Monday, January 3, 2011

MMB 1/3

http://adage.com/article?article_id=147953

Coca-Cola Wraps Up Largest Social Media Project Ever
Coca-Cola had a public relations project where three twenty-somethings went to all the countries that sold Coke to document "happiness" in one year. These three people were given lots of gadgets and their travels could be followed on Expedition206.com, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. They could not visit all 206 countries in 2010 due to weather and visa problems but successfully went to 186 and made it to Atlanta on Dec. 29, in time for the new year. This publicity tour increased awareness of Coke in vital markets, such as China, where about a billion people were aware of or followed the travels of the three individuals. The success of this trip, which was followed by billions of people, was due to local management. Though the project was conceptualized and initiated in Atlanta, each local market in each country participated when the travelers were in that region, giving the trip a whole new flair.

Coke has always been known for its brilliant advertising, which are normally emotional and appeal to human nature. Such a trip would not only raise awareness around the world about Coke and how popular it is but appeal to the wonderment at the diversity of the world. I went to the website and the travelers focused on the both the diversity of the world yet the universality of various experiences, such as love, friendship, and Coke. This is just one more of really good advertising campaigns by Coke because it's so appealing and fun.

There's also a youthful vibe to it that I loved. This would have been lacking if official ad companies had gone on the journey or wrote the blogs. It looks extremely attractive yet accessible to all ages, making the spectrum of the audience as wide as the audience for Coke. It also did what it was supposed to: raise awareness globally about Coke. It was yet another successful ad campaign from Coke.