By now, you’re probably sick of the seemingly constant images of name-adorned Coca-Cola bottles being posted on various social networks. Annoying as this has been, though, the campaign really represented a stroke of content genius by Coca-Cola.
The ‘Share a Coke with…’ campaign lit up Britain like no other has been able to in recent years. Why? Well, there are three distinct reasons.
1. It’s personal
Let’s face it – who doesn’t love something with their name on? It brings out our 
inner children; that excitement of knowing something’s been created just for you. For Coke to associate itself with that magical feeling is such a clever move. Personalised content is the big thing right now – 78% of consumers feel like brands that create personalised content are more interested in building a relationship with them.
A recent survey even found that half of Britain’s social media users would share personal information in order to receive personalised content – that’s how important it is. They don’t want to waste their time consuming content that means nothing to them. Coke realised this and went in the complete opposite direction –how much more personal can you get than having your name on a product?!
2. Convergence of physical and digital content
As Ben Redford mentioned at the recent Content Marketing Show, there’s a rising trend in demand for physical, user-generated content that converges with the digital world. Coke has succeeded in creating a dynamic partnership between offline and online content, providing double the satisfaction for consumers. Not only do they have a personalised, physical product they can hold in their hands, but they also feel fulfilled after sharing it out amongst their social networks. Plus, a recent paper from writers Zoey Chen and Jonah A. Berger revealed that “self-enhancement goals influence what people talk about” – in other words, if people feel sharing a certain piece of content will make them appear brighter or ‘cooler’, they may be more likely to do so. Coke really has proven this to be true.
3. Everyone can relate to it
Unlike some advertising or content campaigns, everyone – regardless of their social standing – can relate to the ‘Share a Coke with…’ campaign. It doesn’t exclude; in fact, by its very nature, it brings people together. Idealistic, perhaps, but it works!
All in all, these may seem like simple reasons – but often, simple marketing is the best! When you consider that traffic to Coke’s Facebook page has grown by 870% since the campaign launch, it has become the 23rd most-talked-about Facebook page in the world and that Coke has earned over 18 million social media impressions, simple really does seem best.
P.S. We couldn’t write this blog without giving a Share a Coke shout-out to some of our fabulous employees (and the MD, of course…)
Thanks to coca-cola.co.uk, flickr.com, tumblr.com, imgur.com and ebay.co.uk for the images