Research Portfolio (U20: P1, M1) (U24: P1)

Learning Outcome 1 (U20): Know how existing advertising campaigns embed advertisements across a range of media products

Learning Outcome 1 (U24): Understand the products that are produced within and across media industries 

P1(U20): Describe an existing media advertising campaign 

Ariana Grande - Promoting 'sweetener' album

Google Images

Aims and objectives

The aims and objectives of the marketing/promoting strategy were to create awareness about the album that singer, Ariana Grande would be releasing, called 'sweetener'. This is with the intention of selling a large amount of albums, bringing in a large revenue. They also used social media to create awareness, and used many different platforms to reach a mass audience of people that may not already be fans of Ariana Grande.

Target audience

Ariana Grande has a young target audience of 10-20 year olds. This is because she rose to fame from starring in the children's television show, 'Victorious' on Nickelodeon. However, with 'sweetener' being her fourth studio album, she has widened her fanbase to slightly older due to the more explicit lyrics and mainstream pop music she has released. Her target audience is all genders, ethnicities, and races. However, she mostly targets people within the ABC1. This is due to the fact that in order to keep up to date with her music and lifestyle, fans need social media and modern devices that can download a range of social media platforms.

Her secondary target audience however, is a lower social grade of C2DE. This is because people, such as manual workers, who don't have the free-time to scroll through social media, or can't afford new phones or technology can still listen to her music on the radio. Furthermore, her secondary target audience consists of an older demographic of people who may be parents or older siblings of the primary.

Key messages

On the 22nd of May, 2017, at Ariana Grande's world tour of her previous album, 'Dangerous woman', a terrorist bombed the Manchester concert, killing 23 people and leaving 1017 people injured, a lot of which were children. After returning to the city to perform a charity concert with all proceeds going to victims, Grande took a break from social media and the public eye. After returning the following year with the album, many messages are included, which give condolences to the victims. The final song on the album, titled 'get well soon' is about how she felt 'upside down' and like 'she couldn't breath'. This is reinforced by the upside down portrait as the album cover. The song is 5 minutes and 22 seconds; this has been revealed to be a nod to the date of the bombing, May 22 - 5/22. Additionally, there is 40 seconds of silence played at the end of the song, which is to give respect to all victims of the tragic event. 

Logistics

Video from Instagram

At the end of 2017, Grande posted the video above to her Instagram. It is a small snippet of harmonies. She captioned the video 'see you next year'. After this, Grande took a 5 month break from social media and the public eye. This allowed her fans to spectate that she was creating music, and the news spread rapidly. 

Instagram 

5 months later, Grande posted several photos, teasing the first single of the album 'no tears left to cry'. She posted multiple images which would create on large picture on her Instagram feed. This encourages her followers to engage with her account, by checking her own page, rather than just seeing her on the feed, to see the full image.

After the release of the single, Grande performed it live on the Tonight Show, by Jimmy Fallon, in May 2018. This allows her to be seen by her fans, as they know she will be performing and watch the show to see her. However, it also allows her performance to be shown to a much wider audience of late night television fans. This brings in a mass audience of people who may not have been interested in Ariana Grande, or her music previously. 

Google Images

After this, Ariana Grande attended the annual, prestigious event, the Met Gala in May 2018. This is where the most famous A-list celebrities are invited to a red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City, hosted by Vogue. Celebrities wear outfits made custom by top designers. Ariana Grande attended this year, wearing a couture dress from Vera Wang. It is made up of fabric that resembles classic Cathedral paintings. She said she was inspired by 'heavenly bodies'. A few months after this, Ariana Grande released the single, 'God is a Woman'. The fact that she wore a dress resembling religion and God, at an event with thousands of press and paparazzi, Grande had the public talking about her and ideas of religion. Thus, not only was she teasing the release of the single, but she created the association of religion and spirituality with her brand. 

