This ATM Gave Away Free Money--If You Promised To Give It Away

As part of a nice marketing stunt for Coke, watch these people get unexpected extra money from an ATM and then watch how they fulfill the agreement to do something nice with it.


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This ATM Gave Away Free Money--If You Promised To Give It Away

This ATM Gave Away Free Money--If You Promised To Give It Away Image:

By Zak Stone

As part of a nice marketing stunt for Coke, watch these people get unexpected extra money from an ATM and then watch how they fulfill the agreement to do something nice with it.

The only ATMs that have ever made me particularly "happy" are the ones that don't charge withdrawal fees. In Spain, a mysterious campaign by Coca-Cola called "ATM of Happiness" isn't just letting people get cash sans-fee: it's making it rain, for free.

Filmed withdrawing cash with a hidden camera, cash-strapped Spaniards--dealing with soaring rates of unemployment and austerity measures--seem particularly jubilant about the corporate handout. A semi-viral video promoting the project campaign shows passersby approaching the ATM, painted in Coca-Cola red. The screen reads "Get 100 Euro for free with no card" (in Spanish)--but there's a catch. To withdraw, you have to press a button pledging to share the money. (The ATM even provides suggestions on how to share.)

The video shows what some people did with their cash: buy presents for strangers and friends, mostly. It's likely that others pocketed it. I'm skeptical of the veracity of the video--whether the people included are real people. And If you heard about a free-money dispensing ATM, wouldn't there be a line down the block?--but I encourage all mega-corporations to follow Coca-Cola's shining example: Start giving out money for free, okay?




Fast Company Copyright 2013 by Fast Company. Reprinted with permission.


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