Coca-Cola has tried for years to maintain its spot at the top of the soft drink industry by coming up with gimmick after gimmick, but one of the strangest was their “Hug Me” vending machine. The vending machine that was installed at the National University of Singapore on a trial run looked like a fairly ordinary machine. However, instead of it’s logo, the machine read “Hug Me” in Coke’s logo font. Instead of money, the machine only responded to hugs. People who wanted a free soft drink merely had to squeeze the sides of the machine in a specific way to make a can drop. The stunt was part of Coca-Cola’s “Open Happiness” campaign to deliver doses of happiness to people in an unexpected and innovative way. Needless to say, the ad campaign did little to boost sales of the iconic soft drink, and before long the "Hug Me" vending machine took its place in the long line of failed advertising.
