'Share a Coke' Goes Global

Two years ago, Coca-Cola and its marketing agencies created a marketing plan designed to boost sales and stimulate buzz in Australia. Research showed that teenagers and soft-drink lovers in their 20s weren't drinking Coke as much or as often. The marketers developed a plan for the summer months, with two goals in mind.

The primary campaign objective was simple: to increase consumption of Coca-Cola over the summer period. The secondary objective was to get people talking about Coke again.

Coca-Cola chose the 150 most popular first names in the country and printed them on Coke bottle labels. Before publicity or advertising began, the new Coke bottles were shipped to stores for shoppers to discover and share.

This started a lively social-media conversation that continued as publicity and adverts joined the mix. Consumer feedback via social media resulted in crowdsourced ideas for 50 additional names to be printed on Coke labels.

The campaign worked: Consumption by consumers in their teens and twenties increased by 7% during the summer months, giving sales a significant boost. The Coca-Cola Australia FB page was the most talked-about FB page in the country, with traffic increasing by an amazing 870% during the campaign.

Today, Coca-Cola Australia's Facebook page has more than one million likes and the company is constantly changing the content to promote its products and keep up a dialogue with brand fans.

Note the metrics: First, consumption--which drives sales--and then social-media interactions that involve the Coke brand. Results Down Under!

'Share a Coke' was so successful that Coca-Cola used it in Europe during the summer of 2013, again choosing the 150 most popular names, country by country. The long-term goal is to double Coke's sales by 2020, and successful campaigns like 'Share a Coke' are going global to help achieve that ambitious target.