CONTAGIOUS CASE STUDY Coca-Cola / This article appeared in Contagious issue Thirty Two. Contagious is an intelligence resource for the global marketing community focusing on non-traditional media and emerging technologies www.contagiousmagazine.com For more information please email the team on sales@contagiousmagazine.comJonathan Mildenhal VP global advertising sateay “creative excalenc contagious saya CASE STUDY COCA-COLA / THE SOCIAL NETWORK / The ubiquity of Coke is the stuff of legend. Just last December the ColaLife charity partnered with the brand to distribute vital medication to far-flung regions of Zambia, such is the reach of The Coca- Cola Company's network. But a global presence is not the same as world domination. The 2020 Vision roadmap unveiled by chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent threw down the gauntlet to employees and competitors alike. Its headline targets were unequivocally ambitious: to more than double system revenue and servings by 2020, and ‘be #1 in the non-alcoholic ready- to-drink business in every market and every BRAND DNA DED Har ‘Allanta, Georgia EMPLOYEES / 146,200 PRobucT/ Sparking snd til readyordenk beverages PROMISE Toretesh the wold “Teinspre mements ef eptinism and happiness “To create value and make a aiference wy CONTAGIOUS / Liguid and Linked: the worle's most ‘valuable brand event ie marketing and recognises ils place atthe hear ofthe business category that is of value to us! So what do you have to be willing to do to make this happen? Well, you have to be ready to shake things up... / BY KATRINA DODDaA A N We will do to the size of our business what it took us 125 years to achieve. That means there's no convention in the organisation that isn't worth reconsidering. Jonathan Mildenhall Jonathan Mildenhall is a born agitator. In the stand-out ser of last year’s Cannes Coke's VP for global advertising strategy and creative excel- lence stood before a packed auditorium to explain how The Coca-Cola Company's approach to. marketing had been ripped apart and rebuilt to help the organisa tion attain its ambitious targets for growth. ‘The pursuit of happiness / Rewiting the communications constluten was a fast and dy process that gathered 40 global exace at Coke's Atlanta HO in aly 2031, Over one intense weok, the team thrashed out Content 2020, 4 tenrstep manifesto tht comprehensively reinvented the ergansatin's marketing medus operand: chapter and verse on Watd Dornan, but na rice way. Ever ance that presentation at he Pals des Fest Content 2020 has been conspisuus in its avalably. Even forabrand that’s all about sharing, tho decision to publish As Tong-erm marketing strategy i the form ofa 20-minute ani mated YouTube vdeo was a prevocatve act of vanoparency ‘The riendly, whiteboard skelchnatesiye clip fs naraled by Mideohal, hs Leeds sccent pa through the fer paints of content excllan means to toate campaigns tha ate Liquid and Linked! This nest descrpior sons up the dynam approsch captured by Midental and hs coleagues: We wart to ete se ideas that ae so contagious we actualy lose controle ete they go he explains. We wan! toinspe conversation that goes ine paces we couldn't even mage: But all of cours, ect Inked othe vales and objectives that mat torte the company's stable of brands. QUID, LINKED AND LIKED One ofthe fst major responses te Content 2020 came om 1s ‘ar away fom Aanta as fs possible to get: Australia, Osginy’s Shares Coke (Contagious 21) hunched almost by steath as bole of Coke bearing 180 ofthe most popular ‘Aussie first names began te appear on shelves sores Sharng is easing / As the press and public Began to catch on, the campaign proper rolled out. Newspaper ads and TGs showing a montage of volntoore potos of people with the same fist name hit screens during Austalas bg dest sparing weekend, reaching around 20% ofthe teal Population. The hock was in Coke cteating reason for Deople te connect wth friends and family or reconnect with those they lst touch with, The idea flowed through asrmary channel as possible mobi, Facebook, outdo, TV, radio ~ fo ensure maximum patcipation, while mobil Kiosks toured shopping ceirs toate else mainstream name For Midenhall tho campaign wes ‘lesic Liuid and LUnked It's social atthe hear puts the Brand inthe han of ou consumers, We user-generated content, ste ing great stores organically: Better yet, he continues, I's changing the marketing plan ha way trough the actual aot= vation because * becomes so popular hat we have to cll raion! referendum on more ntmnes tobe added tothe cans snd bot Ilse drove sales for tha marke up by St, rising to 796 amongst he target auchonce of younger er ART & COMMERCE Mideoklls passionate about the relaionship between c= sti and commerce, othe industyeruee ofthe C Lions Intemational Fesbval of Cresvty, The