In addition, she attracted a mass audience as the Met Gala is one of the most viewed event (in 2019, it had over 15 million live viewers). She is attracting people who are interested in fashion, or other celebrities at the event.

Representation

Ariana Grande's album includes messages of inclusivity and diversity. As a white women, Grande used her privilege to give light and opportunities to black artists. One of the lead producers was Pharrell Williams, a black singer and producer. He collaborated on the creation of the album with her, and featured on one of the songs. She only collaborated with black artists on this album, such as Nicki Minaj, and Missy Elliot. This gives her fans, who are also from minority backgrounds the idea that whilst in the media, they may typically be presented as the villain, within this field, they are valued and equal. Similarly, it reinforces messages to her whole audience that they should be inclusive and break pre-existing stereotypes that are present in society. 

Choice of Media

 Instagram  

As said previously, one way this album was marketed was through social media. Not only did Grande post images promoting it on her own personal account, but the album had its own Instagram account, with the handle @sweetener. It posted many images to make a large picture. This was a useful choice of media as it is easily accessed by a mass audience. It also means that fans need to click on the account to see what the full picture reveals, increasing the engagement rate. Instagram is a very suitable social media platform for this as it allows users to like, comment, and share the images posted. This acts as free marketing as individuals can share it with their own followers, further promoting the account, and in turn, the album to a mass audience.

Google images

Another form of media that was used to promote this album was the traditional use of posters and billboards. Placed around in several cities, posters teasing Grande and her new album attracted a large audience of people who may not know about her or her music. The simplistic backdrop and colour scheme reflect the brand identity of the album and allow the focus to be on her and her music. Additionally, the simplicity means no specific genders, races, or ages are attracted specifically. 

https://soundcloud.com/user-669186215/ariana-album-advert 

The link above from Soundcloud plays the radio advert for the album. It played on pop radio stations in the UK, such as Capital, and Kiss. As the songs featured on the album are likely to be played on these stations as they fit the pop genre, it directly attracts the target audience, and prepares them for the release of music they are expected to enjoy. This is reinforced as the album plays small snippets of the songs. 

Approach

The approach and intention of this campaign is to create excitement for her target audience. This is demonstrated as Grande's name and an image of her is largely displayed on the billboard. This makes the release of her album explicit and clear, giving her target audience the chance to prepare for the release. Not only does it create excitement among her existing fans, but new fans are targeted as they may enjoy the sound of the snippets in the radio advert, for example, and decide to follow the Instagram page and listen to the album when it is out. 

Call to action

Instagram

From the beginning of this marketing campaign, the target audience were life anticipating what would come next. For example, as spoken about previously, Grande started the whole campaign by posting a small snippet of some harmonies to her Instagram, captioned 'see you next year'. Fans were able to comment on the post, repost it to their stories, and tag their friends. Many news outlets, such as the Daily Mail, and Billboard wrote articles speculating about what she is working on. 

https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/ariana-grande-teases-new-music-album-2018-instagram-video-8085803/

Her target audience can come together as a community, anticipating the new content they will hopefully receive. As social media was a large part of this campaign, her fans can access updates easily and share their opinions on it.  

Legal issues and Regulatory bodies

A potential legal issue that this campaign may face is copyright. Copyright laws protect an individuals work and stops others from using it. This could occur in this campaign if Grande were to use someone else's creation, such as their design in the background of her posters without permission. To ensure this did not happen, Ariana Grande and her team only published original and unique content that was created specifically for this campaign. 

As there is no official regulator for social media, when posting her campaign to Instagram, Grande had to ensure the posts fit Instagram's own guidelines, such as no nudity or offensive content. 

However, for other forms of media used to promote this campaign, such as her radio advert were regulated by official bodies. The radio advert would have been regulated by Ofcom; Ofcom states that 'Adverts which are broadcast on radio or TV must not mislead or cause serious or widespread offence, and must not cause any physical, mental or moral harm to children or the vulnerable'. The radio advert did not breach any of these rules as it is just talking about the release of her album. The snippets of the songs do not feature any inappropriate language, such as swearing. 

