Coca-Cola is a global company. But when it comes to marketing, the CPG is harnessing digital tools to reach local consumers.
On an earnings call to recap the fourth quarter of 2022, CEO James Quincey detailed digital marketing initiatives the company is undertaking in Vietnam, India and Latin America.
“Our new marketing model is working with linked occasions and passion points to drive engagement,” Quincey said. “We're experimenting to optimize marketing. This is driving deeper connections with consumers, reaching them in unique and new ways. We are tying our beverages to consumption occasions and engaging consumers through local experiences.”
Quincey outlined several of the initiatives, and the results:
Content generator
In Vietnam, the Coke is Cooking campaign aimed to drive traffic back to stores. Coca-Cola partnered with more than 700 food shops, and created thousands of combo deals that combined food and Coke. The event also included digital support from local influencers, and merchandising within stores.
“This was the first time we used an on-ground event as a commercial asset, creating a social and digital content generator,” Quincey said.
The results: The campaign resulted in more than 1 million combo transactions, as well as 20% uplift for participating merchants.
Immersive experiences
In Latin America, Coca-Cola partnered with the massive music festival Rock in Rio to create new content in livestreams and the metaverse. The goal was to combine in-person and digital experiences, and increase engagement with consumers as a result.
The results: Coca-Cola boosted its reach from the roughly 700,00 attendees at the festival to more than 45 million people in the region. Ultimately, sales inside the festival increased 23%.
Personalized content
In India, Coca-Cola launched the Thums Up Stump Cam for cricket fans. Through the app, consumers could scan a QR code on a product label, and get access to match moments at the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup broadcast from a camera installed on a wicket.
“Throughout the 45-day tournament, we used first-party data and artificial intelligence to send personalized content to consumers based on their favorite matches, and we amplified the experience through sports influencers,” Quincey said.
The results: The cola brand Thums Up had growth that outpaced the full sparkling portfolio in India during the activation period. In all, it drove about one quarter of India's total volume growth of the year, and Thums Up saw its highest monthly market share jump during the activation period.
Voice shopping
In Germany, Coca-Cola created voice-based experiences with a technology partner that allowed people to shop and learn more about Coca-Cola products using only their voice.
The results: The campaign had 11 million impressions, and consumers engaged with the experience had a 25% add-to-cart rate.
Gen Z insights
As it launched Minute Maid Aguas Frescas, Coca-Cola leveraged Gen Z insights for a digital media marketing campaign.
The results: The campaign propelled the product to quickly scale from a launch phase in cans into Coca-Cola’s freestyle platform and fountain offerings. In 2022, the product recorded a 60% repeat rate.
Digital insights
When it comes to revenue growth, Coca-Cola is also seeking to leverage insights that can help it better understand customers.
“There is still much work to be done to maximize revenue by further segmenting our markets and consumers based on additional variables,” Quincey said. “We are leveraging digital and data-backed insights to better understand our consumers.This will help drive affordable propositions for basket incidence growth and recruit new drinkers. It will also lead to premiumization to drive price and mix.”
(Source: University of Michigan)
