1. Coca-Cola Expedition 206: Client: Coca-Cola Agency: Fast Horse

2. Situation:  Problem: To create a campaign with compelling content for young people worldwide who actively use online venues.  Opportunity: Harness the power of digital culture  Opportunity: Engage worldwide audience via media  Opportunity: Generate positive word-of-mouth experience

3. Research  Consumer studies:  Coke consumers actively engaged in online programs show higher brand loyalty.  31% - “Like” Coke  43% - “Love” Coke  68% - “Exclusively Love” Coke  Desire to create innovative program to engage global consumers online.

4. Research  Coca-Coca Happiness Institute  Conducted study involving interviews  Worked closely with psychologists  Secondary research that lead to happiness  Happiness and the smaller things in life

5. Objectives  Target audience:  Teens  20-somethings  Create worldwide engagement with Generation Y  Increase a global brand awareness

6. Information Objectives  “To seek out what makes young people happy in different cultures and document it all online – leveraging every faucet of social media to generate an on-going dialogue. While creating unique media relations and local market activation opportunities around the globe.”  365 Days, 206 Countries, 1 Mission

7. Attitudinal & Behavioral Objectives  Involve consumers in worldwide vote  Select Happiness Ambassadors  Group chosen to reflect diversity of Coke’s global audience  Allow ownership and engaging consumers throughout the year-long expedition

8. Output Objective  Showcase personalities of ambassadors throughout 206 countries via the happiness initiative  Engage consumers prior to the journey  Involve multiple audiences  leveraging global marketing & communication teams  Establish deadline  365 Days spanning 206 countries

9. Programming: Strategies  Launch campaign quickly to put it on map  Engage consumers before journey begins

10. Media  Controlled media  Press releases  News articles  Commercials  Uncontrolled media  Social media coverage  Ambassadors’ personal videos

11. Budget  What is the budget?  Flights  Hotels  Food  Safety  Everyday needs

12. Evaluation: Objective #1  “Create compelling content for and increase engagement with teens and 20-somethings worldwide”  900+ blog posts and online news stories  Excitement is truly global  75% voters – Outside the U.S.  900,000 website views since launch (6.5 minutes per visitor)

13. Evaluation: Objective #2  “Secure positive global blog and media coverage for a program that can be activated in each country”  400 media outlets before team hit road  Associated Press, BBC, LA Times, Telemundo, etc.  4,300+ media stories after completion  775 million media impressions

14. Evaluation: Objective #3  “Increase brand affinity and brand love among teens and 20-somethings”  Made it to only 186 countries  Travel Logistics  New crop of global brand ambassadors  “Innovator of the year” from TravelCom  “Campaign of the Month” PR Week – Jan. 2010

15. Questions not addressed  What did some of these outlets say about campaign?  Positive and Negative  Ambassadors not able to make complete trip  Why wasn’t there a Plan B?  Why was the website taken down?  Directs to Coca-Cola’s blog website  What other corporations contributed?  Safety concerns  Contracts with Ambassadors?  Ambassadors after-thoughts?

16. PR Model Used  Two-way symmetrical  Resolves conflict/promotes understand and respect  Coca-Cola and it’s stakeholders  Negotiate with its’ public

17. Publics  Large audience

18. “Expedition 206” Update  To this day –  “Expedition 206”- Coca-Cola’s biggest social media campaign  "Good for Coke, they totally get it! Building a brand is all about connecting with people’s feelings and associating the product with the right image that resonates with their audience." – Commenter on Mashable.com  "Coca-Cola is using social media to make the brand not only about consumers but extremely accessible to them, as well." - Student-run Emerging Media & The Market blog