Coca-Cola is getting personal again with the return of a campaign favourite.
“Share a Coke” originally launched in 2011 with a concept that allowed consumers to swap their names onto products in place of the company’s logo to create what the brand referred to as “personalized keepsakes.”
The company says this month’s global relaunch, which includes Canada in its 120-plus country footprint, is one of the biggest rollouts of the year. The list of agency partners includes WPP Open X led by VML on creative/shopper, Weber Shandwick on PR in Canada, EssenceMediacom on North American buy and Salt XC on XM in North America. The bottles and cans are made, merchandised, distributed and sold in Canada in partnership with Coke Canada Bottling.
The 2025 return expands the number options to engage more Canadians in “moments of joy,” says Solange Grimard, senior integrated manager at Coca‑Cola Canada. She tells strategy that the brand has added 800 new available names, 400 of which are applicable in Quebec.
The Coca‑Cola mobile app and on-pack QR codes provide a gateway to the “Share a Coke” digital hub, where fans can customize Coca‑Cola packaging with additional names and access the “Share a Coke Memory Maker,” an interactive digital experience that includes shareable personalized video content.
Similar to the original campaign, “Share a Coke” is again seeking to celebrate personal connection and shared moments among friends and family, Grimard says, adding that the brand is uniquely positioned to fulfill the goal through physical and digital experiences that promote real-life interaction.
In Canada, “Share a Coke” will span multiple channels, including traditional and social media, retail, e-commerce and experiential. Local pop-ups across the country will invite Canadians to create personalized cans in person.
A variety of digital tactics are driving visibility through omni-channel engagement which includes social campaigns, retailer homepage ads, point-of-sale displays and high-impact placements through OOH.
“It’s been a long time coming that took more than a year of planning,” Grimard explains. “Given the scale and integration across media, packaging, retail and experiential touchpoints, it required careful co-ordination to ensure everything came together seamlessly.”
The mass personalization tactic has been popular in the CPG space, informed in part by recent McKinsey research that reveals 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions.
Following the initial “Share a Coke” campaign’s success, rival PepsiCo countered in the summer of 2012 with its “Say it with Pepsi” rollout.
And in 2022, Moosehead Breweries, in collaboration with agency partner Conflict, unveiled “Beer with your name on it” as part of a limited contesting initiative.
