad allegedly was not inspired by the video game, any gamer who saw the commercial immediately linked the two things together. Then again, the same could be said about the very similar AIDS-based commercial. Most automotive commercials in prime-time heavily use game-inspired marketing now, particularly Toyota's Scion division. As "adult" services begin to gear their marketing toward the new generation, who knows what video game inspired advertisements we'll see next. But so help us, if we see Ensure or AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) based ads we'll find a dark corner to cry in.[Thanks Icates, no it's not GTA IV]
Pepsi taps into today's culture with ... pinball?
So let's get this straight. Coca-cola, looking for inspiration for a high-profile ad, apes Grand Theft Auto, a best-selling series that has inspired countless knock-offs and holds incredible relevance in today's pop culture landscape. Pepsi, on the other hand, creates a TV ad based on pinball, a once-popular arcade staple that has declined over the decades to the point where only one company in the world is still making tables. At this rate, we can expect RC Cola to come out with an ad based on bagatelle any day now.
It's time for Super Bowl commercials!
In roughly an hour the world's most watched television broadcast will begin. Super Bowl XLI will kick off in Florida tonight with the Colts pitted against the Bears (that's American football for those of you who don't know). But why do we bring up a sports event on an Xbox 360 fansite? Well, there is a very good reason for that ... commercials! Tonight, during the game, watch for any video game related commercials. Rumor has it that Coke will be airing their GTA inspired commercial during the football game. And although not video game related, the guys over at Digg just might be in GoDaddy's commercial. Just keep your eyes peeled and feel free to discuss your favorite commercials ... let the pizza eating begin!
GTA Coke (the drink) ad in Super Bowl
Don't be surprised when you're treated to the Grand Theft Auto inspired Coca-Cola ad today during the Super Bowl. According to CNN/Money, Coke is returning to the Super Bowl after being on break since 1998. Apparently Coca-Cola believes they found a culturally relevant way to promote to the demographic. Susan McDermott, a spokesperson for Coca-Cola North America, said, "We wanted to kick things off big in 2007. We've been a partner with 'American Idol' since the beginning so the strategy was to debut new ads on the Super Bowl and 'Idol' in order to hit the biggest entertainment and sports programming within two weeks." She also notes that this "old" GTA coke ad (found after the break) now has a chance to reach a much larger audience. And they better get some bang for their buck, the price for a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl is $2.6 million -- the commercial, in its original format, runs a full minute. [Via GamePolitics]
Get your Hot Shots Golf: Coca-Cola special edition PSP at eBay
I'm sure you're all aware of the Signature PSP lineup by now, but did you know Sony teamed up with Coca Cola to manufacture 1,300 Hot Shots Golf: Coca Cola Special Edition PSP bundles in Japan last year? The bundled Hot Shots game, which Coca Cola gave away in contests, was basically a big commercial for the company as it featured Coca Cola advertising, clothing and even bottle-shaped golf clubs.Unfortunately, the contests are all over and you can't win one anymore. However, if you have about $660 burning a hole in your pocket, the bundle can be all yours via an eBay auction here. You even get the prize letter from Coca Cola to make you feel like you've won something.
Another Chinese Coke/WoW Ad
You might remember the Chinese Coke ad that featured the band S.H.E. as World of Warcraft characters-- it showed up here on the site a while back. Apparently that ad campaign was so successful, they're doing it again, and this time the Orc that attacked in the first ad returns with friends-- a Troll and a pretty well-done Tauren. Get it? "Well-done Tauren"? The guy that rescues them, says Terra Nova (who somehow never saw the first ad), is none other than futbol star Cristiano Ronaldo (which explains why he kicks a soccer ball at the Orc). Also, I hear there's more of these floating around. If you see any more, let us know.
Arabic product placement in COD2
Is there anything more symbolic of our age than gunning down foreign peoples under the banner of the homeland's favorite carbonated beverage? Not in Call of Duty 2. Reader Rick sent in this in-game shot from COD2 and an inset picture of an Arabic Coca-Cola can. Points for authenticity and multi-lingual product placement. Enjoy.