The billboard advert would have been regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The ASA 'respond to concerns and complaints from consumers and businesses and take action to ban ads which are misleading, harmful, offensive or irresponsible'. Grande's billboard does not breach any of these rules as it is a simple poster promoting the album, so no one is misled with false information. The intention of the advert is clear, so Grande's poster did not receive any complaints.

Ethical issues

One ethical issue that may affect this campaign is how the aesthetic may offend certain groups. Ariana Grande faced some controversy surrounding this topic. She was accused of 'appropriating black aesthetics'. The Instagram account 'Diet Prada' posted saying 72% of the images in the mood board for Grande's outfits in this campaign 'features black women as a reference'. 

Instagram

However, Ariana Grande's stylist, who created the mood board posted the image on the left to his Instagram story as response. It notes how the mood board was created by himself, a black man. 

Instagram

Many people agreed with her stylist, commenting on the post how it should actually be encouraged to be influenced by different cultures, and if you take inspiration from them, it is not appropriating their culture.

Nonetheless, This ethical issue is still a concern and Grande should ensure she does not copy and exploit cultures for her gain. As Ariana Grande is a public figure with a young target audience, she is very influential, and a lot of people look up to her. Not only will her audience be offended, but if she has inappropriate behaviour, many of her fans will deem it as okay because they look up to her. She must ensure she has her target audience focussed on her campaign and the intention of it, which is to promote the album, rather than focussing on unethical wrong-doings. 

Share a Coke campaign

Google Images

Aims and objectives

Google Images

The aim of this campaign was to create more awareness of Coca-Cola and increase sales. The idea that Coca-Cola is for everyone was reinforced in this campaign as it featured a range of names on the bottles or cans of the drink. They wanted people to love the brand and their identity, not just consume the drink. 

Although the campaign started in summer in Australia, 2011, it became a world-wide campaign as it is consumed all over the world. This reinforces the objective of having loyal consumers who love the brand all over the world.

Target audience

The brand executive for Coca-Cola stated that the campaign was targeting teens and millennials. As a demographic who is sociable, especially with the updates of modern technology, this generation is being encouraged to share the love of Coca-Cola with their friends and family. 

This was one of the television adverts for the campaign. It features mostly young adults, however the narrative focuses on a dog trying to find his name on a Coca-Cola (coke) can. He eventually finds it on a build-board. All races, ethnicities, and social groups are targeted in the campaign. The advert starts with a group of young adults from different races sitting around grabbing cokes their names. It then shows some young adults dancing by the pool and having a good time. Viewers can identify with the people in the advert as their is a range of groups where everyone is valued and has a coke for them, with their name on it. Moreover, since the people drinking cokes are shown to be having fun, viewers get the impression that if they also drink coke, they too will have a good time. 

The secondary target audience for this campaign is people who are not in the same age demographic, but enjoy drinking coke. They are targeted as the brand wants them to be loyal to them specifically, instead of purchasing other drinks. This is done as they can still find a drink with their name on it, feeling included as valued. 

Key messages

Google Images

The key message of this campaign was to use coke to connect with others. It illustrates the idea that by drinking coke, you can create new relationships and bond with others as you both share the love for coke. This acts as their unique selling point, as people may search out to find a coke with their name on it. Consumers will feel valued and included as the drink has their name on it. This separates them from other drinks, such as Pepsi which simply has their branding on the drink. Customers feel that within coke, they are special and in turn, want to buy more coke products. 

Approach

One the way the campaign gained attention was through celebrity endorsement. Celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Emma Roberts, and Selena Gomez posed with their own Coca-Cola cans with their names on. 

