The Share a Coke campaign, promoted with #ShareACoke, began in Australia in 2011. Coca-Cola replaced the brand name on one side of its bottles with “Share a Coke with” followed by a person’s name, inviting customers to find and share personalized bottles.
The idea was a form of mass personalization: instead of addressing everyone with the same logo, the packaging used popular first names, nicknames and local expressions. The campaign encouraged people to search for their own name or a friend’s name, then photograph or give away the bottle. Its social-media appeal helped turn a packaging experiment into a global marketing program.
After its Australian launch, Share a Coke expanded to more than 80 countries, with name lists adapted to each market. In Australia, Ogilvy reported a 4% increase in Coke’s share of the beverage category and a 7% rise in consumption among young adults. Later versions used song lyrics, holiday destinations and other personalized messages, so the campaign is often confused with those later adaptations rather than its original name-on-bottle concept.