Coca-Cola: Share a Coke with Myanmar

By the time Share A Coke reached Myanmar, it had already run in every other market in the world. Local media had seen the personalised bottles for years, and the launch arrived in a year when consumer PR coverage was a struggle across the board.

Coca-Cola also wanted to use the occasion for something bigger than a product story: relationships between consumer brands and Myanmar media had become strained, and the launch was a chance to repair them.

Ruder Finn Era, then ERA Communications, chose to create media for the media. Instead of a press release, the team produced a Share A Coke journal, a piece of brand journalism that told journalists the story behind the campaign, why it mattered and what made the Myanmar edition special.

Each journalist received custom Coca-Cola cans bearing their own name, presented in a special box with a personal note. The invitation was to come and learn more at the launch event, which was designed as a day for the media rather than a broadcast at them. The gesture reset the relationship and gave every outlet a personal angle on a global story.