Diet Coke lets people reward unsung pandemic heroes with a year of free soda

Dive Brief:

Diet Coke launched a sweepstakes that lets consumers nominate a person they view as a boss for the chance to win free soda for a year, along with a mini-fridge to hold their beverages, per details shared in an email with Marketing Dive.
Part of the brand's "Drink it Up" 2020 campaign, the promotion rolls out around National Boss's Day (Oct. 16) and recognizes unsung heroes of the coronavirus pandemic, whether they're frontline workers or everyday people, such as moms and teachers, who are putting in extra effort. Diet Coke will amplify the contest, whose nomination period runs through Nov. 16, across its earned and owned social media channels.
Three grand prize winners to be announced in December will receive a year's supply of Diet Coke for 2021. The push shows the brand trying to give tired consumers a reprieve as the pandemic stretches on into the winter months and potentially hinders holiday plans.

Dive Insight:

As the pandemic grinds on, with COVID-19 cases again climbing, Diet Coke is looking to reward people who are striving through an exhausting situation. The sweepstakes allows fans and followers to spotlight everyday people who they view as heroes of the health crisis, including those directly combating the virus or helping to keep families and students engaged.

To enter an everyday boss for a chance to win free soda for a year, users can visit the contest website, enter their nominee's name and contact information and write a short blurb on why they think their hero is worthy. The pay-it-forward aspect to the campaign could resonate at a time when many consumers remain physically distanced and are hungry for a sense of community. It also mirrors promotions from Coke's competitors. Last year around the holidays, chief rival Pepsi ran a mobile-focused campaign that let participants dole out cash rewards to friends and loved ones as part of their seasonal gift-giving.

Diet Coke continues to build on "Drink it Up," which launched near the start of the year, before the virus started to shut down operations in the U.S. A big piece of the brand's 2020 platform is showing support for unappreciated people, including mothers, with video spots centered on the subject.

Coca-Cola froze much of its marketing spend at the outset of the health crisis, but the sweepstakes represents the type of mobile- and digital-oriented outreach the company could be putting a bigger focus on as it ramps investments back up heading into the key fourth quarter and holiday sales period. Coke could also be looking to fortify its core brands as niche beverage offerings struggle during the pandemic.

The marketer is realigning its portfolio in significant ways, and will sunset Tab, the beverage first made famous in the 1970s, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. After losing the mainstream appeal of its heyday, Coke's first diet cola offering still commanded a loyal following, but has become another victim of the health crisis.

Coke enacted a broad corporate restructuring in August, culling its total business units from 17 down to nine. It also plans to cut its body of 500 brands by more than half to center focus on the labels that can best meet the demands of a fast-changing pandemic market.