Ch. 18 -Social Media and Marketing

     Coca-Cola's Facebook page currently has over 75,000,000 likes, and over two million people follow the company on Twitter. So it's quite easy to understand why social media is such a valuable marketing tool for Coca-Cola. Just on these two websites alone Coke can reach out to 78 million people daily, reminding them what a great product Coke is, and do so at a relatively low cost compared to traditional advertising. In addition, Coca-Cola frequently responds to peoples posts on they're website, to handle their concerns with the company, and in doing so gaining valuable feedback on the product.

     One way Coca-Cola engages people through social media is by allowing Coca-Cola consumers to support causes that they care about, and connect with friends. Recently, Coca-Cola has launched a campaign called CokeREDMoves. People can participate by uploading of themselves dancing online, and for every video uploaded, Coke will donate a 60 day supply of HIV medicine to those in need of it. Also, in 2006 Coca-Cola launched a campaign in England where Soccer fans could enter codes fan on bottle caps online. Each day, Coke would choose one entry at random and donate ₤250,000 to their favorite team.

     Participating in social media allows consumers to feel closer to Coca-Cola, gives the company a better image, and helps them relate to a younger generation. As the world is increasingly participating in social media, Coke and many other companies will rely more heavily on social media marketing to attract potential customers, and to keep current ones.