‘ Sharing ‘ & Tons of Buzz

To have highly effective and seriously impactful marketing campaigns it is not  necessary to dig out an unusual idea or a weird proposition all the time. It is a proven fact that sometimes even a relatively simple idea can create very forceful and staggering  results leading to lots of hustle and tons of buzz.

In the summer of 2011, Coca Cola decided to move away from its traditional huge and omni present advertising campaigns to a  more subtle and consumer engaging crusade. This change in mindset brought about the launch of  the  ‘ Share a Coke ‘ campaign in Australia.

Coke released millions of bottles featuring common first names like Mitch, Dave, Susan, Joyce etc and then encouraged its consumers to go out and find bottles with their names and those featuring the names of their family and friends and share a Coke with them. Further they were asked to share their experience on social media platforms. With this relatively simple idea Coca  Cola was able to engage the consumer on one hand and on the other  was able to utilise the depth and reach of social media platforms. A massive buzz was created with this idea having an emotional under current and the results were absolutely exemplary.

In the summer in which the campaign was launched Coke reportedly sold 250 million cans/bottles in Australia. According to Ogilvy, Coke’s market share in its category went up by  4% and there was an increase of 7% in consumption of Coke amongst young adults. There is absolutely no doubt that the ‘ Share a Coke ‘ appealed to the younger generation and was a resounding hit with them.

With the success in Australia, the campaign was launched in other countries too and particularly in America the campaign again met with huge success. The consumption of Coke in America which was declining for over a decade was reversed by this campaign and a 2% increase in sales was recorded. The campaign was further extended to include nick names like ‘ bro ‘ , ‘ better half ‘ etc thus further expanding the connect  of the campaign. The ‘ Share a Coke ‘ initiative was widely appreciated and won laurels and awards.

A simple idea, a personalised communication message and social media combined to make a highly effective campaign, is a lesson learnt.

As much as I like the zing and  taste of a chilled Coca Cola can, I am also a fan of their marketing and advertising campaigns which are generally well thought off and  very effectively executed.

So much for the love of Coke.