Evaluation Of Coca-Cola And Unilever Company On Social Media Advertising

Introduction

Social network platforms are marketing tools and vital open relation for firms to make use of their performance in business. It enables the firms to create a better relationship with the users and acts as other information channel. Social media helps in conversation about ideas, causes, collaboration and organizations. Expression power in their views influences the clients online and this become immense of social media sites. Although it is not possible to control, customers are freely to stake whatever they satisfy about the firm, anything that is ugly, bad or good. Development of social media platforms is rapidly and there are new available platforms every period, this allow the firms to market their products in order to reach to their consumers through them and familiarize themselves with the media platforms (Singh and Sonnenburg, 2012, p.193). This report explores the model of social media platforms and its consumers with a case study of Coca-Cola and Unilever web presence. Most of the two recent campaigns from each company in social media platforms will be examined. In Coca-Cola Company, Mission 206 and 24-hour period with maroon 5 shall be looked at while Campaign for Real Beauty and Mather and Onslaughter for Unilever shall also be examined (“Coca-Cola,” n.d.). Some of the enquiries to be answered in this report will shows the impacts companies that social media has, what changes social media platforms to be effective by studying on better practices and if the firms are able to reach to its listeners through media platforms. Marketing through social media platforms assist the companies to connect with their listeners and form a better relationship. Tools like television channels, radios, blogs, Facebook and twitter are used for fusing a connection. A major persuasive things about social media is that it allows the firms to start straight dialogue direct with its clients. Social media platform is the driving force in marketing and communication and is more getting larger. It is for the companies to create a good relationship to help in remaining a head from competitors. Competitors of this both companies are all present on social media spots and take part in marketing through social media. Cocacola leads in carbonated beverages in large numbers and also in social media sites while Unilever deal with various types of products such as detergents, flavours and beauty products (“About Unilever,” n.d.). This companies are present on social media to engage followers and fans by appealing to them. This sensation is changing some of the strategies marketing has been performed in past years. There are immediate feedbacks and first hand connection with customers hence it is beneficial. This report is to showcase utilization of different social media platforms that will serve as exemplary to both Unilever and Coca-Cola companies.

Research and analysis of evidence

In January 2010, the Coca-Cola Company initiated a social media campaign called Expedition 206. This social media campaign was a global campaign and was dubbed as Expedition 206 because its products are sold in 206 countries worldwide (Bhanot, 2012, p.8). The objective of the campaign was to disclose what makes people “happy” as part of the “Open Happiness” campaign by Coca-Cola. The campaign entailed video posting on YouTube, blogging and tweeting on Twitter (Mayes, 2011, p.18). The campaign entailed the team participating in events like Winter Olympics as well as meeting up with locals in different parts of the world. Coke drink is the product that was mainly promoted in the campaign. To boost the campaign, the campaign promoters for Coca-Cola used, Facebook and Twitter to reach the people from various parts of the country.

The campaign was kept active on its website, Type pad, Facebook, Twitter, blogs and YouTube. Coca-Cola made the website to have buttons which allow users to access every social networking platform. Coca-Cola’s campaign team blogged, tweeted updates and took photos in each location. The use of photos, videos, Twitter and Facebook posts kept updating the public about the campaign progress (Savaliya, n.d., p.12). Videos interviewing the people regarding what happiness meant to them that were posted on social networking platforms. Social media helped in gathering more feedback from the public which enabled them to identify that happiness was found in simple things such as the perception of Coke, music, pizza sports including spending some time with family. Several cultures were represented.

Coca-Cola also has shifted focus from TV advertising to social media advertising. Coca-Cola premiered its latest “Open Happiness” campaign that were conducted online focusing to introduce coke product to teenage consumers. The company created an advert featuring adventurous beetles, ladybirds as well as bees in a summertime world. Social media use was made a priority by the government before venturing to TV, outdoor and also cinema advertising. Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, and YouTube were used in pushing the campaign (Singh and Sonnenburg, 2012, p.59). The company considered that adopting the online advertising would allow the brand to reach main teen online environments. This would quench the thirst of Coca-Cola’s target audience. To attract the teenagers’ attention, the campaign was backed with an online interactive game.

Unilever Company Limited used social media platform in advertisement of Dove beauty product to increase sales due to overcrowded beauty brands of other companies in the market. Marketing of their products by Unilever increases brands appeal and awareness to its customers worldwide. They began the Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty and the Mather and Ogilvy London’s Ad Makeover in order to appeal the clients to acquire there products. The campaign concentrated on ways to enable women feel beautiful irrespective of their size, color and age. It included adverts, play productions, video, workshops and book publications (Gaither and Austin, 2016, p.702). It is a worldwide campaign served as a beginning point for change in society. The campaign mission was to make ladies feel more beautiful by challenging today’s stereotypical outlook of attractiveness and motivating women to take countless precaution of themselves (Reilly and Weirup, 2012, p.4). The company came up with an awareness strategy by posting motivating videos, tweets, inspirational photos and uplifting status. This became more successful after going viral due to images of women having all sizes of shapes, bodies and expose of media body appearance alteration.

