2015 Winners & Shortlists

The Campaign

Coca-Cola had the world’s lowest market share in Lebanon, an embarrassingly low 3%. People clearly didn’t identify with the brand. Our task was to introduce the Coke brand back into Lebanon using the global ‘Share a Coke’ campaign. But we needed a twist, something fresh to win over the hearts of the locals. We knew that November 22nd marks Lebanese Independence Day, and since the Lebanese people are a proud nation, we strategically launched our campaign while pride was at its highest. In an already cynical market, and as the underdogs, we had to win their trust. So we decided to do something they have always done – share. We gave people the chance to name their happiness by dropping our name on the cans and giving them the chance to replace it with their own. Or their loved ones. Or family. Or friends.

Success of the Campaign

Coke sales increased 80%, and brand love went up by 710%. We engaged with 2.3 million people – half of Lebanon’s population! Coca Cola's Twitter activity skyrocketed by 125%, receiving an estimated 206 million impressions. Our Facebook fan numbers shot up by 46%. And despite Coke not having an Instagram presence, over 1250 people flooded it with photos. Our TVC earned exposure on shows and channels including Hayda Hakeh and MTV, also receiving 1.8 million impressions on YouTube. It’s been Coca-Cola’s most successful campaign in the Middle East. Ever.

Describe how the campaign/entry was launched and executed across each channel in the order of implementation.

We engaged with our audience via on-ground activations where they created their own personalized cans and interacted with brand ambassadors. They were driven in-store to purchase as well as online, where we amplified our reach. On Facebook, people had a chance to create virtual name cans and share them with their friends and family. We created an insightful manifesto film that illustrated the sharing spirit of Lebanese people, which struck a sentimental chord with our audience. We then circulated the film online via YouTube. We tactically used Lebanese Independence Day to identify the people of Lebanon. We recreated the iconic ‘Coke hands’ visual and, for the first time in Coke’s history, turned it into a national flag and a symbol for unity. At Christmas we installed a tree installation made entirely out of cans with the names of our audience and placed it in Beirut’s highest footfall location, the Souk.