Instagram

Selena Gomez posted the picture above the her Instagram in 2016. Being the most followed person, with over 104 million followers at the time, many people saw her image. In fact, at the time, it was the most liked picture on Instagram ever. Her mass audience (which is the same target audience for this campaign) were shown her drinking it. As she has many fans who idolise her, they may all buy cokes with their names on it to match Selena. It also targets people on a global scale; although the campaign was shown around the world, not everyone would have access to see it. For example, if someone has a job at home, they may not see billboards of the campaign. The many celebrity endorsements show millions of people around the world the campaign on a platform that is easily accessible. 

Representation

This campaign is very representative as it has a wide array of names on the bottles. This creates a strong relationship with the brand and their customers as the product seems to be special for them. The brand published the statement how "The names printed on bottles and cans in stores represent many popular names as well as the diversity of cultures in Australia today. In store, hundreds of first names are available ranging from Dan, Sophie and Tina to Sunita, Fatima and Li." This reinforces ideas of inclusivity and representation of this campaign, as it features names from a range of cultures. Unlike how in typical media products where people from minorities are shown to be deviant and unconforming, this campaign values them, challenging the stereotypes that are present in a modern society. 

Logistics

Starting in 2011 in Australia, 150 of the most popular names were placed on coke bottles. The idea was that if your name is not on a bottle, you will likely find a name for someone you know. This demonstrates the key message of connecting with others through the brand Coca-Cola. However later in the year due to the success, the campaign launched around the world, in places such as Copenhagen, Israel, and the United Kingdom.

Instagram

Following the success of the campaign around the world, in 2014 the American campaign was released. The picture on the right shows celebrity, Emma Roberts posing with the can saying 'BFF' with her friend. Captioned with the hashtag #ShareaCoke, the use of social media allowed for Robert's followers to interact with her by commenting or recreating it with their own coke. This creates brand awareness and means the target audience are attracted to the product as people the look up to, like the celebrities featured in the campaign, are buying cokes, so they too will buy it. 

Coca-Cola released thousands of more names on cans or bottles to ensure that a mass audience is targeted and no one feels left out, like coke is not for them because their name isn't on one. This shows the evolution of campaign, differentiating from the beginning in Australia as only 150 names were included. 

Google Images

In April 2016, song lyrics were released on coke bottles. Customers were able to find lyrics from songs they enjoy personally. This allows customers to have coke bottles that target them specifically, as they can create a combination of having their name on one, and a song they enjoy on another. This makes them feel that the brand values them as an individual, creating a strong rapport between the customers and coke. 

Choice of media

Twitter

One way this campaign was marketed was through social media. The hashtag #ShareaCoke allowed the target audience to share images on social media of their own coke bottles or cans. This creates a community of people who can connect with people online. As the target audience is young, they are likely to connect with people largely online. The hashtag means consumers can meet and comment on others posts, allowing for social interaction, reinforcing the message of the campaign, which is to bond and connect with people over coke. As of April 2016, over 600,000 pictures were shared on Instagram alone with the hashtag. Using their own names, conversations and relationships sparked around the Coca-Cola product. 

Google Images

Google Images

Another form of media used to promote this campaign was the traditional use of billboards and posters. Placed all around the world, images with coke bottles, some with their iconic logo, others with names attracted a mass audience of people who may not be so active on social media. Additionally the iconic font and clear background inform viewers immediately of what it is, keeping the brand on the minds of potential customers. This is reinforced as it is placed throughout cities, so potential customers can see it on their commutes, tempting them to purchase. 

As mentioned previously, another form of advertising and marketing for this campaign was video adverts. 

The video above from YouTube is one of the many adverts for the Share a Coke campaign. They all follow the same narrative, illustrating the idea that drinking Coca-Cola leads to creating friendships and relationships that would not have occurred without it. As most people featured are in the young target audience, viewers can identify with the characters, feeling like if they too purchase coke (specifically one with their name on) they can create real relationships with people. This may lead to them being a loyal customer to the brand as it has initiated many relationships for them. 
 

Call to action

The expected outcome of this campaign was for the brand to build a relationship with its consumers. Coca-Cola wanted people to not just drink coke, but love the brand and its identity. This is very prevalent in this campaign as customers having the opportunity to have their name on the drink allowed them to feel represented and valued by coke. Drinking coke was a safe space for the consumers, where they can escape their problems and feel valued. 

