Why Content Marketing Works: Courtesy of Coca-Cola's Content 2020 Plan
Posted by Dechay Watts
Coca-Cola’s Content 2020 advertising strategy puts content at the core of its mission: "All advertisers need a lot more content so that they can keep the engagement with consumers fresh and relevant, because of the 24/7 connectivity. If you’re going to be successful around the world, you have to have fat and fertile ideas at the core."
If that’s not testament to the value of content marketing, well, you just need to try it for yourself. Coca-Cola even created an internal video to explain the Content 2020 vision, which you can watch below. Content marketing guru Joe Pulizzi encourages all marketing professionals to watch the video, so of course we did. It’s a must see for companies who find themselves asking, “What is Content Marketing?”
During Coca-Cola’s initial overview of content, the global brand mentions several examples of other brands doing content marketing successfully. We figured, if Coca-Cola is noticing them, it is worth a look. These campaigns were all launched within the past few years, and they are still relevant examples of why content marketing works.
1. Leverages Existing Consumer Behaviors – Golf GTI
Volkswagen knows its target customer is tech-savvy and enjoys social networking. It leveraged this knowledge to create a campaign that would connect to its audience in the right environment – the mobile world. Spending only $500,000, Volkswagen launched the Real Racing GTI App. The app tapped into the natural enthusiasm of gamers who not only love playing, but also love sharing their results with other gamers and through social media. Within one week, Real Racing GTI results included:
- More than one million downloads
- GTI requests from more than 40,000 consumers
- Ranking as the #1 free app in 35 countries
This is a classic example of the value in creating authentic brand relationships that develop deeper emotional connections.
2. Provokes Conversations - Tipp-EX
A content marketing goal mention by Coca-Cola in the video is to “provoke conversations then act and react to the conversations 365 days a year.” Tipp-EX created a fantastic avenue for conversation, action and reaction in its “hunter shoots a bear” campaign. You have to check it out if you haven’t yet. Watch the video and write a word in the whited-out space, then play the revised story. The response to suggestions seems to be unlimited! The results were close to unlimited as well:
- Reach went to television, radio and the press (on and off line)
- Gained notoriety as an “innovation showing YouTube’s future.”
- Visitors made more than 15 keyword requests, viewed more than 19 pages, and spent more than 6 minutes viewing the campaign.
3. Develops Deeper Emotional Connections – Ikea
Coca –Cola also points out that story is “heart of all families, communities and cultures.” Ikea embraced storytelling and created deep emotional connections through a Facebook campaign promoting the opening of its store in Malmo, Sweden. It uploaded images of the new showroom to a newly created Facebook photo album. Then, it used the popular photo tagging function to connect with people on an emotional level. The first person to tag their name to a product in the pictures won the product. Not only did news of the store opening grow exponentially, but the campaign was distributed across multiple channels of conversation including Twitter, Blogs, Television, and Print. (You might also find this Flash Mob video from Ikea entertaining).
The theme that comes through in all of these examples is not only that content marketing is alive and well, but that getting a community to promote your brand for you can trigger fantastic results.
What did you learn from Coca-Cola’s internal video?