The contagious spread of Coke.

Have you ever Shared a Coke? If you haven’t, I can bet you’ve heard of Coca-Cola’s campaign somewhere along your travels.

Dr Jonah Berger describes the infectious spread of information through the six basic principles of Social currency, Trigger, Emotion, Public visibility, Practical value and Stories, STEPPS. These principles can be used to drive social transmission and increase the popularity of a brand.

Image source: created by Emma Wilmot using Canva

Social Currency

Theory suggests we are more likely to share information that makes us look good to others and brands have caught on. In an era of personalisation and vanity, Coca-Cola’s campaign to ‘ShareaCoke’ hits the nail on the head by offering personalised coke cans and an opportunity to share that experience through social media. Coke created a product that millions of people were interested in sharing and as a result the brand experienced an 870% increase in Facebook traffic and 12,020,000 earned media impressions.

Trigger

A trigger is something consumers can associate with a brand. White cursive writing on a bright red background. Sound familiar? Of course it does. Coca-Cola is the second most widely understood term in the world, after ‘OK’ and the branding is the same across the globe. It didn’t matter that the word ‘Coca-Cola’ no longer featured on the can, the white writing on a bright red background was enough to trigger consumers into identifying the packaging (or billboards) as being associated with Coca-Cola.

Emotion

Emotions of excitement and anticipation drive people to share content. Did you ever find yourself looking for your name or the name of a loved one at the supermarket or in a take-away shop? I know I did. The buzz and anticipation Coca-Cola created around the personalisation of their cans reverberated on a global scale.

Public Visibility

‘Built to show, built to grow’ is the mantra followed by Dr Berger. Coca-Cola launched this campaign first in Australia and then across the globe and people from all over were sharing Coke’s content and cans. The Share a Coke campaign was alive and viral, running in over 80 markets for the last seven years and reversing an eleven year consumption decline.

Practical Value

Useful content that can get shared. #ShareaCoke solves problems. If you are looking for a personalised gift or even just a drink to share with friends, Coke’s campaign made the decision easy for millions of people world wide.

Stories

Content that tells a story. That’s what consumers want and that’s what they’ll remember. Coca-Cola not only provided consumers with a story, but actually made consumers the hero of that story by personalising their product with names. The campaign reminds consumers about people currently in their lives and people they may have lost touch with, encouraging them to #ShareaCoke. Did you share a can of Coke with anyone?

The #ShareaCoke campaign follows Dr Berger’s six STEPPS and as theory would suggest, has created a hugely successful and totally viral marketing campaign that has increased social share and injected the brand back into the millennial market. If you’d like to read more about viral marketing and are interested in what NOT to do...why not check out my blog, The greatest party that never happened (wixsite.com).

Written by Emma Wilmot

Photo byErnest Brillo onUnsplash