Coke’s new global campaign will come to life digitally through an immersive online experience – GIFtheFeeling.com – where fans can customize and share animated GIFs inspired by feelings associated with drinking a Coca-Cola.

At the heart of the GIF the Feeling microsite is a two-minute interactive music video with various scenes displayed as three-second GIFs set to the “Taste the Feeling” music anthem produced by Avicii and featuring singer Conrad Sewell. Each GIF is a mashup of original footage and scenes from the new “Taste the Feeling” TV spots, and all fit together seamlessly.

As fans watch the video, they will see 32 icons corresponding to emotions – from refreshed and energized, to cool and excited. At any point, the viewer can click into the clip, pull out a GIF and personalize it by text typing to express how they feel. They can then share their customized GIF on social media with the #TasteTheFeeling hashtag.

GIF the Feeling emoji

GIFs – short, looping videos – have emerged as a universal language for online storytelling and self-expression, especially among teens and Millennials. “When we look at behavior in the social and digital space, what people are talking about are their feelings,” said Kim Gnatt, Coke’s group director of digital platforms. “And the most widely posted images and videos are all about emotions and capturing moments. Coca-Cola is in a unique position because that’s what we stand for – making special moments in our consumers’ daily lives more special.”

The GIF the Feeling site will be accessible across desktop, mobile and tablet devices, and translated into more than 20 languages. A handful of back-end systems will power the experience – from its editing and sharing modes to a profanity filter.

“It’s quite a technological feat to stitch together a series of GIFs featuring beautiful cinematography with a single music track into an interactive experience consumers can personalize and share,” said Gnatt. “No brand has ever done something this powerful with GIFs, so we can’t wait to see how fans respond.”

For consumers in six countries – the United States, Mexico, Germany, Japan, India and Korea – GIF the Feeling will provide a direct link to buy Coca-Cola products through an eCommerce site. “We’ll be going from impressions to engagement straight to purchase,” Gnatt said.

Gnatt said the campaign will evolve throughout 2016. “At launch, we’re focusing on individual GIFs, but our vision over time is to enable consumers to create their own,” she added. Coca-Cola will partner with social media influencers around the world to help spread the word by seeding specific GIFs in their networks. The team will closely monitor which GIFs are being shared and discussed the most and amplify top performers with paid media.

“We will operate almost like a live focus group,” Gnatt concluded. “Digital is great because gives us the ability to test and adjust as we go.”