Coca Company (TCC) this yer picked up a total of 20 Lions, spaming 10 categories, inching the crowning achieve. tant of not one ut to Grand Pi We fake Cannes incretly serous, because its beenchmatk for excallance amongst ths great global nee roupihe says. We're only going abe suocesstl fw nspre Pericipation among the wela’s mest crealve mds: Td Truch rather have them thinking abext Caca-Cela Company brands than anybody else's. We now have eealves fang cover themselves to put ther best dese int our organsaten vin depth Th two Grand Prix partioula highlight the breadth and dopth of work through wich a brand as old and familar as Coca.Col ie connecting with coneur fs aoross ts huge glcbal constiuney. The poster ron Oghy Shanghs, which won top honurs nthe Ouisoor category, s simpy teal, an iconic graphic idea that pertecl embeds the ergnal bie! Shatinga coke! Ne transaton quired, At the ether end ofthe creative spectrum, «celaberation with Google earned Coke its second Grand Pri, topping the newlyminted Mobile category with a fesh take on the bran icon Fillep commercial. The reworked campaign pked up on the origina! Iie Ta the to buy the world @ Coke! creating @ desitep and mobile ad interface that slowed users to ‘send can of soda to one ofa network of ‘ustem-bult vending machines across the worl LATIN LEADERSHIP The abily to produce highly creative work across every ivable touchpoint in matkets a+ geographically and caltralyaatinet 38 China and America has been expecially stking his pastyeac Newhete, however has the euut been ‘ute so vere, so consistent inventive as Latn Aetia,& net lot on Midna: "Me cerelaton between creative « has boen proven in atin ‘Americ, Over hela five years been our most awarded region ane the most consistent rawh driver of voli 8nd profi for The Coca Cala Compa icoess and commercial sce contagious so Marketing is about making people fall in love with your brands. | know instantly when a story is well-crafted. It hits you in the heart. Javior Sénchez Lamas, VP marketing, TOCC Latin America728 ‘Tha hit Seton / In Eeusdor, a shopping entre played host to Cascade, a 16-matre interacve veal Coke watetl Nomis Interactive Arts designed the aera to ‘ply’ with passersby, generating uquo pattems and affects to match thor movements, Ogly Grass Sprte Showor ofered « more teal take on a sma theme. A gint Spite dpenser ‘was nstaled on the beaches of Rie de Janeiro to Bring the idea of rtreshmentto le inthe wetest way possible, trenching these brave enough ~ er maybe just ht enough = to push the lve: ‘Sports and tusic, so often the focus of ateary spon sera ialives, abo benefit om the region's apparent vwlingnees fe lave no idea ~ however eld ~untumed, bh Argentina, Coke's Cheering Tuck, cencoived by Del Campo Nazoa Saatchi & Saath, cap: tured the county's passion fer football taveling fom stadium to stadumn to 1200rd «millon cheers later played out fo boost the natons! teem “dung” the Cops Amerca In Colombia, music fans downloaded tracks during 8 spe" ‘Gal concert, masterminded by Oginy & Mather, Bogta,whicn began withthe favourte band hoisted high above an adoring ‘crowd. As the downloads racked Up the Band edged down, utl they wee finaly nfl sgh ‘on the slage. In anathr earmpaign, CCTV footage was se ‘nis not free but fr moments that showed everyday poople a! thoi best, with the spontaneous acts of kindness fad alwtm coated sto montage celebrating the good ness thats olton ovetooked, (Open door poy / Javier SAncher Lalas is VP marketing, TTOCC Latin America: his delight in, and commitment te delving exrardinary valve ~ in alts sonses ~ is coar "The hing lam most proud ois not campaign itis the way ‘we workin Lan America te produce tigh quality marketing Ins endeavour to atvact the best wess, Coke hae | open-door poley that invtes any agency in the region “except those working with Pepsico brands ~ to submit sorpts and cencepts en an ad hes basis. The results aknd ‘of creative parity, stocked with tempting ideas thal ean be pulled out when the time sight Larolas simpy soos tn a8 pragmaticresponse tthe ‘evolution in fs own market and beyend: "We are moving from marketing Communism ~ in which mavkeers were able {eo push average-qualy marketing to consumers ~to markt ing Darwinsm in which people wil on soe what they wart {osee. Inti scenario only high quay and highly adaptable marketing wil survive Establshing the Inova Lab The inreasing sign ‘cance of this came through when the company used this years Cannes Lions Festival to announce the Innovation Liab: not a physical space, but rather a tem that conjures We are moving from marketing communism - in which marketers were able to push average quality marketing to consumers — to marketing Darwinism, in which people will only see what they want to see. Javier Scher Lamelas ‘Coke's