Secrets to happiness: 100-year-old man for 100 years of Coca Cola

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THE PHILIPPINES, JANUARY 9, 2012: A month after its highly viral and emotional “Where Will Happiness Strike Next”, Coca-Cola once again tugged at the heartstrings of Filipinos with its “100-Year-Old Man Shares Secret to Happiness.” The spot launched January 6 on national television and YouTube.

The ad features Lolo (grandfather) Mario and his special trip to visit his new-born great granddaughter. Through his journey, he narrates how fortunate he is to have been born, have friends and family, and be able to live happily through the years. “Napakalaki ng mundo (The world is a big place),” Lolo Mario tells viewers, “napakadaling maligaw ang landas mo (it’s so easy to get lost).” Finding the things that make you happy will help guide your way, he adds. A Coca-Cola billboard can be seen through the window of Lolo Mario’s cab on his way to the hospital.

As his journey closes with his homecoming in his native province, he is welcomed by his friends and family, and they share a drink – a toast to happiness, friends, and family. A hundred years is not enough, he says, to spend with loved ones. “Ipinanganak ka para maging maligaya (happiness is your birthright),” Lolo Mario concludes. The video ends with a message of thanks from Coca-Cola for “100 years of happiness.”

The video has been shared and “liked” across blogs and social networking sites over the weekend, and has been viewed more than 100,000 times through Coca-Cola’s official YouTube channel as of this posting.

But the campaign also attracted a fair share of wits. A few social media users pointed out that drinking sodas often will most assuredly not let a person live for a century. But the theme of finding happiness, through and together with friends and family, has been picked up and shared by a significant majority of viewers.