Coca-Cola Creates Ad with User-Generated Content

Published May 30, 2014 at 10:25 am

Marketers are constantly searching for new ways to connect brands and consumers. The popularity of social media has made it easier than ever to use user-generated content in campaigns. Social media makes it easier to hone in on a particular demographic and determine how to generate content that will appeal to them. Asking consumers to take a photo or submit some other type of content is a tactic that marketers have often used to promote campaigns.

Coca-Cola recently released an ad campaign created entirely from user-generated content. The ad asked teenagers to submit clips of what they think Coca-Cola tastes like. The ad starts out asking “How do you describe a sip of Coke?” and goes on to show a compilation of creative clips that users submitted. According to Adweek, the clips were submitted by Coke drinkers across the globe, with 40 clips making the final selection.

Coca-Cola used this campaign to ask consumers already purchasing their product what they think of the brand and then related it back to them. By using this technique, brands are able to build stronger relationships with customers by giving them what they want, while also providing a creative campaign to help generate greater engagement. As the content was created by teens, the company plans to air the ad on networks that will reach this audience. As Adweek reported, this is the first television ad to use user-generated content in this way.

By gaining insight into the interests of their target audience, marketers can deliver more relatable campaigns. With all of the content being generate online, marketers able to tap into this trend may find opportunities to create campaigns that make an impact and foster greater engagement. As Coca-Cola illustrates, incorporating user generated content is one way to do this.