It was followed by “Onslaugter” that gain viral with many you tube views. The version of the campaign created was much extra-ordinary that really empowered many women to appreciate their beauty and all of them wondered how they have harshly been judging themselves. Unilever refreshed its DCRB for 2013 global women’s days that were on social media by creating Photoshop accomplishment that performed like a Trojan (Miller and Lammas, 2010, p.5). It also added a twist in Australia with Ad Makeover by Dove by inviting ladies to make replacement of ads that bring insecurity with feel good massages. This campaigns were developed to commitment where beauty brings more confidence and not anxiety (Reilly and Hynan, 2014, p.751).

Source: https://www.unilever.com/Images/unilever-annual-report-and-accounts-2018_tcm244-534881

Facebook app was created to empower ladies and men to proceeds on ads that are negative and assist individuals in coming up with positive for running in Facebook ad space. Makeover ads shows proves how actual creative objectives can be social or digital arena (Reilly and Weirup, 2012, p.6). Facebook was chosen due to its capacity and coverage in social media for propelling positive massages of beauty to many ladies. Oglivy and Mather London’s Ad Makeover campaign picked a bronze and silver in PR at global festival for creativity.

Social media advertisement for dove made women feel beautiful naturally since they are appealed to acquire beauty products for beautification. Although the campaign urged ladies that they are beautiful in the way they are but they still insist on usage of their products for personal care.

Evaluation and conclusion

Evidently, both companies appear to use and apply the gratification theory. Essentially, the usage and gratification theory is more focused on the reason people use the internet especially how the internet fulfills a want (Singh and Sharma, 2015, p.59). Therefore, the two companies, Coca-Cola and Unilever focus on marketing themselves through social media especially when introducing a new product in order to make it a want or a need by the targeted and potential audiences. Application of gratification by Coca-Cola is evident in its use of various social networking platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, and YouTube to promote the Expedition 206 campaign (Okazaki and Taylor, 2013, p.66). Coca-Cola used these social media platforms in promoting its product, coke drink worldwide. It therefore, made coke a want by the social media users. Literally, the campaign sought to seek what makes people happy (Shi, 2019, p.11). Having determined that coke makes most people happy, the use of gratification theory enabled the company to effectively make coke a want by the public through using advertising on various social media platforms. Similarly, in the “Open Happiness” campaign by Coca-Cola, gratification theory applied by Coca-Cola appeared to be effective. By using Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, and YouTube before venturing into TV, outdoor and also cinema advertising, Coca-Cola’s campaign effectively created a want by the teenager consumers which the company targeted to introduce them to coke. Social media has been effectively used by Coca-Cola to advertise coke drink (Chi, 2011, p.46). The frequent posts made on Twitter and Facebook have continuously kept the audiences updated. Coca-Cola has a big number of followers on its social media platforms. This has made its campaign a success and to achieve its objective.

Unilever also shows to have effectively applied the gratification theory. This is evident in the Dove’s Campaign for real beauty. By using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, Unilever has been able to reach many audiences and create a want for them. Unilever has manage to create lucrative and attractive advertisements that are shared through social media which have caught the attention of many social media users (Sital, 2019, p.4). The Onslaughter campaign also successfully applied the gratification theory by attracting many people. This is evident from the high number of YouTube views that the advertisement got. By establishing a want for the audiences, the two companies alleviate their brand awareness as well as appeal to users (Windschuttle, 1984, p.3). Both companies have been able to increase their brand awareness through the help of social media. The campaigns proved to have stirred collaboration and improved public relations.

Conclusion

To sum up, Unilever and Coca-Cola presence on social media platforms through adverts serves as an exemplary to many companies to follow this idea. This report showed social media case study and marketing in both companies mentioned. Analysis was performed by looking at both firm’s involvement and its presence on social media sites with two more recent marketing campaigns in each through social media in each of them. Development of social media platforms is rapidly and there are new available platforms every period, this allow the firms to market their products in order to reach to their consumers through them and familiarize themselves with the media platforms. . A major persuasive things about social media is that it allows the firms to start straight dialogue direct with its clients. Social media platform is the driving force in marketing and communication and is more getting larger. This companies are present on social media to engage followers and fans by appealing to them. This sensation is changing some of the strategies marketing has been performed in past years. This report helps to predict some of the trends such as when consumers are active on social media and if it the better opportunity to convince them.