Coca-Cola Advertisement

Coca-Cola being an American corporation, manufacturer, marketer, and retailer of non-alcoholic

beverage concentrates and syrups, offers more than 350 brands in over 200 countries, along with
the flagship Coca-Cola beverage. In this post, we will dive deep into the world of Coca-Cola
Advertising through some of its popular advertisements and taglines to understand how they have
optimized their reach, exposure, and sales around the world

Introduction to Coca-Cola Advertising

Coca-Cola rules the world of non-alcoholic beverages. It is one of the brands (if not solely the one)
known for non-alcoholic drinks, that have managed to stay since its inception in the late 1880s.

A wide range of products, including Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Fanta, Powerade, and Dasani, are
produced and supplied solely by Coca-Cola. Are you still wondering what the secret behind it is?
Well, you must be aware of brands like Apple.

It is the same way Coca-Cola has managed to rule. The secret is effective marketing strategies and
advertisements. In this article, the company’s advertisements and marketing strategies will be
highlighted.

Types of Media used in Advertising of Coca-Cola

Two different types of media are used in
Coca-Cola Advertising, and they are-
published media and visual/aural media.
Let us go through both of them one by one
to know different media types that
empowered Coca-Cola brand to reach
where it is-
Published media types-

 Newspapers
 Magazines
 Internet

Visual and aural media types

 Television
 Cinema
 Radio
 Posters
 Billboards

11 Most Popular Coca Cola Advertisements

1.Its baby step towards creating a buzz

When in 1888, Asa Candler took over Coca-Cola; it was a soda fountain drink and would hardly cost
five cents. The average sale was limited to nine glasses per day. Candler did that he gave away free
coupons to the more or less regular consumers and free barrels filled with Coke to stores which
were reluctant to stock this drink.

Now when customers with free coupons crowded the stores, the store owners returned to the hub
as paying customers. What a brilliant strategy for increasing the sell? It is considered as its baby step
towards setting a bar.

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2. With “Hilltop”, it made the whole world sing!
With Hilltop it made the whole world sing

Also known as the most iconic ad, this 1971 ad featured a diverse group of people, from different
ethnicities, gathering on a hilltop and singing together “I would like to buy the world a coke.” This
particular ad symbolized tolerance and unity and brought the people of the world together.

The Pepsi ad featuring Kendal Jenner is supposedly inspired from Hilltop. Some people often refer to
it as the introduction to pop culture in the consumer world. In 2015, it was featured in the Mad Men
Finale in its closing moments. This particular ad embraced and promoted progressive social values,
and honestly, a good song is very contagious. You could not help but join your neighbors while they
hum the lyrics of this song. Hence, the success of this ad campaign marked the onset of Coca-Cola’s
advertising tradition.

3. The “Hilltop” Reimagined brought back the lost spark.

Google collaborated with Coca-Cola to reimagine Hilltop for the generation of smartphone users in
2012. The “buy the world a Coke” was transformed into situational reality as people could buy a
Coke for anyone living in any part of the world through a mobile app. Specially built vending
machines were available which had interactive advertising screens on them.

Users were required to record a message and send it with Coke’s can to the recipients at the vending
machines. These recipients could also thank the users by further replying with a text message or a
video.

It was a massive success since original Hilltops created a buzz among people of that particular era.
The millennials, on the other hand, had very little knowledge of it and they got to live the nostalgia
that their parents always spoke and sang of.

Again, it preached progressive social values to people of the global village.

4. Association with the festivities

“Holidays are coming” was an ad campaign that was run in 1995. Since then, it has been officially
heralded as the Christmas song by many consumers. It featured sleigh bells, snow-covered woods,
atmospheric music, excited children, and a brightly lit truck. Coca-Cola had always celebrated the
festivities since the 1930s, but this particular ad marked its direct connection with Christmas.

This specific ad runs till today, and in 2018, it mainly focused on Coke Zero to approach its target
consumers (the young population) and also to promote laws around sugar content.

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5. The Coke Universe for kids
In 2016, Coca-Cola decided to wave off its traditional advertising style when it came up with “Coke
Factory”. It was produced by an Amsterdam Creative Networking Agency, Weiden+Kennedy.

This particular ad featured an animated movie, imagining the inner workings of a vending machine
right after a coin is inserted. It featured whimsical creatures whose combined efforts contributed to
making a perfect bottle of Coke.

At this point, Coca-Cola had kids and young teenagers as its consumers and, hence, the target
audience.

6. ‘History of Celebration’ (of sports)

In 2010, Coca-Cola celebrated the iconic 1990 World Cup goal of the retired Cameroonian
Footballing legend Roger Milla. Milla’s dance to that particular track went on to inspire other
footballers around the world.

That year’s World Cup track ‘Waving Flag’ had footage of footballers across the globe and their
excitement after scoring a goal for their national team. It conveyed a message of unity and
brotherhood. This ad’s closing line was “Coca-Cola: Open Happiness”.

7. Vending Machine was transformed into a Happiness Machine.

Coca-Cola’s “Happiness Machines” were spread across the globe. It required the consumers to
interact with the machines in a not-so-formal way to get a free Coke. In Singapore, people were
expected to hug the vending machines. In Korea, people had to dance to K-Pop. In London, people
had to complete a series of James Bond-inspired challenges.

In Stockholm (Sweden), people had to sing Christmas carols to get a free Coke. The reactions of the
excited and happy consumers were recorded and released as a series across various platforms.

This initiative won the Top Honours at the 2010 CLIO Awards, and the videos earned millions of
views. Coca-Cola came to be known as the brand that spreads joy as it provided relief from
boredom.

8. Coca-Cola knows your name!

Coca-Cola knows your name

In 2011, the “Share a Coke” campaign focused on bottles of Coke with common names (Bobby, John)
printed on their labels. The consumers were required to share the bottle of Coke with a friend of
that name.

Numerous consumers snapped pictures with bottles that had their names. It promoted and
capitalized self-expression and sharing. It had initially started Australia and later spread to 70 other
countries. It was a massive hit.

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The company experienced its first sales growth in over a decade.

9. It made music from the aggression and independence of a

generation.
In 2012, Grammy-winning producer Mark Ronson and singer Katy B produced “Anywhere In The
World”, the anthem for Coca-Cola’s “Move To The Beat” Campaign. Sounds of 5 young athletes’
training were sampled into every beat and chord. It featured teenage athletes and their love for
sports. A “making-of” video series was also released.

It earned more than 25 million views—this campaign resonated with the millennials who chose their
pathway.

The content came as a rallying cry of three millennials who wanted to live a different life.

10. The Polar Bowl

In 2012, this ad campaign featured two polar bears watching football and participating in their
version of the game. Its reach was not limited to television screens and was extended to online
platforms.

The audience could visit www.CokePolarBowl.com to watch the polar bears react and interact with
the game in real-time. These bears even responded to audience tweets. Weiden+Kennedy Portland
produced it.

More than 9 million consumers were engaged with the polar bears that night, and Coca-Cola’s
Twitter followers grew 38% within 4 hours. People loved being a part of this mainstream event.

11. Strangers became friends!

Chinese photographer Kurt Tang, with the help of Coca-Cola, addressed the issues of isolation and
loneliness. The 2013 “Friendship Experiment” was a series of photographs and videos featuring best
friends celebrating their friendships, each with a Coke bottle.

These very people were strangers a few minutes before they bonded over a bottle of Coke. It
received a positive response since it addressed isolation and loneliness, which were prevalent
among the target audience.