Fun With Nicknames

A global icon of happiness, Coca-Cola has always believed in bringing people together and sharing good times. For the hot summer days of 2013, when young people across China will be reaching for an icy, refreshing Coke, Leo Burnett has developed an initiative to make the happy moments even more unforgettable by replacing the iconic Coca-Cola logo on the pack with individual nicknames, like ‘Buddy’ and ‘Sweetie Pie,’ that add to magic of sharing a Coke together. 

The campaign, which aims to increase trial and purchase of Cokes by sharing these unique cans and bottles, will be supported by two TV commercials featuring massively popular band May Day (五月天), and a selection of OOH, retail and print, and nationally launched on 10th June 2013.

The campaign was inspired by a successful, much-loved Coke Australia campaign, where common first names were printed on Coke cans. In China, however, first names don’t work due to sheer volumes. Instead, Leo Burnett’s consumer research revealed that certain nicknames and compliments are very popular on key social media channels. This stems from the fact that teens spend a lot more time online during summer, especially on social media platforms and have less face-time time with their families and friends. When they meet, sometimes they don’t know the best way to express how they feel – paying people compliments is not so easy in Chinese culture – and so they like to give each other nicknames to use both on- and offline.  

The agency took these exciting insights and developed the ‘nickname’ idea to bridge that gap and connect people in a socially and culturally relevant way.  

“So why not make a bold move and put those very nicknames on the Coke labels?” says Stefan Petzinger, Leo Burnett’s Managing Director. “It helps to enrich face-to-face and physical connections between teens by encouraging them to share suitable label nicknames with the ones they wanted to connect with.

“Since Chinese love freshness and novelty, this strategic move arrests their attention, giving them a new way to look at a classic. But more importantly, this was the perfect way to enhance their experience of summer with Coca-Cola.”

The campaign includes 30-second ‘Sound Check’ and ‘Concert’ TV commercials. The Coca-Cola ‘Nickname’ Sharing Pack offers 60+ different nicknames for people to share with people they want to connect with. The TVC and supporting communication materials will launch simultaneously.

The ‘Sound Check’ and ‘Concert’ TVCs can be viewed at http://happy.icoke.cn/campaign/summer/. 

Title: Summer “Nickname” Sharing Pack

篇名：畅爽夏日，分享快乐

Client: Coca-Cola
客户：可口可乐

Creative Agency: Leo Burnett Shanghai
广告公司：上海李奥贝纳广告有限公司

Creative Team: Julian Hernandez, Alexis Mardapittas, Federico Munichor, Joaquin Lynch, Yvonne Ye, Kent Lu, A-Li
创意人员：Julian Hernandez, Alexis Mardapittas, Federico Munichor, Joaquin Lynch, Yvonne Ye, Kent Lu, A-Li

Account Management: Stefan Petzinger, Frances Kong, Grace Fong, Chitty Liu, Kif Mao
客户服务人员：Stefan Petzinger, Frances Kong, Grace Fong, Chitty Liu, Kif Mao

Planning Team: Gordon Hughes
XXX人员：Gordon Hughes

Film Producer: Cherry Lee 
电视广告制片：Cherry Lee

Film Production Company: Aparato TV
电视广告制作公司： Aparato TV

Film Director: Pablo Casacuberta
电视广告导演：Pablo Casacuberta

Print producer: Kelly Yang 
平面广告制片：Kelly Yang 

Exposure: Television, outdoor, print
广告发布内容：电视广告，户外广告，平面广告