Share a Coke: Creating Community Through Brand Identity and Personalization

Abstract

A brand identity is the strategically planned and purposeful presentation of a brand manifest in its name, logo, tagline and color palette. The Share a Coke campaign relied on Coca-Cola’s famous brand identity design to introduce a campaign that evolved into a global phenomenon. Coca-Cola bottles in 80 countries were debranded - the official brand identity was removed - and instead personalized with the phrase “Share a Coke with …” followed by each country’s most popular names. This marketing approach prompted consumers to share the soda with their friends, both in person and through photos posted to social media platforms. Some of the metrics of the campaign’s success include global sales of 150 million personalized bottles, global trending hashtag in #shareacoke, and one billion media impressions. In the US, sales increased for the first time in a decade. This case study traces the origins, evolution and success of the award-winning global campaign, with a focus on how the design of the iconic Coca-Cola brand identity was integral to that success.

Presenters

Susan Alessandri
Associate Professor, Department of Advertising, PR & Social Media, Suffolk University, Massachusetts, United States

Details

Presentation Type

Poster Session

Theme

Visual Design

KEYWORDS

Brand Identity, Brand Identity Design, Brand Name, Logo, Color Palette