By Alec Maas
Client: Coca-Cola “Share a Coke Campaign”
Problem: In their Australia market, Coca-Cola noticed their sales dipping in comparison to seasons past. The reason for this was considered to be increased competition in their market place as well as declines in sales and brand favorability in young adults.
Who: Coke is a product enjoyed by a large variety of people- young and old, from urban cities to the outback, and by residents of all races, Coke prides itself on its diverse audience. This campaign was targeted specifically to the young adult audience. The archetype
would be a 24 year old Australian who is sociable, adventurous, generous, and active on social media.
What: Coca-Cola wanted to jumpstart real conversations and help their customers connect with those in their lives they have lost touch with or have yet to even meet. Coke studied the way Australians interacted and greeted each other in passing in their daily lives. Ultimately, their decision was to print nicknames such as “mate” along with 150 of the most popular names in the country on their cans along with the tagline “share a coke with a…(name)”. They publicized their campaign through the use of TV ads, radio, online, outdoor, and social media avenues. Earned media is low-cost, and was an efficient way of accomplishing their goal of starting conversations about their brand. (Can design= owned, conversations generated=earned)
Where: The central idea of this campaign was under the “earned” aspect of advertising. The personalized can design was meant to encourage consumers to consume the product, not just love the brand. This change was publicized with paid media using television, radio, and outdoor advertising to spark more conversations about the brand. Almost 400,000 custom coke cans were printed at malls across Australia and 100,000 cans were gifted to friends online.
Results: This was one of the most successful campaigns in memory and resulted in huge increases in the brand favorability among their target demographic. The great success of the campaign resulted in it being copied in many other regions, including the U.S.
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