exible approach te working and shares with a wider audience of potental flat, The Labs vale to push ‘exsting Koy partners to use art and technology to reimagine ‘consumer experiences, a¢ well a to engage with experts beyond the marketing wordt might. for example, reach ‘out te Holywood senptwnters to ensure storyeling on new ‘contentdrven patorns Ike Coca-Cola TV and Coke FM is the bes it can possibly be, ‘gly and adaptability: structured play / The determina ‘on tinject new thinking int the heart ets marketing has been matched by Coca-Cola Lain America's rigour nesta shin an internal system that allews it 0 thvve. ‘We have ‘several secret weapons! explains Lamas, Fist, we work 82 one integrated team across all ur 95, counties. Our agencies are part ‘ofthe team, We also work wth a hoizon of 24 months stock oer keting materi, This gives ws ime tothnkand to dedeale resources te innovaten, We have clear roles ‘and responsibilities among the ai ferertteammembers, Tre decision raking process is ansparet fast and we delagate as low as Wwe can inthe organisation. Our ‘sly standards are nigh. When you work in Coca-Cola "goed" is not enough. We werk aa powertl Marketing Factry. I's 2 dierent model han the tactonl way of working ina mar keting department. We generate greater outou, str wth ‘signicantl less resources and rewerk! WORKING THE SYSTEM ‘Content 2020 was Coke's way of seeding a mere dynamic, ‘encompassing and adspiable approach tes communica tion, but Latin Ameria the conditions have been crested te hothouse that process, Now, n Ine wth the Liquid an Linked approach, Coke Fas pul the framework in place to ‘ensure that success in ene region can flew realy to ethers Develep and disseminate / Guy Duncan, global group _roaine desetor, Coca-Cola, cts the example of the infos ‘eush popular Vending Machine spet. which dispensed ‘Coke and other veais to delighted students. Takrg thal ‘spat forward, we evelved it infos broader pilosephy that ‘wo named Where Wil Happiness Strike Nex? That phioso- ply has gone bayend fm ite seca med. and has alse begun to shape global creative work, The new global ro ‘rarone led by Moxie isl about random acts of kindness {rd extends t9 mich mare han a 20 second TVG: Ih the Philippines, for example, the Cocs-Cola brane apple tho concept oa preect that saw a group of Over teas Flpine Workers reunited wih ther fies back home in time to celebrate Christmas together ‘ortho fst time in years. Wt stick a huge, emotional chord throughout the region, and dew over rllon YouTube hts in ust thee weeks.Today’s culture demands a continual dialogue with consumers, meaning more content, more often to feed the conversation that is 24/7, always on. We have to be more efficient than we ever have before with our production budgets to get the content that we need to feed that dialogue. ‘Look at the world a little differently’ FRIENDLY, EsteFreedom to caste /I haps tha Coke is loss preserve now than previously, wotking hard to ensure thats agency parners have pleny of scope to bring a local take to the Toon brands they work wih. That doesn't moan say tat sybody can do what they wanton ay of or global brands says Mildenhall. "We are vry clay. We have a single brand ‘roth strategy for al he brand,» single brand von and ‘rchitecture, and a single create ides. Weve moved away ‘rom brand “propecions" as ale‘ahioned thinking, Instead we ut have bigger brand spaces, so Fara is al about Ply, Coke Zero is all about Possvitios and Coke is al about Happiness! Beginnings not endings / ley within those wide parar- ‘tars crucial and Coke's global marketing team is focused ‘on infusing i throughout the weddwi system. Acsoraing te Jackie Jantes, global creatve rector and seltconfessea "nap pinese nerd it actually lows their marking te becerne much more personal ‘We used the ‘expression “Dost tell people 8 sor, ve people a story to tall she explins. We've worked hard to move rom developing commu nieatons about stories and eting stories to actualy provoking real tangble human experences a6 pat af everything we do. The staies people have to tll ‘coming eu ofthese experiences are far mere authentic than sything we could ever tel hem’ CONTENT-DRIVEN MARKETING ‘That thinking ie very much in evidence in Move to the Beat, the Ofmpes canpagn Coca-Cola has masterminded with London-based agency Mather. With the 2012 event widely aod a the frst “socia Games, here was a clear opport= ry te create a campaign that net enyappesled te Young aucionce well byend sports fans, but coull be amplied ‘eough partcipaten and nteracton witht varous ements Nx and match content / As a result, Move tothe Beat is nike anything Coke has ever attempted since t began mailing sround the Obmmpic Games in 1828. Mothe \Wotked with artst and music producer Matk Rensen whe ‘was tasked with