Coke seeks "liquid" content
Posted by Turgut Ziyal on Thursday, June 23, 2011
Under: Marketing
Coca-Cola is seeking to deliver "liquid and linked" content which works effectively across a wide range of marketing channels. Speaking at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Jonathan Mildenhall, Coca-Cola's vice president, global advertising strategy and creative excellence, argued new models were evolving. More specifically, he stated the fusion between medium and message is encouraging a fundamental shift towards "liquid and linked" material transferring seamlessly over various different media. "We can't separate technology from the creative idea itself," Mildenhall said, according to Marketing Week.
Similarly, the impact of emerging tools from social networks to smartphones means marketers should consider both enhancing their in-house capabilities and building external alliances. "Technology is a brilliant creator and enabler, and we need to integrate technologists into our core creative teams and develop stronger relationships directly with the technology industry," Mildenhall said. The application of these principles covers the formulation and execution of communications programmes, but must also inform key decisions and determine positive results in the market. "Data will become the new soil in which our ideas will grow and data whisperers will become the new messiahs," said Mildenhall. As such, disciplines including quantitative pre-testing require "urgent addressing" to reflect the changing demands facing brand managers.
In demonstration of this, Mildenhall referenced Old Spice's wildly popular "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" viral campaign – a case study of which is available here – as proving TV spots are often now "just a slice of the idea".
Nike's partnership with Livestrong, run by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, adopted an approach which was just as diversified. Mildenhall thus asserted Coca-Cola's future needs would move beyond traditional engagement metrics based around the broadcast arena. "It's likely we'll develop ideas that aren't 30-second TV centric, so we're looking for quantitative ways to measure the success of these 'liquid' ideas," he said. "We are looking for quantitative ways of measuring big ideas and to expand on their potential. We also need to make more content with less money." One advantage benefitting Coca-Cola in achieving such objectives, according to Ivan Pollard, the organisation's vice president, global connections, was the "enormous network" of possible media formats at its disposal. Most obviously, this incorporates its brand page on Facebook, boasting 31m fans, and online loyalty property MyCokeRewards, possessing 15m members.
Equally, however, the beverage maker's trucks, product packaging, coolers, vending machines and innovative offerings like the Freestyle Fountain can be "mobilised as a force", Pollard said. At the same event, Pio Schunker, Coca-Cola's senior vice president, integrated marketing content, discussed how the firm's "Secret Formula" campaign constituted an example of this process in action. After a blog claimed, falsely, to have disclosed the jealously-guarded recipe behind Coca-Cola, the company responded by launching "Secret Formula", primarily aimed at teenagers. It leveraged in-store collateral from cans and fridges to Twitter and Facebook, all utilising a "keyhole bottle" insignia suggesting there was a secret waiting to be discovered. Alongside adding video to YouTube, this effort employed a Twitter feed for Dr Pemberton, the creator of Coca-Cola, which saw his writing style become increasingly modern over time.
At a separate presentation at Cannes, Microsoft also revealed how the NUAd in-game advertising service could be used to spread word of mouth. The IT group showed that shouting "Xbox tweet" when using its Kinect motion-and-voice-activated gaming system would let a consumer immediately promote a Coca-Cola ad they had seen on Twitter. Mark Kroese, general manager of Microsoft's advertising business group, said the goal of this product is to make ads "part of the platform."
Data sourced from Marketing Week, New Media Age, Ad Age
Similarly, the impact of emerging tools from social networks to smartphones means marketers should consider both enhancing their in-house capabilities and building external alliances. "Technology is a brilliant creator and enabler, and we need to integrate technologists into our core creative teams and develop stronger relationships directly with the technology industry," Mildenhall said. The application of these principles covers the formulation and execution of communications programmes, but must also inform key decisions and determine positive results in the market. "Data will become the new soil in which our ideas will grow and data whisperers will become the new messiahs," said Mildenhall. As such, disciplines including quantitative pre-testing require "urgent addressing" to reflect the changing demands facing brand managers.
In demonstration of this, Mildenhall referenced Old Spice's wildly popular "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like" viral campaign – a case study of which is available here – as proving TV spots are often now "just a slice of the idea".
Nike's partnership with Livestrong, run by the Lance Armstrong Foundation, adopted an approach which was just as diversified. Mildenhall thus asserted Coca-Cola's future needs would move beyond traditional engagement metrics based around the broadcast arena. "It's likely we'll develop ideas that aren't 30-second TV centric, so we're looking for quantitative ways to measure the success of these 'liquid' ideas," he said. "We are looking for quantitative ways of measuring big ideas and to expand on their potential. We also need to make more content with less money." One advantage benefitting Coca-Cola in achieving such objectives, according to Ivan Pollard, the organisation's vice president, global connections, was the "enormous network" of possible media formats at its disposal. Most obviously, this incorporates its brand page on Facebook, boasting 31m fans, and online loyalty property MyCokeRewards, possessing 15m members.
Equally, however, the beverage maker's trucks, product packaging, coolers, vending machines and innovative offerings like the Freestyle Fountain can be "mobilised as a force", Pollard said. At the same event, Pio Schunker, Coca-Cola's senior vice president, integrated marketing content, discussed how the firm's "Secret Formula" campaign constituted an example of this process in action. After a blog claimed, falsely, to have disclosed the jealously-guarded recipe behind Coca-Cola, the company responded by launching "Secret Formula", primarily aimed at teenagers. It leveraged in-store collateral from cans and fridges to Twitter and Facebook, all utilising a "keyhole bottle" insignia suggesting there was a secret waiting to be discovered. Alongside adding video to YouTube, this effort employed a Twitter feed for Dr Pemberton, the creator of Coca-Cola, which saw his writing style become increasingly modern over time.
At a separate presentation at Cannes, Microsoft also revealed how the NUAd in-game advertising service could be used to spread word of mouth. The IT group showed that shouting "Xbox tweet" when using its Kinect motion-and-voice-activated gaming system would let a consumer immediately promote a Coca-Cola ad they had seen on Twitter. Mark Kroese, general manager of Microsoft's advertising business group, said the goal of this product is to make ads "part of the platform."
Data sourced from Marketing Week, New Media Age, Ad Age
In : Marketing
Tags: "coca cola" coke microsoft cannes twitter youtube
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