Flowers, pizza and subs are not typically what
you would expect to come pouring out of a Coca-
Cola vending machine, but that’s exactly what happens in a recent ad for the soft-drink company thatwas filmed on the Queens campus.

Using hidden cameras, Coca-Cola filmed 16
hours worth of footage Dec. 7 and 9 of St. John’s students making purchases from a new vending machine in Marillac Cafeteria only for them to get more soda than they bargained for as well as a box of pizza,
flowers, a balloon animal and a massive 12-foot sub.

As of Jan. 27, the two minute-long, Coca-Cola
“Happiness Machine” video has received more than a million views on YouTube.
In order to pull off the commercial, the video’s producers created a new wall behind the coke machine in the cafeteria where they hid, handed out the items and monitored the students’ reactions.

The producers used five hidden cameras including one in the ceiling above the vending machine to record all the action.

Sophomore Angela Eyers, who appeared in the
Coke commercial along with a few of her friends,said she was caught off-guard by the items coming out of the machine, but overall found the experience fun.

“We just thought the Coke machine was being
very silly,” she said.

“But then we realized it wasn’t a real machine when a pizza came out and we really wanted to try it. The machine just kept spitting out Cokes.”

Afterwards, the disguised Coca-Cola workers
asked Eyers and her friends to sign waivers to appear in the video.

Dominic Scianna, assistant vice president of Media Relations, said Coca-Cola approached him with the idea to shoot a fun and enjoyable commercial that would stream across the country.

“Coke was impressed by our campus,” he said.
“With the new facilities, lots of trees and the new class of students, Coke decided St. John’s would be the best place to shoot their video.”

Scianna also said the video has received international attention as well.

“Last week I got a call from a newspaper in
France called Le Post, so this campaign has reached very far,” he said.

St. John’s has also been fortunate to appear in the Golden Globe nominated film, It’s Complicated. The Queens Campus was shown briefly in a graduation scene that was filmed during the University’s commencement
ceremony last May.

“Our philosophy is that if we can do it, we would like to bring more publicity onto campus,” said Scianna.

Eyers also agrees that she would like to St. John’s represented further in the media.

“I feel like they should do more promotions from St. John’s,” she said.

“We have a really cool student body and the fact that the nation is looking at that is awesome.”

To see the finished commercial, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqT_dPApj9U