Get Social With Your Customers

As a major sponsor of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Coca-Cola has launched digital programs, “Design the World a Coke” and “WE8”. Coca-Cola implemented a social networking strategy to “connect with the ‘unity’ theme of the Games, and reinforce the positive message of happiness and refreshment.” The interactive, social media-focused campaigns were detailed in an AdWeek article on July 21, 2008.

Building upon the iconic bottle, consumers can “Design the World a Coke” creating their own bottle artwork, building artwork galleries, showcasing their galleries within a larger Coca-Cola gallery, voting for their favorite designs and posting their galleries on their own web pages.

In addition, Coca-Cola selected eight artists to create a unique bottle artwork design based on different themes and asked musicians to create a song to reflect the design. Each design and song combination is featured on its own microsite, where site visitors can download music and artwork. The microsite addresses are promoted on the packaging of Coca-Cola products in 44 markets.

The Olympics provide a sound platform to drive inspiration and brand engagement, Tressler said. But the strategy extends beyond the 17 days of the Beijing Games. “It’s more about how to bring inspiration to people’s daily lives and how we can drive everyday relevance off of those values,” he said.

Read the entire article here: Link

Visit Coke’s site here: Link

While B-2-B companies are slower than B-2-C companies to participate in social media and online networks, by allowing current and potential customers to interact with your brand will help build and strengthen awareness in the marketplace. Creating an online presence and building a community not only builds loyalty with your brand, but also provides insight on customer needs and trends. Engage your customers by knowing your customers–what are their likes and dislikes, where do they go for information, how do they spend time–in order to create an experience that resonates with them.