“Share a Coke” Onomastic Marketing Campaign

14443941528_46dc053f32_mOver a year ago, in a gutsy advertising move, the Coca Cola company launched a new campaign which invited coke fans to emblazon their personal names across a bottle, right above the white wave where the product name usually appeared.

The personalized product campaign seems to have fed right into that primordial drive which so many people seem to have to see their name written in print. The advertising was so popular that the company has had trouble keeping up with the production demands.

Aside from names like Aaron, Bobby, Diego, and Sheena, the company has also received countless requests to include fanciful nicknames like Legend, Wingman, and Star. In fact, the drive to have a personalized coke and a smile has become so big that many people are protesting that their names have not yet been plastered on one of the trademark hour-glass bottles. However, Coke Company executives insist that there is no malicious or hateful intent behind why some names have already been featured and others have not. According to a special CNN report, this year, the company has expanded its naming campaign to include even more specialty nicknames such “bro” and “better half”.

In addition, to make sure that the company effectively responds to the different onomastic desires and sensitivities of its customers, the firm has created specially tailored “Share a Coke” road tours which allow customers to obtain personalized coca-cola products that reflect their unique naming traditions. For example, in the Share a Coke Singapore tour, fans can receive cans emblazoned with the names Hui Ling, Di Di, Jie, Hie, Kor Kor, and Shuai ge. In Germany, coke drinkers can select between the names Antje, Heinz, Günter, Helga, Dietlinde, Margrethe, Torsten.

According to financial experts, the savvy onomastic strategy not only garnered new fans, it also raked in the bucks. In a report released by Entrepreneur, immediately, after the introduction of the “Share a Coke” campaign, corporate sales reportedly rose 2.5 percent, giving company officials quite a lot to smile about.

Find out if your name is on coke bottle.