Dive Brief:
- Coca-Cola is promoting its new Coca-Cola Energy drink in its Super Bowl ad, which aims to get Americans to show up for work on the Monday after the big game, when an estimated 17.5 million people may not go, per a press release the company shared with Marketing Dive.
- Director Martin Scorsese and actor-director Jonah Hill star in the 60-second "Show Up" spot. Scorsese is at a costume party and texts Hill to find out when he will arrive. Hill is tired at home, having forgotten the engagement and has to find the energy to attend. Before responding to the text, Hill pops into a convenience store, buys a Coca-Cola energy drink and texts, "On my way" with a trophy icon. When Hill arrives at the party, the tag line, "Energy you want. Taste you'll love," closes the ad.
- Additionally, Coca-Cola teamed with Amazon for an experiential push on Monday morning. An Amazon Alexa Coca-Cola Energy Wall will dole out free samples of the new drink at Grand Central Terminal in New York. Amazon Treasure Trucks will hand out supplies in 29 other U.S. cities. Consumers can also place an order for the new beverage via the voice command, "Alexa, order Coke Energy." The companies also created the hashtag #ShowUp to encourage social media conversation around this theme.
Dive Insight:
Coca-Cola is using the big game to get the word out about its new energy drink product. The Super Bowl is the biggest stage to launch a new product line, and many brands this year are leveraging the buzz around the game as a launchpad for ongoing campaigns with the hopes that the message will continue to resonate after football season. Coca-Cola appears to be adopting this strategy by creating a social media hashtag and a giveaway centered on a message that positions its new beverage as a solution to a common problem occurring the morning after the Super Bowl.
About 17.2 million Americans were estimated to have missed work after last year's game, according to a study from The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated and conducted by The Harris Poll. Coca-Cola is trying to stop people from calling in sick the day after the big game with an energy-infused solution and giveaway in one of New York's busiest transit hubs. The product giveaway during the morning commute in cities across America will help to further cement the brand's message. The hope is that consumers will try the drink and tweet the hashtag #ShowUp, associating Coca-Cola's new drink as a source of energy to help them show up to their responsibilities and activities.
The Amazon tie-in may also help to spread the word about Coca-Cola's new beverage and encourage people to sample it. By enabling customers to place an order via Alexa, Coca-Cola is training people to place orders on these items, learning how to they use voice platforms as well as collecting consumer data around who is interested in these products and who to market to in the future.
About 70% of people will gradually use voice assistants to replace visits to a store or bank in the next three years, per a survey by the Capgemini Research Institute. With that in mind, Amazon has extended its Alexa voice assistant to products such as earbuds, finger rings and eyeglasses as the online retailer aims to bring its technology into people's everyday lives. It is also once again highlighting the technology in its Super Bowl spot.
Correction: A previous version of this story misstated how the Alexa integration works based on incorrect information provided to Marketing Dive. Customers can place an order via Alexa by saying "Alexa, order Coke Energy."