- July 1, 2014
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Coke Wants to Put Your Name on the Bottle
Would you be more willing to share something with your name on it?
Coca-Cola is betting the answer is yes, by rolling out a new integrated campaign over the summer, encouraging consumers to “Share a Coke” with personalized bottle labels.
First introduced in 1886, Coke’s red-and-white color scheme and swoosh are now so distinctive, they can be recognized not only without the brand name, they can sport someone else’s name without much confusion.
Originally launched in Australia in 2012, the international Share a Coke campaign has also run in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and South America. Now it’s about to hit the U.S. market in a national integrated campaign. As reported by MediaPost’s Karlene Lukovitz, the initiative will be supported by new TV commercials, movie theater ads, social media and digital engagement, plus interactive digital billboards and live tour.
First-Name Basis
Coca-Cola will begin leaving off the brand logo on some of its 20-ounce bottles in the United States this summer. Instead, individual bottles will carry one of the 250 most popular first names of American teens and Millennials.
The idea, writes Lukovitz, is to strengthen the brand connection with young consumers and encourage them to share Coke with friends and family. “We hope that ‘Share a Coke’ creates occasions between people this summer where they can simply enjoy the moment,” remarked Stuart Kronauge, senior vice president, Sparkling Brands, Coca-Cola North America.
Beverage BFFs
Along with popular first names, the logos on larger 1.25-liter and 2-liter bottles of Coke, Diet Coke, and Coke Zero will be replaced by group names such as “Family” and “Friends.” 12-ounce cans will feature trendy nicknames including “BFF,” “Star,” “Bestie,” “Legend,” “Grillmaster,” “Buddy” and “Wingman.”
Consumers who want to personalize the sharing even further can add the hashtag #ShareaCoke to facilitate the sharing of Coke-related stories and photos while getting a chance to be featured on Coca-Cola billboards across the United States as well as in the ShareaCoke.com online gallery. The campaign website offers the ability to create “virtual” personalized bottles and share the images on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram. The website also lists the first names that are available on bottles in stores.