erating an anthers for the Garros. San pling the sounds created by an international ange ef young Olmpic hopalds, documentary erew in tow, the Wack was “debuted at 8 one-off lie avet in East London that brought Ronson's athletes and thousands of ahletiall-neines tons together fora showease gig This was the basi fr a range of content specifealy designed to resonate around Cokes lobal mares, whatever thei level fnterest the Games themselves The focus on fly want futher stl, says Stephan Butler, creative parnr at Mother: "The commercial was shot with green screen behind so that local markets would be {Able to drop thor own ahetes into the action and become pat ofthe Bagger story of the Beat! We're in a different world in terms of collaboration, sharing ideas and in terms of the responsibilities of brands as ‘the new Medicis: ‘Stephon Butler, creative parines, Mother Mors bang for yourbuck Interns of production ogists the nature of the project demanded an entirely now, more ca Inboratve say of working, oxpecialy for Coke says Bur: "They could be cont freaks. meant not researching things the nth degree, not being able todo animate, but being able to watch the ea grow organically ~ fr more liu an inked David Campbell, a global creative drector for TOCO, 00s that change as val and invtable. Today’ culture demands continual dialogue with consumers, rearing mote content more often to feed the conversation tht is 2617 always on. We have lo be more eion than we ever have before with cur production budgets fo get the content thal we need to feed thal dslogue. W's an efiency play, We have less and less production dol and we'e exected do mere frit todo that we have fo change the way we werk? ‘As far a2 Jonaiban Milder hall is concermed, thre is simply rating tlose-'So far everyting ‘we've done has lod to ew think ing, but none of what we dd couldnt have beon reverse-eng nected. The worst case scenario ‘e that wellend up wth tadtienal “There's been no reverse-ng neering required on the Ohmpes ‘campaign, which has had buy-in from over 100 markets, doubling the reach of the brana's Beijing efor, The resuk inthis case ' unprecedented for Coke in ether ways too, says Bur: “Hstorcally, Coke would have signed and sealed everything a year before the ‘vent ut even on the eve of the Games we wore sll in this open creative forum to come up with ideas, tobe able to react to things and io fel ike we were pat ofa present tense experience. And we etested a toolbox of interesting components that could be adapted er taken in ther single bis and pisces, which sil held the idea of clabrating the beat without tht Becoming fractured, CONTENT 2020: COKE'S MARKETING API “Taking thal tookbor analogy a stag further, isnot huge leap of iagiaton to see Content 2020 as an API er Coca CCol's mavesting, a ove that Begins fo bong the brand into some prety interesting company Project Resist may have made an unexpecied couple out of Google and Coke, but there ae intresting parle tween these two commer cial titans, in tems of scope, seale and significance, ‘We were the world's frst global networked exgaisation’ sug gests Mildonha "But look at Google and think what can | Tos fom the way they netwerk using technology, the way they network tha own human organisation. ust want us tobe more dysamic, more imovalve and mere tansparent There's 4 curious ‘Berjamin Button’ aspect to ths ‘As Google and its Silcon Valley siblings begin to wrestle with the legal and cultural issues that go hand in hand wth ther rapid increase in size and matury, The Coce-Cola Company seems tebe roling back the years, ediscovering ite moje and remaginng sel wih envable conidence. 1,404,801 yev'solmpe Cares 200 markets nd tba teenooo a Ietakas chutena toil your colours to the mast inthe way Coke ey unching te manta in Cannes last yar, observes Bult made i clatto ovary one that his sa Very Sevious Edict: Wotd c'ea! But there was method in the madness, says Mide hal: ‘Bulding iteral capabilites around Content 2020 could have taken mesic or seven year ~to make al of ou business nits fully undorstand how to embrace i, how 12 sreatve industies responded bylfanty and now theyre helping teach TCC al around the worl how to appy “Thats notte say thatthe hard work is dane. I you ee der the ural and consmunieations cnanges that were the tatahst for Content 2020, its unlkely the years ahead are {gong tobe any less sqncant. Wendy Clark, Coke's senior VP of marketing, is clareyed about the future: ‘Liquid and Linked represents our pont of wer on how to suocesstlly se nthe curent landscape. Key in that statement iste word curent By definition, cur Liquid & Linked agenda must ideal be liquid and linked ise: Meaning i rust be {uly adoptable and represertatve of the communicatons Inndseape at any given te, The landscape is anything but