Coca-Cola’s Happiness Quest Brings QR Codes & Gamification To Vending Machines

A while back, we covered how Coca-Cola (and Google) were beginning to revolutionise the concept of the vending machine through smartphone payment. That was as far as we thought smartphone interaction would go with regards to vending machines, but Coca-Cola in Japan are now launching a new campaign called the ‘Happiness Quest‘, which aims to get more people using their machines.

The campaign, originally reported by Penn Olson, will see QR codes being given to each Coca-Cola vending machine in Japan which users can scan to gain rewards. There are 400,000 Coca-Cola vending machines located across Japan but the brand are planning to increase this number to 820,000 by March 2012.

After registering, each user is asked to designate a single machine to be ‘my machine’, that is one that they will interact with on a more personal level. Such interaction would include campaign news, weather information and other relevant news which will keep users up to date.

By creating a vending machine avatar and scanning the QR codes on each machine, your avatar’s experience increases and you gain points that can be used to customize it. Points would be spent on virtual items including shoes, character skins, accessories and backgrounds. Also, badges can be gained from checking-in to certain machines, or during certain periods like the Christmas season.

Registering for the campaign begins on November 14th, with one person who signs up on the first month winning a prize up to one million Yen (€9,500) on the day. Coca-Cola are also pushing the social aspect by awarding another one million Yen prize to a user who introduces a friend to the campaign.

While the campaign is very quirky (and very Japanese judging by the presentation in the promotional video below), the campaign will do wonders in strengthening the relationship between consumers and the brand. Also, it could develop into something more for Coca-Cola, creating a loyalty and desire among consumers to seek out these vending machines and level up their avatar.

The chances of them purchasing a soft drink while they scan the QR codes are very likely so with a potential 820,000 vending machines to work from, Coca-Cola have the scale and resources to make the campaign work.