1. Facebook Case Study
on
Coca Cola
57 Million fans and counting …..
Prateek Chatterjee, January 10, 2013

2. How Coca Cola got its fizz from FB?
• In 2008, executives at Coca-Cola had to decide what to do with a
fan-created page on Facebook that had amassed over one million
followers in three months
• Rather than trying to buy it or create another "official" page, they
rewarded the two fans (who created the page) and worked with
them to continue building the page and representing the brand
By empowering their existing fans, rather than trying to marginalize
them, Coca-Cola has been able to build on the connections that
were already established with fans on Facebook before they even
arrived in an official capacity.

3. So what else did Coke do differently?
• Emphasis on User generated content
• Website integration to FB page
• Visual appeal – say it with pictures

4. User generated content
• Coca-Cola’s Facebook Page is mostly run by its fans. By
posting very little of its own updates, it is letting the fans do
the talking.
• It asks people to send in pictures of the places they drink
Coke and poses questions such as, “What’s your favorite
time of day to enjoy an ice-cold Coca-Cola?,” receiving
thousands of likes and comments.
Coca-Cola understands the need to abandon traditional
advertising on social media sites in exchange for fan
engagement. Asking for fans’ opinions, videos, stories and
photos is endearing and shows that the company cares.

5. Saying it with pictures …
• Another way that Coca-Cola stands out, is their approach to
photo albums.
• Many companies simply incorporate an album of product
pictures and call it a day, but Facebook offers companies a
chance to get creative with photos, and Coca-Cola realized
that.
• They have a number of albums showing off the product,
workers at the company, photos of Coke fans, pictures of
Coke products from all around the world, and pictures of
old Coke nostalgia.
• Coke knows that their brand is an icon and people don't
just interact with their product by drinking it — they
actually collect it. Their photo albums reflect that.

6. The FB fizz around Coke campaigns
• In 2009, when the corporation was promoting Coke
Zero, it launched a Facebook app called Facial Profiler
that allowed fans to find their look-alikes on the site.
• They’d upload photos and then find their matches. The
point of the app, was to get consumers thinking that its
flagship soft drink has a twin in its sugar-free version,
Coca-Cola Zero.
• After the matches were generated, the first photo that
would come up would show Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola
Zero side by side. Users of the app could contact their
match and post results on Facebook

7. Separated at Birth …… ?

8. Fan engagement
• From August 2010 to February 2011, Coca-Cola doubled its fan base from
10.4 million to over 22 million on its Facebook Page.
• It was because of Expedition 206, a social media campaign that lasted for
one year and chose fans as brand ambassadors.
• Three Coke fans had the opportunity to travel for 365 days around the
world and promote the soft drink to its 206 markets.
• Along the way, the travelers posted their updates on blogs, Facebook, and
Twitter, bringing fans along on their journeys.
Press link below to watch Youtube video on Expedition 206
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=C4BfxQj98cc

9. Website integration to FB page
• The Coca-Cola website encourages viewers to
visit the Facebook, Twitter and Youtube pages
• The Coca-Cola fan page seems generic at first
glance, but upon closer inspection it is really a
testament to the brand's commitment to user
participation.

10. Coca Cola website - Home Page
Putting social media upfront

11. Coca Cola Facebook page
57 million fans !

12. • According to Coca-Cola’s official blog, “Each
day, fans from around the world visit the page
to express their love and share stories about
Coca-Cola, which plays a key role in their lives.
The brand is taking a backseat by joining, not
hijacking, these online conversations. Doing so
shows respect for our consumers and
celebrates their creativity.”
What do you think?