Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Coke's Android-vertising

One of the things that I love about Android devices is the Live Wallpaper feature. However, but because my phone doesn't support that particular feature, I'm left to envying those that have those animated wallpapers (playing with the display devices at Best Buy).

Well, now Coke has taken advantage of Android's popular Live Wallpapers by releasing a holiday-themed Live Wallpaper of their own. The wallpaper, like all Live Wallpapers, responds to touch and movement. In this case, if you tilt your phone, it'll send a man in a shopping cart rolling across the screen. Also, if you shake your phone it will start to snow, essentially turning your phone into a snowglobe.

It's a neat idea, mostly because it's fun and well-timed with the holidays. However, I'm not sure we'll see this become a trend with other companies, because Coke has one big advantage over most other companies: cultural icon status. 

What I mean by that is that Coke doesn't just have strong brand awareness and recognition, but that the brand has extended beyond the levels achieved by most companies and has become a cultural symbol. That's why it's nice to see Coke take advantage of their status and venture into this new form of advertising.