Legal issues and regulatory bodies

One legal issue that this campaign may have faced is slander or libel. Coming under defamation laws, the brand cannot speak or write anything negative about another company or individual that would tarnish their reputation. For example, by writing that the drink is better than Coca-Cola's competitor, Pepsi. 

As this campaign was on television, their TV adverts would need to follow rules by the regulator Ofcom. Similarly, their posters would need to follow the ASA's rules. Both of these ensured the adverts would not be harmful, offensive, or misleading. Coca-Cola did not breach any of these.

Ethical Issues

An ethical issue that could occur in this campaign is the lack of diversity in the names. Washington Post identified this problem in Israel in the article linked below.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/05/23/new-coca-cola-ad-campaign-mired-in-sensitive-israeli-identity-politics/?arc404=true

In a country where names are so closely tied to culture and religion, names being missing from the campaign may create the idea that their culture is not important or respected. 

The Washington Post

Coca-Cola defended themselves on their Facebook page, saying individuals can print out their names on a coke label at designated stores. However, this still invalidates the individual feelings, in which they feel the brand does not respect their identity as their religious names are not included.

This was reinforced as some members of the LGBTQIA+ community felt the campaign was homophobic. This was because on Coca-Cola's website, where customers could customise the labels to their own words, the word 'Gay' was not allowed. Coca-Cola released a public apology to the community and those offended. They stated it was a software error, and they are a 'diverse and accepting brand'. 

M1 (U20): Evaluate different cross media advertising campaigns for consistency of message

Ariana Grande - Promoting 'sweetener' album

Consistency

Instagram and Google Images

There is a strong sense of consistency across different media forms in this campaign. The image on the right shows the 'sweetener' Instagram feed on the left, the billboard on the top, and the album cover on the bottom. 

There is the same colour pallet throughout the campaign. There is a consistency of the cream colours with, with a chill moody aesthetic. Grande is posing in the same clothing and hair style in all forms of media. This allows for a clear identity and recognisability from her target audience. The font on the Instagram page is different to the one on the billboard however. The instagram features an upside down serif font, whereas the billboard is a sans serif font. They are both in white, so it is still consistent. The upside down text on the Instagram reflects the upside down album cover, reinforcing the message of the album, in which Grande stated she felt 'upside down'. 

https://soundcloud.com/user-669186215/ariana-album-advert 

The radio advert (linked above) obviously does not have a visual aesthetic. It still is consistent to this campaign as snippets of the songs are played, reflecting what Grande's target audience would hear if they listened to the album. It also is voiced by a young female; this reflects the same demographic of Ariana Grande. 

Overall, the delivery of message translated clearly. The message from this campaign, which is to listen to the new album that expresses Grande's emotions, is translated through the different platforms. For example, there is upside down elements throughout the platforms, such as the text on the social media, and the pose of Ariana Grande on the front cover. This makes the campaign cohesive and easily recognisable as promoting the same brand. 

Strengths and Weaknesses of different platforms

Social media offers many strengths for this campaign. It allows for a mass audience to be shown the campaign. This is because the young target audience are the group most likely to spend the most time on social media; this is reinforced by a study conducted by Statista in 2019, finding that 13-19 year olds are 90% more likely than any other age group to spend their time using a range of social media platforms. As they are on social media anyway, posting to the album's own account mean users can find it and keep updated on the release. Additionally, on Instagram, they can share the posts and accounts to their friends or family also in the target audience, marketing the album themselves.

Instagram

A weakness of using social media is that because it is so easily accessible, anyone can comment. Trolls or haters online can spread hate on posts trying to promote the album, taking away from the intention of the accounts. Her target audience may not care to follow the account due to the possibility of hate and negativity. This is reinforced as there is no official regulator for social media, allowing anyone to share their opinion, whether it is positive and helpful, or not so much. 

