Social media has managed to weave itself into our society and culture. It is not uncommon to hear conversations related to Facebook or Twitter or MySpace. Sure, it may be a great way to interact with friends, but what about the usefulness of social media for large corporations and enterprises?
Some companies are have embraced social media as another way to push a product or service. Social media is free so why not give it a try? Take Coca-Cola for example. To help with their "Open Happiness" campaign Coca-Cola is sending three bloggers to all of the 206 countries where Coca-Cola is sold. Beside updating a blog, the travelers will also post updates on Twitter, add videos to YouTube and update the website.
Coca-Cola will also pay for travel expenses and pay them a salary as well. The participants, chosen through voting, will spend the entire year traveling to all of the countries. They will also have the opportunity to take part in many events, like the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. The trip begins January 1 in Madrid, Spain and ends December 31 in Coca-Cola's headquarters in Atlanta.
Sounds Fun! but will it work?
This expedition sounds like an adventure of a lifetime for the three participants. But, will it be advantageous for Coca-Cola? The travel expenses alone for the three bloggers will be tremendous and then each of their salaries must be added on as well. According to Adam Brown, director of Coca-Cola's Office of Digital Communications and Social Media, ''It's not about having the Coca-Cola brand first and foremost, center of the screen. "It's about telling the story that involves Coca-Cola, that involves the attributes of what Coca-Cola is about, optimism and joy.''
The "Open Happiness" campaign is meant to appeal to those looking to spend less money, which these days, everyone is.
The whole concept is appealing. Social media is meant to be interactive. This project allows followers to do that. Consumers can make suggestions as to what the bloggers should do in each location. The use of Twitter and YouTube allows viewers to make comments.
I think that this could be a successful campaign for Coca-Cola but I wonder how they are going to advertise the project. I don't watch much television so maybe I have missed any ads announcing the project. Coca-Cola wants to attract consumers from around the world so the company will definitely need to advertise in other countries in other languages. Coca-Cola is doing a good job of incorporating social media into this which could be very advantageous for them.
For more info check out this NY Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/10/21/business/AP-US-Coca-Cola-Fan-Trip.html?_r=1&scp=16&sq=social%20media&st=cse
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I feel like the company has no idea of how big its name outside in the world. Even people around the world that can't read know the Coca-cola brand. I think they are trying too hard and will be spending too much money. The Coca-Cola brand speaks for itself.
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