Share a Coke marketing returns with bigger push

Video: Share a Coke 2014 TV ad

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duh2lELaju4

A new TV ad launches today (17 July), featuring Bobby the dog hunting for his own personalised bottle. He eventually finds his name on a Coca-Cola outdoor ad, which nods to the brand’s ramped up outdoor activity that will see 200 names featured, including 50 chosen by consumers via Facebook.

Other extensions on last year’s campaign include a tie-up with Channel 4, that will see viewers watching 4oD on Channel4.com served with personalised ads featuring their name, followed by the 30-second Bobby TV ad.

Jonathan Allan, Channel 4 sales director, says: “I’ve had a deep desire to run individually personalised ads using our 10 million viewer database since I arrived at Channel 4. We thought it would be impossible to technically achieve for a few years yet but the ‘Share a Coke’ campaign provided the perfect opportunity to make it happen.”

In another extension on last year, consumers unable to find their names on bottles in-store will be able to order a glass bottle with their name on via www.mycoca-cola.co.uk.

Coca-Cola says it estimates the multi-platform campaign will be seen by approximately 94 per cent of the population 20 times over the summer period.

Bobby Brittian, Coca-Cola Great Britain’s recently appointed marketing and strategy activation director, says: “This marks an exciting development for the Share a Coke campaign, as we harness technology to make it more personalised than ever before…These new innovations will help us reach an even wider audience with timely, relevant advertising.”

Last year’s Share a Coke campaign was a huge success for the company, helping it outperform the soft drink market in both volume and value sales by a significant margin. YouGov BrandIndex data tracked to the end of the campaign also appeared to show the initiative had a positive impact on sentiment towards its brands.