NON-ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES
On Beeper Coca-Cola/Spain Coca-Cola, aware that the not-so-trendy-anymore pager could still be hot with youngsters, beeped out the competition with a program that offered Spanish teens one free when they sent in 15 bottle caps. The program was developed by Madrid-based Think for Sale, which won a PRO Award last year for its Coke catalog.
Coke designated its 500 ml bottle as the teen size because of its easy-to-carry shape and replaceable black cap. The next challenge was to find a way to communicate with its target audience. The beeper was the solution, and Coke managed to transform it into an ultra-cool item that 14-to-19-year-olds had to have.
Consumers received the beepers when they sent in the bottle caps and included a small handling fee. Coke hyped the pagers as the only way to stay in touch with friends and be up-to-date with music and sporting events, movies, local activities, special retail discounts, and more. Consumers were beeped with details, or they could call special Coke operators for information.
Coke supported the program with P-O-S materials, product packaging, TV spots, and PR.
Teen reaction to the program was incredible, with kids snatching up the 300,000 beepers that had been allotted for the promotion within 60 days. More than 270,000 of the 443,000 pagers used in Spain today are Coke beepers, and most of their owners use them to obtain Coke information on a daily basis.
