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a teenage girl eats popcorn at an AMC theater while slowly transforming into an animated version of herself

Retail: AMC Theatres

Flavor, film, + freestyle: Turning teens Into lifers.

Recognition

Video — AMC Theatres Flavor Make It Case Study

AMC Theatres Flavor Make It Case Study

Gen Z’s new big sccreen ritual: Flavor Make It at AMC.

The Stakes

AMC and Coca-Cola asked BarkleyOKRP to transform a standard teen coupon into something more engaging. The goal: turn the classic popcorn-and-Coke combo into a Gen Z ritual that sparks loyalty and love in a highly distracted, always-scrolling audience.

The Friction

Teen moviegoers don’t do coupons. In a crowded snack economy and an endless array of entertainment options, theaters were losing their cultural clout. Getting Gen Z off their couches and into cinemas took more than a discount: it needed a full-on vibe.

The Shift

BarkleyOKRP discarded the old playbook and created a branded experience grounded in Gen Z behavior. Enter “Flavor Make It”—a campaign fueled by flavor hacks, Freestyle® machines, custom animations, $5 snack deals, and a mobile-first approach with Apple/Google Wallet integration. It turned the AMC lobby into a content-ready playground.

The Lift

The campaign transformed a coupon into a cultural moment. Teens showed up with a Coke in one hand and their phone in the other. The result? A new big-screen ritual that didn’t just move popcorn, it moved hearts, screens, and scrolls.

Results

The Flavor Maker Menu on a Coca-Cola freestyle machine at AMC Theatres

Video — AMC + Coke: Flavor Make It

AMC + Coke: Flavor Make It
AMC Theaters and Coca-Cola $5 Flavor Maker Combo
AMC Theatres and Coca-Cola offer the $5 Flavor Maker Combo through the AMC mobile app
a still from the AMC + Coke: Flavor make it ad featuring a man and woman riding a bird in exaggerated street-style animation
a still from the AMC + Coke: Flavor make it ad featuring a mixing live-action footage of teenagers in theaters and exaggerated street-style animation

“For Gen Z, the theatre and the concessions are not about an escape, it’s total immersion and enjoyment with friends. We wanted the campaign to reflect that shared, immersive experience.”

—Pamela Sandler, AMC Vice President of Brand Marketing