5 Lessons from Coca Cola’s New Content Marketing Strategy

 Coca Cola has been part of popular culture for over 100 years and has been called a “Vision Brand“. Its marketing and communication is purposeful and connects with its audience in a way that makes it stand out from its competitors. Its mission is not about selling products but to create significant positive change in the world that makes the world a better place.

Coca Cola’s mission statement

• To refresh the world
• To inspire moments of optimism and happiness
• To create value and make a difference

Recently they have realised that their marketing strategy that has worked well for them for decades needed to evolve and as such they are moving from “Creative Excellence” to “Content  Excellence”
Creative excellence has always been at the heart of Coca Cola’s advertising and they have decided that content is now the key to marketing in the 21st century on a social web.
Content for Coca Cola is is now the “Matter” and “Substance” of “Brand Engagement”
So what can we learn from Coca Cola’s new marketing strategy?

Lesson 1: Create Liquid Content

The purpose of content excellence is to create “Ideas” so contagious that they cannot be controlled this is what is called “liquid content”.
On a social web people can easily share ideas, videos and photos on social networks such Facebook.
So create content that begs to be shared whether that be an image, a video or an article.

Lesson 2: Ensure your Content is Linked

The next part of the equation is to ensure that these ideas create content that is innately relevant to

• The business objectives of your company
• The brand
• Your customer interests

This is “Linked” content…. Content that is relevant and connected to the companies goals and brand.
Ensure that the content communicates your message that is congruent with your mission and values.

Lesson 3: Create Conversations

Coca Cola has realised that the consumer creates more stories and ideas than they do so the goal is provoke conversations and then “Act” and “React” to those conversations 365 days of the year.
The new “Distribution Technologies” of Twitter, YouTube and Facebook provide greater connectivity and consumer empowerment than ever before.
Don’t just publish but interact with your audience and tribe.

Lesson 4. Move onto Dynamic Story Telling

On traditional media in the past story telling was static and a one way street. Television and newspapers shouted at you with no interaction.
Coca Cola has come the realisation that to grow their business on the social web they need to move on from “One Way Story Telling” to “Dynamic Story Telling”
This means you need to allow the story to evolve as you interact and converse with your customers. You need to converse with your customers in many media formats and social networks.
Storytelling has moved on from static and synchronous to multifaceted, engaged and spreadable.

Lesson 5: Be Brave and Creative with Your Content Creation

Part of the new Coca Cola content strategy is applying a 70/20/10 Investment principle to creating “Liquid content“.

• 70% of your content should be low risk. It pays the rent and is your bread and butter marketing.(should be easy to do and only consumes 50% of your time)
• 20% of your content creation should innovate of the what works.
• 10% of your content marketing is high risk ideas that will be tomorrows 70% or 20%. (be prepared to fail)

This provides a blueprint regarding moving on from just developing white papers to maybe trying some content that is more visual and engaging in web world that has embraced multimedia and interactive content.

The 30 Second TV Ad is no Longer King

Coca Cola has come to the conclusion that the world has moved on from the 30 second TV ad. So has the the Old Spice brand and many other businesses who are embracing social media as part of their marketing strategy.
We need to move towards a genuine consumer collaboration model that builds buzz and adopts a more iterative approach to content creation.
Learning how to fuel the conversations and interact has never been more important.
Consumers ideas, creativity and conversations have been set free with the evolution of social networks, learning to leverage and wrangle those conversations to increase your brand visibility is now a vital part of your marketing.

What About You?

Do you create conversations with your marketing? How many people are talking about your stories on Facebook?
Is your content liquid, linked and multi-faceted?

[2012 trends] Brand purpose to take lead in brand strategy

Brands can no longer rely solely on gaining consumers at pre-purchase with TV commercials to guarantee success. Products and brands aren't differentiated merely on functional or even emotional propositions anymore. You may think you can shout all you want with your advertising and sponsorships: no one will buy.


Authentic brand value


We are moving into the era of calculated, monitored and measured authentic brand value... delivered by positive brand experiences or brand engagements in both the online and offline environments, where advertising and PR just merely amplify these experiences.


Consumers are looking to brands that add real tangible value to their lives; clients are looking to us (as their agencies) to deliver real money-making value to their marketing strategies and their business as a whole (internally and externally); and employees are looking to us to deliver real motivations to their role within that organisation and the brands it serves.


The brand now needs not only to represent its product but the people behind the product and why they do what they do for that product's success.


Driving factors


The factors driving this desire for value are numerous and varied, depending on who you are talking to, so you need to consider the main influences driving the value era:

1. Rising expectations
   
   The global recession and its aftermath have destroyed people's trust in companies and brands to the core. Consumers are wiser and will continue to rise up against the unethical or greedy companies.
2. The rise of Gen Y and Gen Z
   
   These generations are the future markets. They are optimistic, entrepreneurial and the most socially connected generation ever. They bring a new mind-set. They want to do well by 'doing good' and see themselves with a mandate to affect positive social change.
3. Competitive and government pressures
   
   Legal requirements and competitive pressures are forcing businesses to disclose everything, from carbon footprint to labour practices. 
4. The race for resources
   
   We all know that we are facing looming shortages of various crucial resources but demand for them continues to increase exponentially. Businesses and brands, therefore, have a moral responsibility to ensure the sustainability of these resources for future generations.
5. Connected conversations
   
   Social media has fundamentally changed the way we communicate and engage. Consumers are talking to each other before talking to the brand, and trusting total strangers. Friendtelligence is driving choice; brands, therefore have to drive positive talkability, both in the online and offline world (equally well), to have any chance of success.