World of Warcraft and Coke Whack-a-Mole
First the Chinese got that great Coke commercial, and now Alice from Wonderland points us to this cool thingamajig at the digital entertainment show ChinaJoy. It's a World of Warcraft and Coke branded Whack-a-Mole machine, but, as Alice says, we can't really see what's being hit. Moles? Paladins? Is it the game the priest plays trying to heal five main tanks in a raid?We're guessing it's nothing so complicated. Even though we can't quite read the Chinese text on top of the machine, it probably translates roughly as "When Server Goes Down, Hit It With a Mallet." So that's what they're doing with these rolling restarts!
Apple and Coke team up for European iTMS promotion
That Apple + Coca Cola promo we mentioned in June has been made a reality, but only in Europe - at least for now. MSNBC is reporting that iTunes has launched "the deepest alliance of its kind" to promote the iTMS on Coke's website in the UK and Germany, as the company will also be giving away 70 million songs on its products in a promo that sounds just like the Pepsi partnership of a year or so ago. Interestingly, Apple declined to comment on whether shaking hands with Coke meant that they had to stop drinking from the Pepsi fountain.It sounds like all you TUAW readers in the UK and Germany can keep your eyes out for the promotion to hit Coke's website and products sometime this month. Happy downloading![via iLounge]
Overheard@Develop: Mark Rein - "I need a stiff drink"
Mark Rein is currently sitting 3 feet away from me, and is heavily immersed in an interview with a journalist. Only five minutes ago I heard him saying "I need a stiff drink" in not-too-subtle tones as he walked past the press area. The reason? Most likely his supposed "heckling" from developers over his strong opinions cited in the opening keynote of the Develop Conference this morning (UK time). One developer went as far as calling Mark "a dinosaur" regarding his views about the industry's direction.In the keynote this morning he called episodic content a "broken business" and stated that "Episodic games that offer faster turnaround will inevitably be using a lot of recycled content, walking through the same environments and shooting the same enemies with the same weapons." So that's opposed to the refreshing experience that we get from walking through Unreal game after Unreal game?At least one thing's on the up: Mark seems to have got something to drink, as the picture above illustrates.
iTunes/Coke promo coming
Abandoning Pepsi, Apple has extended the olive branch to Coca-Cola. According to Digital Bulletin, Coke and Apple are currently wrapping up the details on a "...substantial iTunes promotion." Word has it the deal will put Coke-generated content into the iTunes Music Store (much like the gig with Nike).On a personal note, I'm sure glad I don't have to force myself to drink Pepsi just to swing a deal with iTunes. Coke, here I come![Via MacDailyNews]
Lenovo releases Coke-themed F20 laptop in China
Even though the U.S. government may want nothing to do with its computers, Lenovo's still got so much love for the red, white, and blue that it's releasing a special-edition notebook branded with one of the most recognizable American icons: everyone's favorite tooth-decaying soft drink. Oddly enough, the company's Coca Cola-red, Pentium M-powered F20 was designed in honor of the 2008 Olympic Games -- which are not only two years away, but taking place in China, and not the U.S. (where was this lappy in 1996 when the Games were held in Coke's hometown of Atlanta?). Anyway, besides the snazzy paint job and stick-on Olympic rings, this version of the F20 is pretty much your run-of-the-mill 12.1-inch laptop, sporting an ULV 1.66GHz CPU, 512MB of RAM, integrated graphics, an 80GB hard drive, and all the ports, wireless radios, and card readers you've come to expect from notebooks these days. Obviously priced in yuan, this model is going for the equivalent of $1,575, but since Lenovo knows that you can't possibly resist drinking a Coke while you're using this machine, they're throwing in some of that high-tech Batmobile-style armor plating on the house.[Via I4U]
Chinese WoW Advertisement
While this video isn't new, I just ran across it today. It's a Chinese advertisement for World of Warcraft and Coke. And I think I'll leave the conclusions to you...
