The force is no longer with the Darth Vader kid.
The Volkswagen ad “The Force,” which featured a child dressed as the iconic Star Wars character, was dethroned as the most shared ad of all time by Shakira’s “trackvertising” World Cup video with Activia, according to marketing technology company Unruly.
The pint-size galactic menace premiered during the 2011 Super Bowl and in those three years has been shared 5,372,945 times via Facebook, Twitter and the blogosphere according to Unruly’s data. The Colombian singer, however, beat those numbers in a little over two months.
Shak produced her World Cup-inspired video for her single “La La La” in collaboration with Activia yogurt, and in support of the World Food Program. The video shows the company’s logo at the beginning and the end but also subtly features extras drawing the brand’s iconic smile on their stomachs throughout the production.
Since its debut on May 22, the “La La La” music video has garnered 5,375,756 shares. The collaboration is what Unruly is calling “the most successful example of a brand capitalizing on the growing trend of ‘trackvertising,’ where a brand and musical artist co-release a video which is both a musical track and advertisement."
The video’s partnership with the UN’s World Food Program has also helped millions of children. A link below the YouTube video connects viewers to a page where they can donate towards the organization’s mission to provide nutritious school meals across the world.
Currently, the website says it has been able to provide 3,719, 250 meals thanks to the partnership.
“It is fantastic to see such a positive response for the video,” Activia’s global marketing director Nicolas Frerejean told Unruly. “Reaching more than 250 million views and becoming the Most Shared Ad of All Time in just two months is incredible! We are delighted that we have been able to relay our message of support to the World Food Programme through the video ‘La La La (Brazil 2014).’ Partnering with Shakira to support the School Meals initiative is a great fit between Activia’s beliefs in good nutrition for all and the engagement that Shakira has demonstrated for a long time to support access for every child to quality education.”
The video’s success should come as no surprise considering Shakira was recently crowned the most liked person on Facebook, with over 100 million followers.
"I can interact meaningfully with [fans] on a regular basis. And the response is immediate," the singer told the Wall Street Journal. “[Having the most popular Facebook page] is something I never necessarily anticipated but a really welcoming and heartwarming surprise."
Say good-bye to Kid Vader below and hello to Shakira’s reigning “trackvertisement” above.
Before You Go
To put all of this in perspective, 68.7% of Colombia's surface is covered by natural ecosystems.
Many of the country's afro communities reside along Colombia's coasts, near port cities that use to be hubs for slave trading in the Americas.
Fun Fact: The figure of Juan Valdez that represents the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia is not based off a real person. The fictional poncho-wearing character widely referenced abroad (remember that scene from “Bruce Almighty”?) is simply used to represent Colombian coffee farmers.
In 2007, Víctor García de la Concha, the director of la Real Academia de la Lengua Español, the official royal institution overseeing the Spanish language praised the country's Spanish while speaking to Caracol Radio.
Most Colombians take advantage of the long weekends, also known as “puentes festivos,” to travel within the country with friends and family.
Colombia’s third most populous city, Cali, is sometimes called La Capital de la Salsa (World’s Salsa Capital). With significant differences from other styles of salsa, “Salsa Caleña” is known for its quick footwork with a mostly still upperbody. But Colombians do more than dance Salsa, the country is most well known for both its Cumbia and Vallenato genres.
Bogotá’s International Airport “El Dorado” was named after the ceremony, and gold artifacts, like the Muisca Raft, can be found in the capital city’s Museo del Oro (Gold Museum).
James Rodriguez and los Cafeteros showed the world their growing power and dance moves at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Rodriguez took home the Golden Boot for most goals scored in the tournament and also won Best Goal of the Tournament.
Colombia's economy has been growing over the years and despite some setbacks, the country currently has one of Latin America's most stable economies.