Coca-Cola Great Britain is bringing back its hugely successful ‘Share a Coke’ campaign this summer due to popular demand. In year two of the campaign, over a thousand names will appear on packs of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Zero between now and September. 500ml and 375ml bottles will bear first names of consumers with over 1,000 appearing in stores across the UK.

"We were overwhelmed by the reception our consumers gave Share a Coke last year. Having successfully run the campaign in many markets worldwide, we’ve received a lot of feedback from those at the heart of the campaign, our consumers. A lot of the interaction we got focused on the search for their name so this year we’ve made the campaign bigger, to ensure that thousands more people can join the fun of the hunt to find their name and those they love." Bobby Britain, Marketing Strategy and Activation Director, Coca-Cola Great Britain

For 2014, Coca-Cola GB is making the campaign more personal than ever by introducing targeted large PET bottles across Coke and it’s no calorie variants. These celebrate family by encouraging people to share with parents through ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad,’ appearing on pack. The 330ml cans will feature a selection of nicknames including ‘Mate’ and ‘Friends’.

The campaign is once again supported by an extensive integrated marketing campaign which includes Outdoor, TVC, digital and experiential activity.

INTRODUCING BOBBY

The TVC, entitled ‘Bobby’, follows one dog’s quest to find his personalised Coke bottle and shows just how everyone is included in this summer’s campaign. With Bobby watching on, groups of teens come together to enjoy the summer with their personalised bottle of Coca-Cola in hand. Unable to see his name, the canine sets out to search for his name. The advert, which launches at scale on digital platforms from next week, airs on TV and out-of-home advertising on 17 July. It can be viewed online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duh2lELaju4

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

Originally shot in South Africa, featuring music from UK music duo the Ting Tings “That’s Not My Name”, the TVC is the latest in The Coca-Cola Company’s proud history of powerful TVCs.

DIGITAL AND SOCIAL

Those who can’t wait to get involved in Share a Coke this year can head online to shareacoke.co.uk where they can share a virtual bottle with friends or download personalised wallpapers for their desktop or mobile phone. Consumers can also track down bottles as they are found via the Name Dropper digital app which will aggregate social media content using the campaign hashtag #shareacoke along with the name that appears on the bottle.

ONLINE PERSONALISATION AND EXPERIENTIAL

For those who still can’t find their name on shelves, an online personalisation site with more than 500,000 names to choose from will launch later in the summer. This offers consumers the chance to purchase iconic Coca-Cola glass bottles featuring their own, their friends and their families’ names.

There will also be chances to get personalised products at pop up events in major cities across the region and in store via the shopper activation which will allow consumers to instantly print labels featuring their surname on Coca-Cola or Coke Zero sharing bottles.

BEHIND THE SCENES FILM

To mark the return of Share a Coke, The Coca-Cola Company is giving you a sneak peek into the magic behind the campaign, by bringing to life what it takes to swap their iconic script with the names of their consumers. This short film shows the complex process of printing and production that is involved when putting 12,000 names on over 1.5 billion packs across Europe.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK7_AH79gEg]


“A lot of work goes into making the Share a Coke campaign happen and it’s nice to be able to give a little glimpse of the magic behind it,” said Bobby Brittain. “A key starting point for this year was listening to the feedback from consumers who wanted more names included. It’s increased the workload undoubtedly, but we’re pleased to say that almost everybody’s name is out there via all of our activations and that’s an exciting build for what is already an amazing campaign.”

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About ‘Share A Coke

  • Coca-Cola GB sourced independent data from Experian to identify 1,200 of the most popular names in the UK. Experian analysed the first names of adults between 19 and 29 years old, which were then weighted and ranked to generate over 1000 popular male and female first names in the UK reflecting the gender and the ethnic makeup of this segment of the population. The list of 1,200 names is available from the campaign website.
  • The names and nicknames will appear across individual 500ml and 375ml PET bottles of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero. 330ml cans, multipack formats and larger sharing bottles across Coke and its light variants will be also carry a selection of the 11 nicknames. The campaign will run throughout summer.


For further information, please contact:
Andy May, Open Road 0203 542 1119 / andrew.may@theopen-road.com on behalf of Coca-Cola.

About Coca-Cola Great Britain:
Coca-Cola Great Britain is responsible for marketing 21 brands and over 100 products to consumers across Great Britain, with a focus upon developing new brands and extending existing brands including Coca-Cola (recognised as the world’s most valuable brand). Other Coca-Cola Great Britain brands include Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Fanta, Sprite, Dr Pepper, Oasis, Glaceau vitaminwater, Oasis, Schweppes, 5 Alive, Lilt, Kia Ora, Relentless Energy Drink and Powerade. The Coca-Cola Great Britain portfolio is worth £2,095 million with value sales growth of 4.8% in the past year. Within this, the My Coke trilogy (Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero) is worth £1,162 million (Nielsen, w/c 20/04/13). Coca-Cola Great Britain is committed to developing innovative, responsible and sustainable initiatives that help protect the environment. Recently, the Coca-Cola system launched its PlantBottle™ plastic made from up to 22.5% plant-based materials. For more information about Coca-Cola in Great Britain, please visit our website at www.coca-cola.co.uk.