Coca-Cola likes this…

You can almost bet that the brief to the advertising agency went something like “increase Coca-Cola sales in the UK through a campaign driving social media conversation and engagement with the brand.”

The brand’s ‘Share a Coke’ campaign hits a nail on the head of each objective. Coca-Cola sales rose by 2.9% compared with the same period last year and, to add another brownie point, this jump in sales appears to be at the expense of their largest rival, Pepsi Cola.

The campaign is so effective as it works on multiple levels. The average Coca-Cola consumer will by now be fully aware of this campaign so when they see a bottle or can with their name on it, they’ll feel the impulse to buy that specific one. It’s also equally likely they will take a photo of them holding ‘their’ drink on their phone and upload it straight to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Mass commenting and hashtag-ging ensues and the consumer directly promotes the brand to their social network cementing a successful viral campaign. All this without asking