Why is this work relevant for PR?

Pinoys log 10 hours of screen time daily, but studies have shown that too much is closely linked to depression, anxiety, and screen addiction. This is especially true for teens, whose personal, social, and even school life are online. How did Coke, a brand known for keeping up with teens, encourage them to spend less time on their devices? On Independence Day, Coke refreshed the way teens understood “freedom” with Coke 121 Minutes of Freedom. What started as a challenge for teens to be free of social media snowballed into a communal social media cleanse that got people living offline.

Background

Filipinos lead the world rankings in most number of hours spent online every day; that’s at least 10 hours daily. In time for the Philippines’ 121st Independence Day, Coke refreshed the way teens celebrated the holiday by freeing them from something they might not realize holds them captive: social media. With Coke 121 Minutes of Freedom, Coke urged teens to be aware of their habits and make the decision to limit their screen time. Through this, Coke aimed to help teens make connections offline, and reaffirmed the brand’s presence in teens’ key passion points (music, arts, food, fitness, relationships, etc.)

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Coke 121 Minutes of Freedom. Turn off social media, turn on real life. On June 12, the country’s 121st Independence Day, at exactly 1:21pm, for a total of 121 minutes, Coke challenged teens to celebrate their freedom by turning off social media and turning on real life. No liking, sharing, posting, tweeting—just living. With partner establishments and influencers, Coke offered teens exciting experiences around the metro: art classes, Independence Day-themed rides, fun activities at the park, free from all distractions.

Describe the strategy (30% of vote)

Filipino teens are very dependent on their screens, so convincing them to spend more time offline was a challenge. They stay online for almost everything: entertainment, news, family and friends, and even schoolwork. Coke found the perfect opportunity to set them “free” by leveraging on a holiday, and used Independence Day to redefine what freedom meant to these teens. To launch the first-ever Coke 121 Minutes of Freedom, Coke met teens where they already were: online. Teens were introduced to the challenge and were guided step-by-step with how-tos and social media posts. Since teens are very social-oriented, influencers helped rally their followers to invite more people to join, expanding the challenge to groups of friends. To top it off, partner establishments pushed for activities that teens could join in groups, showing them that missing out on a few hours offline could actually get them more out of life.

Describe the execution (20% of vote)

In preparation for the Philippines’ 121st Independence Day, Coke partnered with influencers and establishments to invite teens all over the metro to join the Coke 121 Minutes of Freedom. As this happened, news outlets and online publications started the conversation on screen time awareness, and how beneficial it can be to spend time away from our devices. The challenge began to spread online, with efforts coming from the brand, influencers, and even from one friend to another. Together, everyone counted down to 1:21pm, and as influencers called on their followers to turn off social media, partner establishments encouraged teens to turn on real life with no distractions. Coke set up events at a national park, cycling studios, and arts and crafts stores, where participants were free to wander, learn, chill, ride, and try something new while free from their screens!

List the results (30% of vote) – must include at least two of the following tiers:

For a difficult challenge that asks phone-dependent teens to get off their devices, the results were astounding. There was an influx of positive support for Coke 121 Minutes of Freedom, with over 1,000 participants who joined the on-ground activities with Coke’s partner establishments and pop-up events. Once the 121 minutes were up, even more expressed interest in being part of the movement next year—15 brands and establishments have pledged support, with more inquiries coming in. Online, Coke 121 Minutes of Freedom had an overwhelming total of 15.9M reach and 22.9M online impressions nationwide. Both online and offline, fans and businesses admired Coke’s bravery to go against the grain, and trust the brand to turn something as unnatural as staying off your phone into something enjoyable.

Please tell us about the social behaviour and/or cultural insights that inspired your campaign

Filipinos spend an average of 10 hours per day online—the highest in the world—while recent studies show that 89% of teens own a smartphone. Many people benefit from the convenience of their mobile devices, but staying online for too long has its side effects. Data has shown that too much screen time is linked to cases of depression, anxiety, and screen addiction. More and more teens choose to stay in their own personal bubble instead of being social in real life, leaving them dependent on their devices. The solution to this is simply to limit time spent on screens. Aside from this, Independence Day is a holiday that teens celebrate because it means they get a break from school. “Independence” and “freedom” are outdated concepts for teens, and there is a need to redefine what this means for them.