The encyclopedia · Marketing & Brand · Marketing decision · 2011
Coca-Cola Australia replaced its logo with first names and reversed a category decline
Putting 150 common first names on cans made a Coke into a personal gift and a shareable moment.
Coca-Cola South Pacific
the move
Coca-Cola in Australia was fighting a declining soft-drink category, with sales falling among the young drinkers it most needed.
Ogilvy Sydney replaced the Coca-Cola logo on 150 of the most popular Australian first names and told people to 'Share a Coke', pairing the cans with a TV campaign and personalisation kiosks.
Against a category decline of 0.7%, Coke increased volume sales, and the idea travelled the world as the global Share a Coke platform.
why it works
- A can with your name on it is a small gift, so it generates a purchase moment that a plain logo never creates.
- Personalisation made the product self-photogenic, driving social sharing without extra media spend.
- It let Coke reach teens and young adults with an idea about identity rather than a request to buy more soda.
- Kiosks and virtual cans meant anyone, not just the 150 names, could hold a Coke that read as theirs.
what transfers
If you cannot lower price or win on taste, hand the customer a way to personalise the product; a drink with someone's name on it is bought twice.
what came after
Share a Coke became a global Coca-Cola platform and one of the most awarded campaigns of its era. It won market-share and volume gains against a shrinking category and was followed by name-based executions in dozens of markets.
references
- Coca-Cola South Pacific: Share a Coke
- Digital Media Awards 2012: Coca-Cola named Digital Brand of the Year
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