Hot on the heels of the «Share a Coke» campaign launched earlier in May across Europe, Israel and some other counties, Coca-Cola is now offering even higher level of customization made possible due to the 3D scanning and printing techniques. Despite the recent backlash that sparked in Israel against the discriminatory nature of the campaign (as there were no Arabic names on the list of 150 proposed names for personalization), the brand continues its creative advertising experiments in the country.

To promote a new resized format of packaging, the so-called mini bottles, Coca-Cola in partnership with innovation agency Gefen Team recently equipped its largest production facility in Israel with a custom-made 3D printing lab, where customers had a chance to be scanned and get a 3D-printed miniature version of themselves. The 360° scanner (of an anonymous manufacturer) was used to scan a human figure and transform the images into a 3D model. Then a 3D printer of an unnamed brand brought the models to life crafting them of sandstone. All the process of scanning and making mini-me versions took just a few hours.

Prior to the 3D fun, consumers were asked to download the mobile application, which allowed to create their virtual mini-me versions that needed to be fed and looked after just like a popular two decades ago Japanese digital pet Tamagotchi.

Although the environmental side of the campaign is highly questionable—smaller plastic bottles mean more waste—its unconventional technological implementation sets the trend of using 3D scanning and printing as a way of entertaining and engaging with the millennial audience.