A Review of Public Relations Campaign of Coca-Cola in Nigeria

1. Introduction

Shamsan & Otieno (2015) offered the definition of public relations to be the management processes with the goals of attaining and maintaining accord and positive behaviors amongst the social groups that an organization depends on to achieve its mission. The basic objective of public relations is to build and maintain a hospitable environment for the company.

While public relations and marketing can be carried out by the same or different people, it is critical to ensure that the failure of one does not result in the success of the other.Both of these measures require attention as they both deal with factors that influence the overall sustainability of an organization. Public relations is used to build and maintain a hospitable environment for an organization, while marketing builds and maintains a market for the products and services offered by the organization (Oketch & Kilika, 2017).

In this paper, a review of public relations campaigns conducted by Coca-Cola Nigeria will be presented. In this review, the researcher will aim to analyze the campaign, how successful it has been, the factors that brought about its success, and areas that need to be changed or enhanced in order to create more success for the company with the campaign.

2. Facebook Page as a social media platform

A Facebook page is a marketing platform for entities (both individual and corporate), where the entity in question creates a page, showcases desired products and or services, and gains followers (known as "Facebook Likes") (Facebook, n.d.).

When a brand wants to create a Facebook page, there are three stages to the process. First, they will need to choose a page name (Facebook, n.d.). It is recommended that they make use of a name that people will search for (such as their business name). Secondly, they will need to upload a picture (Facebook, n.d.). By uploading pictures, it becomes easy for people to match them when they search for their brand names. This is because two different companies from all over the world answer the same name, and the only source of differentiation will now be through the pictures uploaded (such as brand logos). Finally, they will need to activate the call to action button (Facebook, n.d.). By so doing, consumers will have something to do once they visit the Facebook page. This could be a message, an order, or other actions as necessary.

Figure 1: Coca-Cola Nigeria’s Official Facebook Page

Adapted from (Facebook, n.d.)

From figure (1) above, it can be seen that Coca-Cola Nigeria meets all the criteria for opening a Facebook page as described above. First, it has a clear page name (which is its brand name, ‘Coca-Cola’) and a differentiating tag name (@cocacolanigeria), which shows the followers the particular market the page represents. This is important for big multinationals like Coca-Cola as it allows for direct segment-based marketing activities. Secondly, they have pictures (a logo and message pictures), and finally, the page has a call to action button (learn more).

3. Details on the organization and its campaign

The history of Coca-Cola in Nigeria began in 1886, when Coca-Cola was first served at Jacob’s Pharmacy on the 8^th of May, 1886. During that year, nine drinks were sold per day. Coca-Cola's production started at a bottling facility in Lagos in 1953. The canning line was launched in 2007, while Coke-Zero was launched in 2013. In 2015, Coca-Cola replaced its iconic logo with Nigerian names in its Share a Coke, Share a Feeling campaign. Overall, it is the largest shareholder of soft drinks in Nigeria (Coca-Cola Nigeria, n.d.).

Coca-Cola has numerous public relations campaigns in Nigeria, but the # copacocacolang campaign was chosen for this analysis.The Copa Coca-Cola is an inter-school (secondary schools) competition in Nigeria. In this competition, secondary schools in each state in Nigeria compete for a state cup, and the winners of the state then move on to compete for the federation cup. The main objective is to provide a platform for young and talented Nigerians to showcase their footballing talents and eventually proceed to develop a footballing career as they can be signed up by professional football clubs by scouters that watch the games. Additionally, it aims to unite Nigerian youths through sports. To register, schools must post a training session of their students on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, or any other social media platform that supports the hashtag # copacocacolang.

4. The effectiveness of the campaign and necessary corrective measures

So far, the campaign has been a huge success and it is presently the biggest grassroots football talent hunt in the country. The 2017 edition was won by Osun State’s Progress Comprehensive High School after they defeated Imo State’s Owerri City College by a goal to nil (Vanguard News, 2017). It has transformed into a big sporting event in Nigeria and has drawn the attention of the Nigerian government (who are always in attendance during the tournament). It has bridged numerous marketing gaps, enhanced relationships between Coca-Cola and its consumers, and positioned the brand as the number one choice for the Nigerian market. In any case, it is still limited to soccer, and expansion to other sports would be a welcome idea as it would allow for more reach.

5. Conclusion

In conclusion, Coca-Cola Nigeria has continuously reminded its Nigerian markets that they are not just a brand, but a family. With their numerous public relations campaigns, it can be stated that consumer loyalty for Coca-Cola will continue to be higher, as will its performance.

References

Coca-Cola Nigeria (n.d.). sharing happiness since 1886. Coca-Cola Nigeria (http://www.coca-cola.com.ng/en/history/)

Facebook (n.d.). Coca-Cola Nigeria's Facebook Page. Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cocacolanigeria

Facebook (n.d.). Getting started with Pages: Here's how to set up a Facebook page and run it. Facebook URL: https://www.facebook.com/business/learn/facebook-page-basics

Oketch, J., & Kilika, J. M. (2017). Linking TMT Characteristics and Strategy The International Journal of Business & Management, 74-81.

Shamsan, R. M., & Otieno, M. (2015). Effects of Strategic Public Relations on Organization Performance: A Case Study of Kenya's Red Cross Society International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 1–12.

Vanguard News (2017, June 25). Okocha and Kanu thrill as Osun wins the Copa Coca-Cola trophy. Vanguard News, https://www.vanguardngr.com/2017/06/okocha-kanu-thrill-osun-wins-copa-cola-trophy/