12 Oz. of happiness to share

As AMC's Mad Men saw what was the end of an era last Sunday, viewers were reminded of what's to become of that era. That the golden age of advertising closed with a television spot, "I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing", belted a happy familiar tune that gathered international faces to celebrate, and to facilitate the drama's end into a present day nostalgia. That befitting performance was a Coke ad, and its brand message hasn't changed since because it's worked for more than an era.

Coke, or the "real thing", has been rallying its audience with positive messages since the early 70s (or 50s, if you're picky). Its secret formula isn't in its soda, but what's associated with. Running a history in the vein of happiness, its long withstanding brand presence that could have also turned on itself as an irony people collect over in its souvenirs- such as vintage poster ads or glass design bottles cleared out from flea markets, is an other formula of cleverness. One that Coke has constantly played on in pole position, instead of washing out like so many other American products we're only faintly aware of, if not unfamiliar with, from period dramas- such as with Mad Men. If it were not for its consistent tenor at keeping apace with people at large, globally, Coke's brand heritage and its continual success would not have witnessed its influence upon new, and niche audiences alike, today. Coke would not have been the proprietary brand of soda, in other words.

Share a Coke with somebody famous.

Today, Share a Coke, the latest of event marketing, is a viral hit. With Instagram, Twitter and Facebook reigning in an overwhelming response, it seemed not unlikely that people had to hop off the bandwagon before others hopped on. The campaign's results were tangible: You put a dollar (presumably) into the vending machine and, to skip the science, out pops a can at its most personal with your name printed on in the famous Spencerian-lookalike typeface- because originals are also an untouchable trademark issue. Touted the "You" font, Coke has drawn the attention away from itself and toward the happy consumer who's ready to guzzle all the happiness in 12 oz. of carbonated brown. On a personal level, that's ownership. You feel, as if made to coincide with the brand's mutual liking, that you have owned a piece of this conglomerate business.

Sparking a trend that has too been adopted by the scores of other global territories alike, such as Singapore and Europe, Coke has surprised in Mexico with bottles repackaged in braille for the blind, this time. At the outset, the new bottles are an extension of its earlier campaigns. While everything else remains aesthetically recognizable in the same distinctive swirls and fire-engine red, design modifications are a practical message targeted at a new group of audience: One that response-shapes the people's prosocial attitude. Headed by agency Anonimo, which has its hand prior in other Coke campaigns, this new strategy is a no-holds-barred approach, synonymous to the brand's continual message: To share a Coke with someone, in the wake of happiness.

A well played personal favourite.

More importantly, for a brand that has undertaken creative means to share happiness for more than a decade, it has certainly inspired. Reaping the rewards of Coke's latest efforts to connect and converse meaningfully, audiences have participated just as much in parody as with flippant responses- such as one above- from puns to private jokes, to becoming an instant memorabilia that prides on camp to reaffirm the brand as an object of desire on everyone's minds, once again.

Like every marketer's dream, that's always still a PR move well played.