The ‘Share a Coke’ campaign developed by Ogilvy Sydney was a simple idea: to make Coca Cola bottles and cans bearing common first names on the label instead of the standard logo. This basic concept soon became an international hit used to sell Coca Cola in over 70 countries, including England, Turkey, China and America.

In the summer of the campaign’s release, Coca Cola sold 250 million bottles and cans in Australia, and similar results have since been seen all over the world.

What made the campaign so successful?

Previous Coca Cola campaigns such as ‘Bottle Blast’ were great at showcasing people’s love of Coke, but didn’t affect sales. For ‘Share a Coke’, the key factor to the campaign’s success was personalisation.

In the same way that we’re more likely to open letters and emails addressed to our names rather than “the homeowner” or “valued customer”, as customers we are naturally drawn to products that feel tailored to us. Even more powerfully, the personalisation and nature of ‘Share a Coke’ encourages shoppers to buy drinks with our friends’ or families’ names on them as gifts to show we care.

Not many companies could economically substitute one packaging design for 150, but Coca Cola has the machinery to make it cost-effective for both them and their soft drink distributors. This means they didn’t have to raise the price of their drinks to cover costs, and so are seen as doing something nice for customers while asking for nothing in return.

Australia and Coca Cola

For decades, Coca Cola has been the go-to drink for parties and gatherings of any size. This is especially true in Queensland’s hot and humid climate where people need refreshment all year-round.

If you saw your or a loved one’s name on a bottle of Coke, wouldn’t you consider purchasing it?

Statis Beverages are Brisbane-based drinks suppliers, offering wholesale soft drinks to businesses who want to spread the happiness to their customers.