CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF COCA-COLA’S “SHARE A COKE” CAMPAIGN (Essay Sample)

CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF COCA-COLA’S “SHARE A COKE” CAMPAIGN By (Name) Name of the class Professor Name of school Date Introduction The overall existence of businesses is often premised on their ability to convert resources of production towards revenue generation. Revenue generation revolves around the maximization of resources leveraging factors of production to drive sales which in turn provides profits to sustain the business’ going concern. An integral component that completes this cycle of production and drives sales for profits is marketing. Dr. Philip Kotler defines marketing as the science and art of exploring, creating, and delivering value meant to satisfy the needs of a target market for profit maximization (Kartajaya et al 2019). The critical component in this explanation is the ability to satisfy consumer needs by delivering value. Therefore, companies that succeed in delivering value through the satisfaction of their target consumer needs are established to create a competitive advantage over other companies offering similar products (Al-Azzam et al 2021). Nonetheless, marketing as a concept in business has undergone tremendous changes prompting a revolutionary transition from traditional forms of value generation to consumers. Traditionally, companies utilized rudimentary methods to reach their target consumers. However, presently companies have shifted to encompass a mix of marketing strategies that incorporate both traditional and contemporary marketing methods. Digital marketing has particularly emerged as the go to method preferred by companies in a largely dominated world of technology. In its entirety it utilizes the internet to attract new consumers and maintain loyalty for existing ones. The application of digital marketing supports a wide range of digital tools incorporating online media such as social media networks, search engines, emails, apps and mobile messages (Dai, 2022). Collectively, these have been leveraged to provide promotion and substantially increasing the reach of marketing campaigns. With that said, companies and global brands have striven to connect with consumers on a personal level through their digital marketing campaigns. This report centers on Coca-Cola a brand synonymous with refreshment and happiness, providing a critical analysis of the brand’s digital marketing campaign “Share a Coke” launched in 2011 (Weatherford, 2019). This analysis delves into the campaign’s impact by critically examining its alignment with brand identity, image, personality, social media footprint, and customer engagement. Subsequently, a strategic digital marketing approach is proposed to enhance the existing marketing activities. Description and Evaluation of the “Share a Coke” Digital Marketing Campaign For an effective critical analysis of the “Share a Coke” digital marketing campaign, it is imperative to begin with an overall description of the elements surrounding it. The first consideration in this report is to provide key facts of the brand. The Coca-Cola brand is renowned globally as a beverage brand that has a legacy that dates back to the late 19th century. The carbonated soft drink is sold in more than 200 countries worldwide with a consumer base spanning over 1.8 billion company beverage servings each day. The brand was ranked as the sixth most valuable based on the Interbrand ‘best global brand study of 2020. It is globally recognized for its signature red color, scripted logo, and association with happiness and togetherness. Additionally in terms of revenue it was listed as No. 87 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest corporations in the United States. With reference to advertising, the brand has utilized various channels including sports sponsorship, mass media and holiday campaigns. The second point of description is the digital campaign itself which debrands the traditional Coke logo and replaces it with the phrase “Share a Coke with followed by the name of a person. The marketing campaign used a list of popular names with the aim of having consumers shop to find a coke bottle with their name or their friend’s name on it. The success of this marketing was premised on the strategic execution which engaged a diverse audience while leveraging on various digital tools (Desai & Vidyapeeth, 2019). In its manifestation, the campaign intended to incorporate the key elements of the signature red color and association with happiness and togetherness while innovatively presenting personalized bottles to maintain brand consistency while still offering a fresh perspective. 66929020510500 The third consideration in the evaluation of the campaign is the campaign’s target audience and brand relationship. With a wide spectrum and consumer base under the brand’s portfolio, the campaign was established to target a broad audience. Ideally, with a consumer base spanning in over 200 countries, the target audience of the campaign was geared towards consumers across different age groups, demographics and cultures. The provision for popular names in various countries as well as the option for customized names for specific locations allowed greater inclusivity in the consumers targeted by the campaign. The brand relationship between the audience and brand was manifested and strengthened by capitalizing on the brands tagline of happiness and togetherness (Weatherford, 2019). In actuality, the brand tapped into the emotional nostalgia associated with sharing moments and connecting with loved ones when sharing the Coca-Cola drink. The brand relationship was established by personalizing the bottles with names and terms of endearment. In so doing, the marketing campaign succeeded in fostering a sense of belonging which ultimately strengthened the consumer-brand relationship. The advent of digital media opened up to additional forms of marketing besides the traditional marketing techniques known by companies. In line with this, global brands have been rapidly looking towards the internet to develop techniques that push their marketing campaign for internet users. With that said, the fourth consideration in the description and evaluation of the digital marketing campaign by Coca-Cola are the digital tools employed to facilitate brand awareness. In its execution, the marketing campaign utilized a range of digital tools to push its campaign in a bid to actualize brand awareness. Social media platforms are a popular means for digital marketing campaigns for most brands. Similarly, the ‘Share a Coke’ digital campaign relied on the execution of social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to reveal its campaign as well as drive brand engagement. For instance, these social media platforms were leveraged to encourage users to share posts through pictures of personalized bottles with their names. Through this actualization, the brand prompted consumers to create user generated social media content which ultimately boosted and increased brand visibility across the internet (Rietveld et al 2020). Similarly, the brand came up with the hashtag #ShareACoke on social media which was successful by being a viral trend. In so doing the brand enabled consumers to engage in social media conversations and discussions that centered on the campaign. Lastly, an interactive website was part of the digital tools employed in the campaign allowing consumers access to the personalized name generator on the official website. Through this approach the brand’s target consumers were able to create and share the digital versions of their personalized bottles and in effect extending the campaign’s reach and influence. In general, the marketing campaign significantly utilized both digital and traditional methods to provide integrated marketing channels. This is the case because traditional mass media such as TV commercials were used to further introduce the campaign to wider audiences to reinforce the personalization impact. In its evaluation it is evident that the “Share a Coke” campaign capitalized on a creative approach that helped create a relationship between the brand and the consumers. The creativity in the campaign is demonstrated through its utilization of semiotics, typography and colors (Vincent & Kolade, 2019). Ideally, the use of individual names and endearing terms on the bottle emphasized semiotics to convey a personal and emotional message. Through this approach the brand tapped into the power of symbolism and personal significance generally enhancing the brand experience. In addition to this, the incorporation of the classic red color with the typographies of the names struck a balance between brand recognition and personalization. Critical analysis of the marketing campaign The description and evaluation section has introduced and highlighted some of the elements incorporated in the Coca-Cola digital marketing campaign. In this section, the report majors on the critical analysis of the marketing campaign to determine how effective the marketing was in expressing the brand identity and image, personality, social media footprint and engagement with the targeted audience. * Brand Identity and image Brand identity is a concept that collectively defines a brand setting it apart from its competitors through distinct and recognizable visual and emotional elements. It is critical in shaping how a brand is perceived by consumers by establishing a unique presence demonstrated through value and attributes conveyed to a brand’s audience (Armutlu, 2023). Some of the components of brand identity which may be critically analyzed in relation to the Coca-Cola marketing campaign include logo and visual elements, messaging and tone of voice, and values and attributes. Logos and visual elements are central to brand identity providing graphical representations which provide a recognizable look allowing consumers to remember a brand (Susetyo et...