5 LESSON’S LEARNT FROM “SHARE A COKE WITH SOMEONE” CAMPAIGN.

Have you found your name yet? I’m asking you, yes you. Did you find your name printed on a bottle of Coke? Oh well…... I have found my name. The Coke craze is on, and it’s unbelievable. People are going from sane to insane to just find their names on bottles of Coke. Many shop attendants have given up on the Coke section. It would have been easier if one could search Google for which store has their names on Coke bottles.

In case if you don’t know what it’s about, probably every bottle of Coke you buy today, you’ll find a name written on it. In many shopping malls today, people are on serious searches to find their names on a bottle of Coke. For some it is fun, and for others, it is personal.

I can do nothing but hail the genius behind this ‘Share a Coke with someone’ campaign. People have gone as far as making special orders for customized names. Some people have had tears run down their faces as someone placed a bottle of Coke with their name on it in their hands. It’s that important! And then you wonder, is it not just a bottle of Coke? No! It’s not just a bottle of Coke, it goes way beyond that. I have learnt a few lessons from this strategy that is doing so well today.

What is it about this sharing a coke bottle that is special?

1. It makes you feel noticed: I am not certain I’ll classify the popular culture of social media as a true form of interacting. Facebook, Twitter Instagram, and many other mediums has only stood to distract us from the reality of physical hello’s and hi’s. Our world seems to be singularly concerned with getting affection and opinions from apps, and get defined by them.

We are no more being seen or recognized in the real sense of it. Our names have been limited to links that people click and have access to. How many times do you actually get to hear someone call your name daily? Even as generalized as the names placed on Coke bottles are, the moment you find yours, it feels so personal. You feel like “Yes, I just got noticed, thank you.” Even though, there could be thousands bearing your name. The truth is in real life, everyone is carrying a notice me signpost everywhere. We must learn to notice those that truly matter to us, not just through the likes and comments.

2. It restores disappearing sharing culture: When last did someone come to you and say “Here is a gift for you. I know it’s not your birthday, but I thought about you, and I thought I should get you this.” When last? People have stopped sharing! The truth is it’s in many peoples search for their names that they came across the names of their friends, and then bought bottles for them. Before then, those friends were just imaginary, or practically non-existent.

A wise man said “When you give out value, you never lose value.” When next are you going to share something that isn’t a Coke bottle with someone you care about? Some people can’t even share what they know with other people, how much more material things. When last did you share something good with someone else? You should plan to do that sooner than later.

3. It makes you feel special: Oh that awesome feeling, when you are selected in a huge crowd and your name is called. That’s exactly what finding your name on a Coke bottle is like. Out of the millions of people that exist, Coke printed my name, my own name!

4. The little things in life actually count: The price of a plastic bottle of coke is really little, compared to the price of buying a box of chocolates. To get someone smiling, one would expect that you would need to buy something quite expensive to make another person happy. But truly, it’s the little things that count. I remember the days when people used to send birthday cards, those cards could stay with me for years, and I’ll keep checking them and cherishing those people that sent them. Beyond the feasting, melted ice creams, broken chicken bones, the cool effect of wine on the tongue, a few letters in writing could do more and linger longer in the heart. As little as a bottle of Coke may seem, it has worked wonders. I’m sure many lovers would propose if Coke just did a ‘Share the rest your life with somebody’ campaign. Are you still looking for something huge to show someone you care about that you really care about them?

5. Be people minded: Right now the world is all about selfies: I don’t really need anyone to take me a photo any more, I’ll just help myself. All we are doing right now is helping ourselves. We see someone trip and fall, and all we say is “I can’t help them, I’m trying to get my footing right too. I’ll just move along”. Meanwhile a bone could be broken, and they could need help beyond first aid. How much do you really care about others? The Coca Cola Company thought about you first, and how that could help them as well. If the Coca Cola company that you have not seen, cares about you and your name, why can’t you help those who you can see and that can see you? Can you switch your live camera from the selfie mode? It’s time to look out for others.

I’m not exempted from the things I have listed above, and I’m sure you also have to work on many of these areas as well. Let’s do a little deal; I’ll add a little message for those we care about and even those who we have been unable to reach out to in a while. All you have to do is get them to read this article and these special words:

“I appreciate you, and although I may not be doing the best I should in our friendship, I want you to know that I haven’t forgotten about you. I may fail sometimes with my actions, but my thoughts for you never leave. I may not have a bottle of Coke to share with you, but I want to share this few words with you “You are important to me”

Either ways here’s a coke for you:

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