Session 3

Moving from one space to another

The aim of this session

• To understand how brands operate in the traditional media space (using Coca Cola as an example)

• To look at Coca Cola’s approach to operating in the ‘social’ media space

• To start to work out what a brand needs to do in order to become social

Why is Coca Cola the world’s greatest marketing organisation?

Coca Cola in the 1950s

Functional (category) benefits: refreshment

Positive self-identification

A respected endorser

Coca Cola in the 1960s

Cultural ref

erence

(remember th

e 60s were a

bit weird a

nd creative

directors we

re experimen

ting with dr

ugs)

Coca Cola in the 1970s

Emotional benefit and behaviour

at point of consumption

Coca Cola in the 1980s

Cultural reference (again)

Evidence of creative inertia

Coca Cola in the 1990s

Status:

Voted the best

The biggest (the

best)

Distribution mar

keting strategy

Coca Cola in the 2000s

Cultural reference (again)

But done better this time

Coca Cola today

Emotional benefit and beha

viour

at point of consumption (a

gain)

Other stuff Coca Cola has done

One common theme

• One message (proposition) in front of lots of people

• Has to work that way (remember last session)

Initial attempts to break free of traditional media

What might be the problems with this type

of approach?

The two big problems

• Scale: traditional media was all about creating scale / reach – social doesn’t have scale built into it

• Relevancy: how can we have ‘individual’ conversations in a way that create a scalable benefit

• Differentiation: all roads lead to smiling brand representatives handing out product for free

The Coke response

• Coca Cola Content 2020

In summary

• Produce lots of ‘liquid’ content, based around ‘linked’ stories• This has to be the world’s most engaging content• It will be based on ideas so compelling they take on a

lifeforce of their own• Also has to be rooted in ‘live positively’ (rather than

happiness?)• Has to be governed by the ‘North Star’ of popular culture• Must provoke conversations (and earn a disproportionate

share of popular culture)• These provocations will come from the ‘soil’ of data (via data

whisperers)

So what do you think?

What I think

Definition of Dynamic Storytelling The development of incremental elements of a brand idea that get dispersed systematically across multiple channels of conversation for the purposes of creating a unified and coordinated brand experience

“…we will provoke conversations and earn a disproportionate share of

popular culture”

What I think

• They are trying to make the old rules of mass media work in a space where new (social) rules apply

• “We have to be more niche and focussed and ‘with’ our consumers in more places – so lets find a way of making lots of niche ads”

• Increase the volume and variety of content, while finding a way to still have some creative control (linked storytelling)

Other responses

• Solve the scale problem by adding scale to the brand’s social media presence

• Solve the relevancy problem by hosting conversations with your target consumers

Brief: Generate 100,000 Facebook interactions

Response to the scale issue

Cross promotionData capture opportunity

Relevance

Marketing Directors’ Conversation Consumers’ Conversation

What should they be doing?

“Each day, fans from around the world visit the page to express their love and share stories about Coca-Cola, which plays a key role in their lives. The brand is taking a backseat by joining, not hijacking, these online conversations. Doing so shows respect for our consumers and celebrates their creativity.”

My theory

Coca Cola is a huge and successful brand

Facebook interaction is therefore a measure of the

brand’s success.

As a result of this success, people ‘interact’ with Coke on Facebook

No evidence to demonstrate how Facebook interaction is

creating a brand’s success

The consumer stories are the end of The Story

?

The Coca Cola Challenge: how to make the consumer

stories the beginning of The Story

Brand is the centre of the story

Consumer is the centre of the story

Consumers ‘provoke’ the brand

Provoke consumers

Amplify their response

Brand facilitates the behaviour

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends….

What do you think about that now you know how I feel?

Say you can handle my love are you for realI won't be hasty, I'll give you a try

If you really bug me then I'll say goodbye