tat. The mandate we see is tat our matketing must be ay bit us dy us the marae The overt of marketing, though, is just one aspect f «wider, mare comprehensive mandate fr Change throughout Coca-Cola, netes Midenhll “Our CEO faye as an organisation we are constuctwely dscanten We wil de tothe se of cur business what it took us 128 years todo. Thal means there's ne convention nthe org Eston tat et worth reconsidering Size and scale ar6 nol incampatble with change and rth, rather they magi the responsbities and oppor rites for thove waling te fake thor on. We're in a diferent ‘Wot stems of callboraion, shating ideas snd in terms ff the rosponsibities of brands as "the new Mai", 3 Stephen Bul, Brands are the new power seats; they have the nancial power fo be abe to france and realse idea and pavraives, and they have an ausiance that they owe iteANALYST INSIGHT / COCA-COLA By Hope Lee, Euromonitor / “The Coca-Cola Company (TCC: from 828-80 flagehip ‘in both covelopes and emerging mat 9% of TCCL's total 21, although tsp quent, th Srans shoul leoe fora oping marcets such as Brozi organically, the compary nas also made acquistons to boost te presence fn non-carbanstes,inclucing HoBRAND MAP / COCA-COLA CHALLENGE SOLUTIONS / > To optimise The Coca-Cola Company's STRATEGY TRANSPARENCY marketing in support of the goals laid out in Muhtar Kent's Vision 2020 roadmap. > Speeitically to double the revenue generated worldwide to $200bn by 2020 and to more than double the number of Servings to over tree billon per dey Serio global mates worked “he publi launch of Content 2020 > To expedite a transformation in CCC's Srategymtine withthe astevling Cala stom so gare agony marketing while maintaining a consistency daa! ar soul andccpetotn sop and prodsten poner aranaeo of spirit across core brands inalmatkets,manestosanedsnowapprsch at tevelo and tough eesre stra © could be applied consistent throughout hold the compary accountable to. TECO system > To win ‘a disproportionate share’ of popular culture by being ‘constructively discontent’ CO CONTENT be COLLABORATION For Coke, content drives conversation, Bing receptive to ideas, whatever their But amote rigorous approach to source, and being wiling to colaborate logistics and planning is essentis'o intemal and external to bul and masmise the contert generated, both develop creative is orucialnhebing interme ofvolime and ts adapiabllty the brand pu of adaptable nly serose matats, campaigns. Our growth comes directly in line with the prosperity and growth of our by Abvocacy @ suoaers ‘markets. They are interconnected. At our best, we leverage global scale while staying deeply rooted in and connected to our local communities. As long as we keep these two aspects of our business connected we will meet our ambition of refreshing the world and making a positive difference. The global marketing team are While Coke commits 70% of marketing wendy Chak SVP marketing FCC passionate advocates for Content spend o bread and burter tradtional 2020. Internally, coleagues run traning akan, martes allocate 20% to wottshops as wells taking on speaking campaigns that dive lca relevance rgegements, acing as smosssadors and 10% to innovate dos that ignite forthe Liuid and Linked methodclogy, interest and stat converstirRESULTS / $13.09bn {22 resus for 2012 show that TCOG is on rac to mest ts Vision 2020 goal: posted revenue for Q2 was $13.08bn, ust above tne $12.98bn forecast, 35% Inds 2 volume growth for Coca-Cola asa standalone dink was 85%, The company wilinvest $3bn by 2020 te ‘ures dvelop tis Koy market, 222 222 222 222 22D 222 222 PP? 22D PPD 222229 PID DPD Coke has more than doubled its awards tay fom the Cannes Lens, fom 12 n 2011 #0 30 n 2012, including wo Grand Pr (22 Volume growth for TCCC sparking beverages Te ee 20% Te 320m ‘The min-socumentares released in Cina as part othe Move to the Beat Olmsis campagn racked up 320 milion vows in just te weeks. contagious sa/s9 TAKEOUTS / Leveraging transparency has helped drive a step-change in Coke's marketing that Could have taken years to implement. > Publishing Content 2020 not only inspired third parties to approach TCG with ideas, but laid out upfront the criteria required by the corporation. It also made the internal tearm publicly accountable for implementing the change. "Command & Control’ is no longer an option. Collaborative creativity and the flexibility to change tack when required is key. > Experience counts: ‘Almost all of our programmes try o leverage a specific experiance of happiness, so that wo're not creating a communication, we're getting people to act with us around an experience! Jackie Jantos > The sense of common purpose at TECC is palpable, ‘This is a really phenomenal time for us. We feel it and we feel the responsibilty to take it forward as well) Guy Duncan