Coca Cola is finding ways to make that first day at college a little easier, or incredibly frustrating. Young students are fresh out of high school, alone and in new territory. The day has been long, odd, and nothing like Animal House. Sitting alone with his iPod, searching for a sense of familiarity, the boy spots a Coke on the horizon. He runs up, grabs his drink, twists and…
Nothing. Oh you wanted a nice refreshing soda? Sorry this Coke will only open with the use of two people! You look back in the fridge searching for a regular bottle, no dice. You have to hand it to Coke, they did a great job marketing this breaking the ice aspect, and made a neat little video out of it, but I can’t help but wonder what we didn’t see from the footage.
Scenario one: Guy approaches and grabs coke, girl does as well. The two had a class together earlier today and glanced at each other all during syllabus reading. She’s unsuspecting but he knows how this deal works as he’s seen about a hundred other people do it now. This is his chance to move in, introduce himself, and open the ways of conversation. She stares puzzled at the bottle and as he walks forward some dweeby, loud guy screams, “YOU HAVE TO USE TWO BOTTLES!” The girl, alarmed and wanting to escape the attention drawn to her, grabs two Cokes and escapes. The boy dies alone.
Or what if you’re that guy who is the odd man out wanting a Coke? Everyone pairs up to open theirs and you have a child proof lock on a drink. I’m sure you can probably open it without the use of another person, but then the whole process serves as a metaphor for how alone you are. It says, “Look at this guy, he beat the system because he couldn’t find someone to help him for a simple task.” That’s damn depressing, if not enough to make you want to go back to your dorm and silently cry into your pillow.
Here’s an obvious outcome. You find someone to open a Coke with and because you have been screwing around with it an have to open it sideways you spray it all over a stranger. So many things that can go wrong, but I guess that’s what can make it fun at the same time. No matter what happens, you have a shared experience, which i guess is a twist on my negative spin on of all of it. I see what you did there, Coca Cola, I see you.