Marketers are asking


Critically, brands have moved towards trying to own more value-adding brand communities. In a marketing world, where content, digital assets, brand activations and share of voice (online and offline) are now the norm, marketers are asking themselves:

• How do they give their brand the competitive buzz?
• Where do they start?
• What should they be focusing on - is it digital, is it social media?
• Where does advertising fit into this new world?
• Is my brand CI still relevant to all my markets?
• How do I measure this, and
• How do I get the power of communities (starting internally) to rally positive conversations around my brand?

I believe a solution exists for marketers and should be the starting point for every single brand.


The answer is brand purpose.


Powerfully defined


Brand purpose has been powerfully defined as the company's definitive position it is trying to make in the world. It is based on what a company believes in and what difference it can make in the lives of the people it is trying to serve.


A lot of companies know what they do and how they do it, but not many know why they do it. The why is what will differentiate you from the competition and result in a sustainable advantage. It's the answers that marketers need to know to enable them to build platforms on which to attract sustainable value-adding brand communities.


It's no surprise that sector leading brands all have a clearly defined purpose on which to build value-adding brand communities:

• Ritz Carlton: ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen
• Apple: to become the brand that is indispensable to anyone willing to develop his/her mind-power
• Pritt: to bond parents, teachers and children through character-building creativity
• Nike: to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world

Help employees and shareholders understand


The importance of building a brand on purpose, rather than on a promise or a proposition, is not just to help your audience understand what the brand stands for, but perhaps more critical to help employees and shareholders understand "why we are here" and to signify their intrinsic value to the organisation and its reputation as a brand.


Once they understand this, they can deliver (with confidence) the optimum brand experience that delivers brand value.


In summary, brand purpose is a very important trend we see not only for 2012 but well into the future. Not only will consumers win in the long term but the world will benefit, too. Therefore, brand purpose and the process of getting it right should be on the agenda for every organisation and led by the top but built bottom-up.

Our thinking on brand purpose:

Best of 2011: The Most Popular Tips, Interviews & Think Pieces

How can we manage our energy and attention for peak performance? How does a constant barrage of information affect our decision-making skills? How can we build better habits, embrace risk-taking, and truly realize our creative potential? We're not saying we have all the answers, but this Best of 2011 collection does attempt to provide insight on these questions - and to empower you to work with more smarts, more purpose, and more results.

1. 25 Insights on Becoming a Better Writer
We round up 25 nuggets of writing wisdom from Kurt Vonnegut, Margaret Atwood, Joyce Carol Oates, Augusten Burroughs, Geoff Dyer, Steven Pressfield, and more.

 

2. The Resume Is Dead, The Bio Is King
Why writing a compelling personal bio is crucial to your career, and tips on how to craft one.

3. Francis Ford Coppola: On Risk, Money, Craft & Collaboration
Legendary film director Francis Ford Coppola talks about how he self-finances all his films, why the artist must never lie, and how true collaboration is like great sex.

 

4. A Day Without Distraction: Lessons from 12 Hrs of Forced Focus
What if you had to focus for at least 30 minutes on every single task that you did? Would it improve your productivity? Cal Newport takes hard focus for a test drive.

 

5. Why Creative People Need to Be Eccentric

Do you ever feel like your regular habits are a little bit crazy? We investigate why eccentricity is essential to doing great work.

6. Email Etiquette for the Super-Busy
It's time to take a leaner, meaner approach to email. We lay out 10 simple tips for making email more efficient, and more actionable.

7. Fix Bad Habits: Insights from a 7-Year Obsession
Getting rid of bad habits isn't just about saying NO. To truly succeed, we must replace the bad behavior with a better behavior. Here's how.

 

8. Don't Overthink It: 5 Tips for Daily Decision-Making
Indecisiveness is a productivity killer. We look at the science of decision-making, and how you can make better choices.

9. Setting the Scene for a Productive Day
Your desk setup and surrounding environment play a huge role in your ability to focus and produce great work. A look at how to "script" your space for creative success.

 

10. A Master Plan for Taking Back Control of Your Life
Our willpower is a highly limited resource, and it gets depleted by every act that requires its use. We outline 8 steps you can take to maintain peak performance.

11. Simon Sinek: If You Don't Understand People, You Don't Understand Business (Video)
"We're not good at everything, we're not good by ourselves," says Simon Sinek. Our ability to build trust and relationships is the key to our survival as a race, and to thriving as ideamakers.
12. Vision Without Obstruction: What We Learn From Steve Jobs
Self-doubt, short-term expectations, bureaucracy. How can we pursue bold ideas without letting these everyday obstacles get in the way?

13. Developing Your Creative Practice: Tips from Brian Eno
What if you don't have a good idea today? Lessons in training and building your creativity muscles from legendary musician Brian Eno.

14. How to Create a Captivating Presentation
Terrified of presenting in front of an audience? Or just a little shy? How to take your public speaking ability and slide presentations from uncomfortable to awesome.

 

15. The Future of Self-Improvement: Grit Is More Important Than Talent
What if long-term success doesn't really have that much to do with your "potential"? A look at recent research that debunks talent in favor of true grit.