Coca-Cola shakes up a signature campaign to deepen personalization

Dive Brief:

Coca-Cola's "Share a Coke" summer promotion is expanding past regular Coke, Diet Coke and Coke Zero to include more products including Coca-Cola Life and Cherry Coke in the U.S., the company said in a news release. The campaign, where various names are printed on Coca-Cola packaging, will also include almost 200 last names for the first time.
The extension of the campaign, which is now in its fourth iteration and called "Share an ICE-COLD Coke," comes as part of Coca-Cola's ongoing "One Brand” marketing strategy, which seeks to cohere advertising messaging and creative around its various products and touts how Coke fits into "all lifestyles and occasions," per the release.
"Share an ICE-COLD Coke" will be promoted with TV, cinema, outdoor, social and digital advertising starting in May, and fans can shop for bottling with their name on it along with Coke merchandise at ShareaCoke.com. "We have the right understanding of where the consumer is going and where we want our portfolio to go," Evan Holod, Coca-Cola brand director at Coca-Cola North America, said in the news post.

Dive Insight:

What started as a limited marketing push in Australia has slowly turned into one of Coca-Cola's signature yearly events, expanding to over 100 countries worldwide since 2011, according to the release. However, since "Share a Coke" is entering its fourth iteration, the brand is clearly looking for a shake-up to keep the idea fresh and fizzy with consumers and also expand reach by including more products.

The campaign, on the whole, is built on a simple concept but also a clever one: convincing shoppers to pick up a Coke over the competition because its label shares their name or the names of their friends and family. By adding last names to the mix, Coca-Cola deepens the personalization and customizability of "Share a Coke."

In the past, the campaign has had a strong digital push, including the ability to scan a bottle to access content. Details are light so far on the marketing for this year's promotion, which will include a multichannel push and a microsite dedicated to "Share a Coke," where shoppers can purchase personalized 8-oz. glass bottles and six-packs.

Coca-Cola, on the whole, is rethinking its approach to marketing across channels, both with the "One Brand" strategy and in its corporate structure under new CEO James Quincey. Last month, the company announced that Global CMO Marcos de Quinto would be retiring and that the company would be moving to consolidate its marketing, customer and commercial leadership.