In the next phase of its “Share a Coke” campaign, the cola giant starting in April will put song lyrics on packaging pulled from more than 70 popular songs. Lyrics cover a range of music, from rock ‘n’ roll classics like Queen’s “We are the Champions” to patriotic songs such as “Proud to Be An American” by Lee Greenwood. (See some examples in the above slideshow.) Coke will also include lyrics from some of its iconic campaigns, such as “I’d Like To Buy The World A Coke,” the classic jingle that includes the line, “I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.”
The campaign, called “Share a Coke and a Song,” will be supported by music-themed TV spots, social media and a summer-long experiential tour. The campaign will cover Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Coca-Cola Life, furthering the marketer’s new “one-brand” strategy that unites multiple varieties together in the same marketing.
Agencies on the campaign include: Wieden & Kennedy, Portland for creative; Universal McCann for media; Arc Worldwide for shopper marketing; Cornerstone for music; Fast Horse for PR and FortyFour and Irban Group for e-commerce.
The program sets up a summer of dueling packaging plays between the nation’s’ two biggest cola brands. Rival Pepsi is planning to dress its cans and bottles in custom emoji designs called “PepsiMojis.”
Coke plans to extend its campaign to mobile by encouraging consumers to use the Shazam app to scan specially marked 20-ounce bottles and in-store signage. That will allow users to record a 15-second “digital lip-sync video” that can be shared on social media using the hashtag #ShareaCoke, according to the brand.
Coke first ran “Share a Coke and a Song” in China in 2014, but this is the first time the campaign has come to the U.S.
