The news that Pepsi had decided to completely eschew Super Bowl ads in favor of social media marketing was pretty big, to say the least. In each of the past 23 years, the soda company had chosen to air commercials during the game, evolving to the point where the two had almost become synonymous with each other. Consequently, many interpreted this shift in Pepsi’s policy as a mark of how far social media marketing has come, and how powerful it has the potential to be for a business.
Although both of these things are undoubtedly true, people seem to be forgetting how useful social media can be when used in conjunction with traditional advertising. Much to Pepsi’s likely chagrin, however, Coke hasn’t made that same slip.
In addition to the usual Super Bowl advertising that Coca-Cola has planned, the company is also taking part in a social media campaign using its Facebook fan page. Coke plans to raise up to half a million dollars for the Boys & Girls Club of America by offering gifts on the site that can be sent to other users, and the company will contribute $1 for every gift purchased.
Though the proposed donation is an already benevolent gesture on its own, Coke is also offering a 20 second peek at its Super Bowl ads to users who purchase one of their gifts. As you can probably imagine, this combination of traditional and social media marketing is generating a considerable amount of buzz for Coca-Cola as a company.
In doing so, Coke has essentially provided a near textbook example of how to properly integrate different types of media into one shared campaign. The Super Bowl ad allows them a more traditional branding opportunity, while their social media campaign not only invites users to become active participants, but also rewards them for benefitting a good cause.
Consequently, it shouldn’t as too much of a surprise if it turns out that Coke wins this bout of advertising. Over 2500 Facebook gifts were given out during just the company’s announcement of this advertising project alone, and between now and the Super Bowl, it seems almost inconceivable that Coke won’t reach its goal of 500,000.
Written by Kenny K.