Real life marketers for Coca Cola
Our visit to the Coca Cola headquarters was, once again, one to remember for our team, Viral Vixens (Marina Karvouni, Eirini Tsv, Elena Tsakiridou, georgia flaouna). This time though, our visit wasn’t purely for fun. We went there to present our ideas for the company’s newest application, WOHA (Where Only Awesome Happens). We were given a brief a month in advance and we were asked to come up with a promotional transactional activation and an amplification to spread the word regarding WOAH.
After a few presentations, it was our chance to present. We must say we had mixed feelings about this, since on the one hand we were nervous to stand in front of a crowd and talk and, on the other hand, we really wanted to share our ideas with everyone and see what they think. Thus, we were determined not to let our anxiety bring us down. After all, we had worked so hard on every aspect of our presentation, so we gathered every last bit of our strength and went for it.
Our main idea evolved around gaming. Gamers have become a rather large group in the past few years, especially since there are so many different games and so many different consoles to use. Some people even use their phones and play nonstop.
Our collaboration of choice was with “Blizzard Entertainment”, which is one of the biggest gaming companies in the world. Some of its most famous games are “World of Warcraft” and “Overwatch”. Blizzard’s upbeat and colorful aesthetic really goes well with the vibes of WOAH and Coca Cola and we thought that this collaboration would be a great chance for the brand to attract the attention of gamers who usually lean towards energy drinks such as “Monster”.
In order to benefit from the offer, the gamer needs to buy a Coca Cola bottle and redeem the code he finds on it, using the WOAH application. Each gamer can redeem the code for his game of choice and win different presents each time. We are aware that the gaming currency (bit coin) has acquired value in the real world and so we chose not to include it in the gifts we offer. We only chose stuff that can’t significantly change the gameplay.
Since Coca Cola is a rather cheap soft drink, we thought that people could start exploiting the codes in order to win excessive amounts of gifts. That is why we decided that the codes for small gifts (loot boxes and card packs) can be redeemed twice a week, while there is only a chance to win bigger gifts, such as pets/companions. The more Coca Cola you drink and the more codes you redeem, the more you will win.
Other than that, there could also be some limited edition Coca Cola inspired gifts, like weapons, armor etc. inspired by the colors and the symbols of the brand. This way, the company can get closer to gamers, who don’t normally prefer it over other drinks, and increase brand love.
Our event was based on the idea of a “treasure hunt”. The promotion starts with 4 videos on the channels of famous YouTubers we have chosen. The flow of these videos is interrupted by an abduction and the kidnappers informing the audience that, from now on, they are responsible for the fate of their favorite Youtuber. In fact, they are asked to save him by downloading the WOAH application and voting for the YouTuber that they want most to save and then follow some steps in order to begin the treasure hunt! The most voted YouTuber will be the presenter and the leader of the treasure hunt.
During the game, the participants are going to receive codes upon arrival in each location, which they can redeem whenever they like, and they will have to solve puzzles and riddles in order to continue the treasure hunt, save the Youtuber and collect their reward.
The hotspots of the treasure hunt will be running on Geolocation technology and, in the end, the trail on the map will design the iconic Coca-Cola bottle. The first three to arrive at the final destination and save the YouTubers, are going to win the big gift, the treasure chest. Inside the box the winners will find some limited edition Coca-Cola bottles and all the games that “Blizzard” has released over the years. All the hot-spots in the treasure hunt are going to be linked to brands that WOAH is collaborating with, so that the players can learn about everything that WOAH has to offer.
We wanted to put together an experiential event with video game mentality in order to link it to our offer and portray WOAH as a dynamic application that inspires the users to do different things and have fun. It’s not your ordinary application. It’s not just another event. It’s simply…awesome!
Overall all, the presentations went well. The feedback that each team received was constructive and all the advice from the experts was so helpful. After the presentations, they wanted to know our way of thinking and the reasons why we chose gaming instead of some other hobby. Their comments really helped us see our idea from a different perspective and we will definitely use their advice in the future.
We also had the honor to take some advice from Coca- Cola’s chairman, manager in Eastern and Central Europe. He congratulated us for our work and he was open to answer any questions we had. He pointed out that the two skills, which are necessary, if we want to succeed in the marketing world, are speaking English fluently and having the right soft skills. Great tips for our future academic and working life!
After hours of presentations, questions and feedback, Coca Cola rewarded us in the best way possible! They offered us a generous buffet with sweet and savory snacks to go with their signature soft drinks.
Thanks again to Coca-Cola and Mrs.Diana Birba for this experience and this unique opportunity!
