In one of our assignments as part of the Blurred cohort this year we consulted on the social comms elements for Open Like Never Before: Coca-Cola’s first campaign after going quiet for three months while half the world was in lockdown.
We were working alongside ad agency 72 & Sunny who had commissioned George the Poet to lead the creative with a poem expressing many people’s hope that time away from the usual rhythms and rituals of life would allow us to reset and take steps to do things differently for our collective wellbeing:
‘What if the new normal, ain’t the normal we knew?’
The first part of our brief was to launch this through earned media, starting with employees sharing their own resolutions for how they would be #OpenLikeNeverBefore and then moving to external influencers and media.
George the Poet was the perfect talent to front the campaign but he is not well-known internationally so each local market was then asked to find other talents to build on the manifesto film and share their own resolutions, then invite their fans to do the same.
Phase two of the campaign moved in the other direction, with local shopkeepers and HORECA outlets showcased with their own resolutions and invitations to come back in and, in some cases, enjoy their first Coke for free.
Consumers were invited to contribute their own resolutions at any point, with local social profiles monitoring and sharing engagements to provide social kudos. Where possible markets where then encouraged to complete the circle, with highlight films incorporating all types of contributing audience: employee, independent hospitality owners, local influencers and customers.
Our job was to do the connection planning to make sure everything a) integrated social optimally across channels and b) linked up together across these different phases and components. We also had to ensure consistency across countries while giving each participating market the chance to flex and add their own local spin – an approach which is integral to all of the brand’s marketing and a key part of its success.