Influence of Athletes 3

Brock M

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In short, young age and social connectedness were two of the primary characteristics of the consumers that helped Coca-Cola Co. to see sales rise for the first time in more than a decade with its personalized bottle campaign (McQuilken, 2014). But Coca-Cola's success did not happen on accident. Instead, it was based on research findings. Before moving on, consider the excerpt from the following article released by Coca-Cola:

"Our research showed that while teens and young adults loved that Coca-Cola was big and iconic, many felt we were not talking to them at eye level. Australians are extremely egalitarian. There's a phrase called "tall poppy syndrome." If anyone gets too big for their boots, they get cut down like a tall poppy. By putting first names on the packs, we were speaking to our fans at eye level (The Coca-Cola Company, 2014)."

With thorough research having been conducted, Coca-Cola Co. realized that since most young people had not yet experienced the taste and flavor of its primary product, they were going to need to be creative if they were going to capture the attention of a youthful generation. That is where personalization came into play. In an analysis of the Share a Coke Campaign, Maye Create stated that: 

Figuring out a way to get on an eye-to-eye level with your audience and finding creative messaging executions that resonate with them in a personable way is key to succeeding in the marketing world today. Consumers are surrounded by so much advertising clutter that it’s impossible for every single message brands throw in our face to even be acknowledged. To stand out and grab consumer’s attention, you’ve got to make them feel important as an individual and talk to them in a tailored way (MayeCreate Design, n.d.).

Simply put, in a world where people are constantly bombarded with advertisements, people will stop and take note when something that feels personal comes along. So yes, personalization helped to catch the attention of the target demographic that Coca-Cola had targeted, but it was their social connectedness that pushed the campaign over the top. From a social perspective, traffic on the Coke Facebook site increased by 870%, the Facebook page grew 39%, seventy-six thousand virtual Coke cans were shared online, and in Australia, Coca-Cola was the number one most talked about Facebook (Niche Media, 2015). 

In summation, Coca-Cola experienced great success because they launched a campaign that was fueled by research, met its targeted audience in a personal way, and allowed customers to share the experience with their friends.

MayeCreate Design. (n.d.). 3 Marketing Lessons from the “Share a Coke” Campaign. Retrieved April 18, 2020, from https://mayecreate.com/blog/3-marketing-lessons-from-the-share-a-coke-campaign/

McQuilken, T. (2014, September 26)' 'Share Coke'e' Campaign Grows Sales For First Time in 10 Years, WSJ Reports. Retrieved April 18, 2020, from https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/coca-colas-share-coke-campaign-grows-sales-first-time-10-years-160433/

Niche Media. (2015, March 18). Share a Coke campaign post-analysis. Retrieved April 18, 2020, from https://www.marketingmag.com.au/hubs-c/share-a-coke-campaign-post-analysis/

The Coca-Cola Company. (2014, September 25). How a Campaign Got Its Start Down Under - News & Articles. Retrieved April 18, 2020, from https://www.coca-colacompany.com/news/how-a-campaign-got-its-start-down-under

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