The "Flavor Make It" campaign by AMC and Coca-Cola leverages a longstanding partnership to reinvigorate moviegoing among Gen Z audiences by emphasizing creativity, personalization, and value. The core brand proposition centers on enhancing the cinema experience through a unique, customizable flavor offer that pairs AMC’s signature popcorn with a small Coca-Cola Freestyle® drink featuring three exclusive new flavor blends. This combination aims to offer both an affordable and distinctive sensory experience that resonates with younger consumers seeking authenticity and self-expression in leisure activities.
Strategically, the campaign taps into insights about Gen Z’s preferences for immersive, social, and personalized experiences. Recognizing that this demographic values flexibility and creativity, the campaign offers both a compelling price point—a $5 combo deal—and a novel flavor menu designed to engage users with fun, interactive choices. The creative execution employs a vibrant, animated anthem spot featuring teenagers who momentarily escape reality through the imaginative effects triggered by their flavor choices, reflecting the blend of digital engagement and real-world social interaction crucial to Gen Z. The soundtrack, inspired by TikTok trends, and the lyrical nod to AMC’s heritage (“we come to this place for flavor”) work to deepen cultural relevance and emotional connection. By integrating product innovation with a culturally attuned narrative and affordable pricing, the campaign aligns brand equities and lifestyle aspirations to drive foot traffic and refresh the movie theater visit amid changing entertainment consumption habits.
FORMAT#9 SYMBOLIZE THE BENEFIT — Uses symbols or exaggerated visuals to represent the product’s positive impact.
The “Flavor Make It” campaign most closely fits FORMAT#9, Symbolize the Benefit. The campaign centers on teens using the Coca-Cola Freestyle® machine, and with the touch of a button, they are "transported to a vibrant, animated world of quirky fun inspired by the flavors they’ve chosen.” This transformation into an exaggerated, animated universe visually represents the imaginative and delightful experience unlocked by the product—custom Coca-Cola flavors. The surreal visuals and lingering animation upon return to reality function as strong symbolism for how the combo enhances and enlivens the movie-going experience, speaking directly to Gen Z’s desire for creativity and self-expression rather than focusing on demonstration, story-driven resolution, or comparison. The narrative and creative choices use playful exaggeration to drive home the sensory and emotional benefit of the branded offering.
ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats
1. Regal Cinemas – Market Positioning
Regal Cinemas positions itself as a premium moviegoing destination emphasizing comfort, convenience, and technological innovation like IMAX and 4DX. They focus on creating a high-quality theatrical experience with loyalty rewards and diverse food and beverage options to attract a broad audience, including families and young adults seeking entertainment value beyond just the film itself.
2. Cinemark Theatres – Market Positioning
Cinemark targets mainstream audiences with a focus on affordability and accessibility, offering a large footprint of locations and convenience. Their XD auditoriums and loyalty programs emphasize enhanced viewing experiences at competitive prices, aiming to balance entertainment quality and cost-efficiency to appeal to both casual moviegoers and frequent patrons.
3. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – Market Positioning
Alamo Drafthouse differentiates itself with a niche focus on cinephiles by combining curated film programming, strict theater etiquette, and high-quality food and craft beverage offerings. Its boutique and immersive cinema experience appeals to movie lovers seeking community, exclusivity, and a premium, socially-focused environment.
4. Fandango Media – Market Positioning
Fandango positions itself as the leading digital movie ticketing platform, innovating convenience through seamless mobile ticket purchases, exclusive content, and personalized recommendations. Their strategic angle lies in simplifying the moviegoing journey and integrating with theater chains to capture the tech-savvy, on-the-go audience.
5. PepsiCo (in beverage partnership with theaters) – Market Positioning
As Coca-Cola’s key competitor in non-alcoholic beverages at recreational venues, PepsiCo leverages brand strength and innovative beverage options to partner with theaters and entertainment venues. They focus on customizable drinks and promotional tie-ins with pop culture, aiming to engage younger demographics and maximize refreshment relevance in leisure spaces.
Q: What is Flavor Make It about?
A: Flavor Make It is a 2023 integrated campaign developed by Barkley for AMC Theatres and The Coca-Cola Company in the United States. It aims to attract Gen Z moviegoers by offering a $5 combo deal featuring a small AMC popcorn and a small Coca-Cola Freestyle® drink with three exclusive custom flavors: Lime Traveler, Slasher Splasher, and Mello-Drama. The campaign celebrates creativity and personalization, inviting young audiences to enjoy a unique concession experience that enhances the social and immersive aspects of moviegoing. The campaign’s launch includes a vibrant anthem spot blending live action and animation to capture Gen Z’s cultural sensibilities.
Q: What creative device does Flavor Make It use?
A: Flavor Make It employs FORMAT#9 Symbolize the Benefit from Clapboard’s 12-format taxonomy. This creative device uses exaggerated visuals and symbolic imagery to represent the positive impact of the product. In this campaign, teenagers using the Coca-Cola Freestyle® machine are transported into a vivid, animated world inspired by their chosen flavors, visually expressing the imaginative and sensory delight unlocked by the combo. The lingering animation upon their return to reality symbolizes how the product enlivens the moviegoing experience, aligning with Gen Z’s desire for creativity and self-expression rather than straightforward demonstration or narrative resolution.
Q: What is the campaign proposition for Flavor Make It?
A: Flavor Make It positions AMC and Coca-Cola as partners reinvigorating the moviegoing experience for Gen Z by emphasizing creativity, personalization, and value. The campaign offers a distinctive sensory experience through a customizable concession combo that pairs AMC’s signature popcorn with a small Coca-Cola Freestyle® drink featuring three exclusive flavor blends. This proposition appeals to younger consumers who seek authenticity and self-expression in leisure activities, while the $5 price point and immersive creative execution address Gen Z’s preference for social, flexible, and engaging experiences within the cinema environment.
Q: How does Flavor Make It rank in Clapboard's archive?
A: Flavor Make It holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 69/100. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as assessed by Clapboard’s global ad archive. The rating indicates the campaign’s effectiveness in combining product innovation with a culturally attuned narrative and engaging visual style to resonate with its target audience.
Q: Who are the competitors in AMC and Coca-Cola's category?
A: AMC’s competitive landscape includes Regal Cinemas, which positions itself as a premium moviegoing destination focused on comfort, convenience, and technological innovation like IMAX and 4DX. Cinemark Theatres targets mainstream audiences with an emphasis on affordability and accessibility, balancing entertainment quality and cost-efficiency. Alamo Drafthouse Cinema appeals to cinephiles through curated programming, strict etiquette, and high-quality food and beverages, offering a boutique, socially focused experience. Fandango Media leads in digital ticketing, innovating convenience and personalized recommendations for tech-savvy consumers. In beverage partnerships, PepsiCo competes by leveraging brand strength and customizable drinks tied to pop culture to engage younger demographics in leisure venues.
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