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AIBU?

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Original poster

... to not understand this thing with names on Coca Cola bottles

40 replies

5Foot5 · 12/07/2013 12:55

I am quite prepared to admit I may be an old git and out of touch. I don't facebook or tweet. (Not that I don't know how, I have been and had a look at both and could not see the attraction.) Perhaps as a bit of an old gimmer I am not the target audience for this product. The advertising to support this has obviously passed me by.

But I really, really don't understand why they expect more people to buy a bottle of Coke because it has someone else's name on it. Or am I getting mixed up and you are meant to search the shelves for your own name?

Can someone explain to me the concept behind this marketing bollocks strategy?

OP posts:
BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 12/07/2013 12:57

It's just an advertising gimmick...and yes you look for your own name or buy one for a friend with their name on or whatever. Me, DH and DS all have our own ones with our names on....it's just a bit of fun :)

YippeeKiYayMakkaPakka · 12/07/2013 12:58

It's just a gimmick. Some people will get excited over seeing their name, or a friend's name, or their child's name, on a bottle of Coke, and will buy it as a result.

Mama1980 · 12/07/2013 12:59

It's just a gimmick and a bit of fun, I don't even drink coke but found a bottle with my eldest brothers name on- made him smile Smile

gallifrey · 12/07/2013 12:59

My 10 yr old dd has now become almost obsessed with getting coke bottles with her name on, her friends names on, our names etc
She spent 20 mins yesterday rummaging through the cokes bottles just to find the one with her name on it.
We must have spent well over £10 so far on something that we would normally never dream of buying.
It's a good advertising strategy I'll give them that!

massagegirl · 12/07/2013 12:59

I don't get it. I'm drinking a diet coke that says Rachel. My name is not Rachel!

weeblueberry · 12/07/2013 13:00

It's actually a little bit genius I think. People like advertising when they feel its specifically aimed at them as a person rather than a consumer. Easiest way to do that is to 'call' them over to your product by shouting their name ;)

Levvylife · 12/07/2013 13:01

It's a very clever (and cynical) marketing ploy. People who wouldn't usually bother buying coke are sucked in when they find their own name on a bottle, and Coke know that people are then going to Tweet or share pictures of these via various social networking sites effectively doing their marketing for them for free. Very, very clever. Grin

Parsnipcake · 12/07/2013 13:02

I haven't seen one as I never buy pop, are the names printed? I thought you would get a roll of letter stickers and do it yourself. It must be a right pain for the shops with all that rummaging.

flipchart · 12/07/2013 13:03

As others have said it's an advertising gimmick and a bit of fun.

I have to say I have not found one with 'Flipchart' on though!

Levvylife · 12/07/2013 13:05

There are no "Levvy" bottles either!

I wonder if they're doing this across Europe? Then my kids might stand half a chance of getting one...

KatoPotato · 12/07/2013 13:05

Not enjoying the carnage in tesco with bottles strewn all about!

SomeDizzyWhore1804 · 12/07/2013 13:07

I'm with you on this, I don't get it at all. My sister in law was bereft when they found out that they weren't producing her name. Get a grip!

flipchart · 12/07/2013 13:08

Levvy I'll keep a look out if you do the same for me!!! Grin

WhatNow2013 · 12/07/2013 13:09

I buy coke. I like the bottle I've got with my name on, haha.

Oh and I did buy my diet-coke-obsessed friend the one with her name on and the one with her boyfriend's name on.

It's just a bit of fun. Good marketing though.

Levvylife · 12/07/2013 13:10

Deal. Grin

flipchart · 12/07/2013 13:10

I've just done a search.
Both mine and DH's name is there but not the boys.
Their names aren't odd or weird.

Leeds2 · 12/07/2013 13:12

My DD's name features on a bottle on one of the advertising billboards. That has been photographed, facebooked, tweeted etc several times, so good promotional material!

I did read that a lot of people were now boycotting coke, because their name doesn't feature on any of the bottles. No idea if this is true.

youmeatsix · 12/07/2013 13:26

if people are boycotting they are being silly, they have said there are/will be machines all over the uk and in a lot of tesco stores so you can ask for your specific name to be done. peoples mentality really shocks me, they really will get up in arms over nothing

youmeatsix · 12/07/2013 13:27

its free as well

www.coca-cola.co.uk/faq/products/share-a-coke-tour.html

iwouldgoouttonight · 12/07/2013 13:36

It is very very clever marketing. I saw a bottle with my DS's name on the other day and almost bought it for him, but stopped myself when I remembered that I never normally buy fizzy drinks! I bet an awful lot of people will buy Coke when they don't normally because they see a bottle with a friend's/child's/partner's name on it.

hernow · 12/07/2013 13:37

If I bought any I would deliberately buy ones without my name on... today I feel like a Fiona Grin

pinktransit · 12/07/2013 13:41

Oh no..... I thought that this particular (clever!) marketing ploy had passed me by as they don't do my name :-(

However, this:

hernow Fri 12-Jul-13 13:37:18
If I bought any I would deliberately buy ones without my name on... today I feel like a Fiona

Means that I will now immediately have to go shopping and buy a coke with a name that I feel like being. :D

curryeater · 12/07/2013 13:43

It's the thrill of the illicit - me drinking a coke with "nigel" on it is like "ceci n'est pas une pipe".
When my brother was a baby my mum had a set of bibs with the names of the days on them, and she put them on him at random. I stared with a dark, transgressive rapture at the baby wearing "SUNDAY" on a Wednesday. It's accessing that same punctum of ruptured naming

HouseAtreides · 12/07/2013 13:45

Have you had a toke, Curryeater? :)

Beveridge · 12/07/2013 13:48

Irnbru are doing labels with traditional Scottish names - notably Senga, Rab and Fanny.