Share a Coke with…

Late last year, my cousin returned home showing me a funny picture on her BlackBerry Messenger. A friend of hers had put up a displayed picture showing the soft drink section of Shoprite Lekki in disarray. In the picture, a young man was caught in the act searching frantically for his name on a bottle of Coke!

A few days before then, a friend also had on his DP his picture holding a bottle of Coke with his name, Chuks, on it. Same goes for my friend Funsho.

Earlier, a friend who is a brand journalist posted his picture holding a bottle of Coke with his name Raheem, written on it. I was still trying to put all these together when I learnt that it was Coca Cola’s new advert campaign.

For more than two months that the campaign has been on, I have not come across my name as common as it is. However, just last week a cousin sent me a picture of a bottle of Coke with Funke on it. He told me he bought it at his school canteen.

This brings to mind an experience my colleague, Sola Bello and I had at the office canteen last month. We had both ordered for a meal alongside two bottles of Coke. When his bottle was brought, alas, his name was on it! He wasn’t aware until I told him to check the name on his Coke.

The ‘Share a Coke with…’ campaign has really caught up with so many people looking forward to seeing their names replace that iconic brand name Coca-Cola on a Coke bottle. It is indeed very strategic, and kudos to the man whose idea it is.

It is not just a campaign that is being humorously used by people, it is a functional tool that Coca-Cola has used to warm its way into the consumers’ heart again in the face of stiff market competition.

Lovers of the presidential aspirant, Buhari were smart enough to have used photo shop to place his name on a Coke bottle. It has spread like wildfire online. It has been shared on Facebook, BBM, Twitter, Instagram, among other social media platforms.

In fact, some very daring photoshop images have this written on them: “Share a Coke with Pepsi.” I don’t know how Coca-Cola will react to that, but the truth is they have gotten this campaign right. It has caught on and many consumers fancy it.

It is a campaign I hope Coke will continue with for a long time to come. The excitement of sharing one’s name with such a global brand must have been very remarkable for discerning consumers. Kudos to Coca-Cola for such a great ad campaign.

Funke Osae-Brown