#ShareaCoke returns bigger in 2014

#ShareaCoke in 2014 will reportedly feature four times the number of names as used in 2013, increasing from 250 to 1,000, plus new additions of ‘Mum’ and ‘Dad’ on take-home packs to encourage families to interact through the brand, and ‘Mate’, ‘Bestie’ and other nicknames on cans and bottles.

This will apparently allow 80 percent of consumers to find their name printed on Coca-Cola’s cross-section of labels, packs and cans.

Last year’s Share a Coke campaign was a big marketing effort on behalf of Coca-Cola that generated an upturn in sales, as well as a major technical effort by the label printing industry, with a network of digital printers operating HP Indigo presses applying personalized data to Coca-Cola labels pre-printed on conventional press technology.

The project saw Coca-Cola marketing departments in more than 30 European countries supplying the 150 most popular local names, together with a range of slogans based around sharing Coca-Cola with friends and family. The names were printed randomly on labels for 0.5L and 375ml bottles of Coca-Cola® regular, Coca-Cola zero® and Coca-Cola light™.

A further 100 names were added later in the summer to bring the selection of personalized packaging up to 250.

The label printing element of the project was detailed in Labels & Labeling issue #3, 2013.

From a consumer perspective, pictures frequently circulated on social media showing how far some would go to find a name that resonated with them, while I had personal experience of finding and sharing a bottle with family and helping others find what they were looking for.

One of the early pieces of marketing collateral for the 2014 campaign involves a dog called Bobby searching for his own name to the sound of The Ting Tings and their 2008 track ‘That’s Not My Name’ (see video below), which already gives this year’s campaign a personal touch as my parents’ dog is called Bobby (pictured, right).

With 1,000 names to appear on packaging this year, I can’t wait to see what happens as people look to #ShareaCoke with friends in 2014.