#ShareACoke...and Your Secret
- Jul 19, 2014
- 2 min read
July is almost over, which means that summer is, too. So, right before I begin a new semester with a new lease, a new class schedule and a new goal (to find a job after graduation), I must first go through the unavoidable nostalgic Facebook and Instagram posts that honor “the best summer ever” as it comes to a close.
While I will of course be a part of this morbid tradition, I feel that I must also tip my hat to this summer and the brands that brought us together as a country, specifically Coca Cola.
I know, I know, I’m completely biased. As an Atlanta native, I didn’t try Pepsi until this past year, and I still prefer a nice, cold glass of Coke. While I didn’t need another reason to make Coke part of my summer, the brand revolutionized their normal summer designs to make cans personal, literally.
Bottles and cans of Coke advise you to “Share a Coke with…” and then a unique name or noun. Everything from Legend to John, BFF to Lauren. All summer, when I was in a store I searched for my name. When I was unsuccessful, I found a friend’s name, so that I could send them a picture, thus initiating a happy conversation that fits right into the Coca Cola brand attitude.
The brand utilized social media by requesting users post their aluminum or plastic nametags with the hashtag #ShareACoke. Thus, purchasers were inspired to post a picture of their beverage on social media. Who says free advertising is impossible?
This campaign has reminded me of a conspiracy theory/joke that I heard earlier in the summer. Someone told me that Starbucks baristas purposefully mishear customers’ names as they write them on drinks, so that the patrons will post pictures of their drinks on social media. Do I believe this? No. Do I think it makes at least a little sense? Oh yeah.
Along this vein, Coke has a portion of its ShareACoke.com website dedicated to creating a virtual bottle where users control the name and message. For those with unique names, this idea offers them inclusion in the campaign. Customers can also search for names based on specific stores. Now that’s called organization.
It is worth mentioning that this campaign has faced a scandal worse than a unique name not being available with the correct spelling, but overall, as a consumer, I truly think that this campaign has helped to define the summer of 2014. Next year, people all over the world will talk about how Coke cans had names on them a year ago. Even now, customers, as they become nostalgic about the fading summer, will suddenly miss these bottles, and will associate them with their sunny memories.
For Coca Cola to be able to do this while still being one of the largest corporations in the world just proves that they deserve so many awards for their summer campaign.
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