HOW COCA-COLA CAPITALIZED ON PERSONALIZED MARKETING TECHNIQUES

We all love personalized items: from monogrammed backpacks to your initials inscribed on a necklace, there’s something intimate and conversational about something just for you.

Clearly, the advertising and marketing spheres have picked up on this trend. Most famously, perhaps, is Coca -Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign of 2011, an endeavor that printed popular names from each of 80 countries onto the side of the beloved drink. Seemingly simple yet massively effective, this campaign became a worldwide phenomenon and a social media sensation as people scoured grocery stores for their name and shared it online.

Seven years later, as the world amps up for the FIFA World Cup, Coca-Cola is back again with another social-media forward campaign. This time, cans will be printed with numbers 0-9 and fans are encouraged to share their predictions for the scores of each match on social media.

Considering personalization itself is by no means a revolutionary marketing technique, why is this personalization trend so… well… trendy?

Social media can yield a plethora of beneficial results but can also result in “experience envy” as we compare ourselves to others online. Log into any social media platform and you’ll be inundated with photos of picturesque landscapes and fancy foods from the other side of the world. What Coca-Cola’s campaign does is give everyone something postable in the palm of their hands. It gives us a reason to feel special – from a brand standpoint, that’s a strong emotional bond.

At its root, social media strives to bring us closer. Coca-Cola effectively employs this notion by transforming soda cans into an experience and giving the consumers what they want: a personalized product that utilized social media in order to bring people together.

This personalized approach mirrors our philosophy at Turchette. Instead of predicting FIFA scores, we deliver targeted PR communications that speak directly to business challenges and needs. We personalize our approach by providing hyper-targeted ad campaigns, including demo and geo-fencing. We custom design intuitive micro-sites and tailored videos that direct potential customers to relevant solutions.

While personalization in marketing isn’t fundamentally new, it continues to resonate with audiences globally. Coca-Cola has certainly taken advantage of this trend and has yielded great success in each of their campaigns. At Turchette, we understand the power of personalization. We are confident in our abilities to strategically differentiate your products and services. Plus, we’re always willing to share a coke.