How the "Share a Coke" campaign used the word-of-mouth marketing strategy through social media

    Coca-Cola, also known as Coke, is one of the world’s most iconic and beloved carbonated drinks. Coke has had a very remarkable journey through amazing advertisements and a vast variety of different sodas. The use of word-of-mouth marketing by the brand Coke was a great strategy to use for their campaign "Share A Coke". The Share a Coke campaign is one of the most memorable campaigns that Coca-Cola has ever done. The campaign was first launched in Australia in 2012, and later in Britain in 2013. Coke partnered with Oligvy and Mather Australia who were advertising agency partners. Coke replaced the traditional logo on their bottles with a collection of different names going along with the saying “Share a Coke with _____.” Coke chose 150 of the most popular names in Australia and stuck them on the side of a Coke bottle.
    This unique approach to personalization not only fueled a surge in sales but also sparked a global social media frenzy as consumers eagerly shared their personalized Coca-Cola experiences. The message of Sharing a Coke was everywhere. Australia even made kiosks where you could get your own personalized name on a Coke bottle. The primary message of the campaign was to build an emotional connection. Coke wanted to create a more personal relationship with their consumers and make them feel happy. By replacing the Coca-Cola logo with names and nicknames, the campaign aimed to convey the message that Coca-Cola is a brand that cares about individual consumers and their unique names. The campaign also wanted to make it more of a social aspect where it felt like the consumers were sharing a Coke with their loved ones. The personalization element of the Coke bottles allowed consumers to locate bottles with their names and find personal significance to them.
    The campaign focused on boosting Coca-Cola sales by driving consumer interest and demand through personalization and connection. For the target audience, teens saw Coke as an “older person” drink since it has been around for so long. Many different sodas are being produced daily and teens seem more attracted to the hype of a new drink, so Coke does not seem as iconic to them as it did before. Coke’s goal was to have teens buying their products and to have them appeal more to their brand. Another goal of the campaign was to create a more personal and emotional bond between consumers and the Coca-Cola brand. By replacing the Coca-Cola logo with individual names and nicknames, on bottles and cans, Coke aimed to make consumers feel a sense of ownership and connection with the product.
    The Share a Coke campaign utilized numerous media channels and platforms to reach its target audience and convey its message. The media channels included physical product packaging, social media, digital platforms, and traditional advertising. The primary medium for the campaign was the physical packaging of the Coke bottle. The logo was replaced by personalized names, nicknames, and even song lyrics. This individual packaging welcomed consumers to engage with the product. The personalized touch created a sense of personalization, aligning with the campaign’s message of sharing and emotional attachment. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter played a significant role in the campaign. Consumers were encouraged to share their photos of their personalized Coke bottles on these platforms using the hashtag #ShareACoke. Coke also created its own website for consumers to put their own names on the bottles. The digital platform allowed for a broader online engagement and extended the campaign’s reach.
    The Share a Coke campaign was an international hit. The company’s revenue had a dramatic increase, along with a huge attraction on social media. Before the campaign, sales were going down because teens were not that interested in Coke. In the US, 10 million teens did not have Coca-Cola in the preceding year, so Coke developed the Share a Coke campaign. The result was that 1.25 million more teens tried a Coke during the following summer and sales of participating Coca-Cola packages rose by a phenomenal 11% in the US. ‘Share a Coke’ in the US was more successful in driving sales than in any previous market that had run the campaign. After the campaign first started in Australia in the summer of 2012, Coke sold more than 250 million personalized named bottles in a nation of just under 23 million people (about the population of New York). The campaign then went worldwide, reaching more than 70 countries. Coke also gained more than 25 million followers on Facebook, and consumers created and shared more than 6 million virtual Coke bottles by September 2014.
    One of the most significant strengths of this campaign was the effective use of personalization. With every bottle having a different name or saying on it really created a strong emotional connection between consumers and the brand. Another main strength of this campaign was how viral it went on social media and the news. Everyone was doing anything to find their name on a bottle once they saw someone they knew post about it. Once people found their name, they would post pictures on every platform with the trending hashtag #ShareACoke.
    During the campaign, I remember how huge it was on social media. Everyone wanted to go to their local gas station just to find a Coke with their name on the bottle. Once they found their name people would instantly share it on almost every social media. I believe that Coke wasn't planning for this campaign to become an international hit, but it did just by word-of-mouth marketing. Their campaign was highly successful due to the viral hit of everyone talking about it and sharing it on social media. It is crazy how fast something can go viral on social media, and everyone wants to get it. If a lot of people post that they have this one really cool thing, a lot more people will purchase it and post it as well for recognition that they have it too.