Billboards and posters offer many strengths for this campaign. It allows for a mass audience to become aware of the album as it they can see it on their usual commutes. This means people who aren't actively trying to search for the campaign (such as typing in Ariana Grande on Instagram to see updates from her) can still become aware of it. They may decide to then do their own research of the campaign if they are attracted to the aesthetic on the poster. The message is extremely explicit and is clear what it is promoting as it says Ariana Grande and new album Sweetener, with a picture of her. 

A negative of using billboards and posters however to market this campaign is that the target audience can see it as impersonal. Unlike social media, where fans can comment and interact with posts, billboards are straight to the point, and do not offer any interaction between fans and Grande.

Radio adverts are a very useful platform to promote the album in this campaign. As it is played on stations that the album will likely be played on upon release, the target audience is targeted specifically. It allows for the message that Ariana Grande will be releasing a new album to be translated very clearly, playing snippets of songs for audiences to be intrigued. It gives clear dates and information about the album release. 

A negative of the radio advert is that it does not offer any visuals to make it cohesive with other platforms. Whilst the Instagram account and billboards have the same colour schemes and aesthetic, the radio advert only offers audio. It therefore may not be too clear what is being promoted and how it is the same campaign if people aren't listening to it clearly. 

Share a Coke campaign

Consistency

The Share a Coke campaign has high levels of consistency across different media forms. 

Google Images

The photo above shows the different platforms: top left is the billboard, bottom left is the TV advert, right is celebrity endorsement.

The red, black, and white colour scheme for Coca-Cola is present throughout the campaign. This makes it clear to anyone seeing the campaign on different platforms what is being promoted. Additionally, the Coca-Cola font is used throughout the campaign, reflecting the house style. All platforms show custom labels on coke bottles, reflecting the objective of this campaign.

Overall, the delivery of message translated clearly throughout this campaign. The message from this campaign, which is that consuming and buying Coke brings people together, is clearly portrayed. For example, each platform features some sort of identifying individuals by their name. This makes the campaign cohesive and creates a form of brand awareness and identity.

Strengths and Weaknesses of different platforms

Social media and celebrity endorsement offer many strengths for this campaign. It offers the ability for celebrities to pose with the drinks. This shows the drink's branding, matching the aesthetic of the brand. The celebrities fans will idolise them, and want to buy their own coke with their lyrics or name on it to be like them. 

On the other hand, a weakness of using social media and celebrity endorsements to promote this campaign is that people may see it as unauthentic. The Federal Trade Commission's guidelines emphasise that celebrities or influencers have to disclose any time they are endorsing a product because of a paid partnership or personal affiliation with the brand. As a result, viewers of this may not want to buy the product they see being advertised by celebrities as they know it is to make money, not because they genuinely enjoy the product.

The video television advert was a useful form of advertising for this campaign. It allows the branding of the coke brand and personalised names to be shown. It also reflects the feeling the brand want customers to feel; as everyone is shown to be happy and enjoying themselves after having a coke in the TV adverts, it makes viewers feel like they too will have this feeling if they buy a coke bottle with their name. This demonstrates the objective of the campaign.

On the other hand, a weakness of the television adverts for this campaign is that it may be misleading. This is because it creates a picture that drinking coke automatically makes everyone happy; as coke is a widely known drink, people are aware that this does not occur after drinking it. Although finding your name or a song lyric you enjoy may bring feelings of value and inclusivity to consumers, it does not necessarily change the mood of buyers. 

Google Images

The billboard adverts were a useful form of marketing for this campaign. This is because it allowed Coca-Cola to attract their target audience and make it very clear what was being advertised. Many billboards featured the title/slogan 'Share a Coke with...', creating brand awareness. They are in the house colours of red, white, and black. This ensures that the campaign is cohesive, and people who may have seen the campaign on other platforms instantly recognise it and may decide to purchase one as a result.

A weakness of using billboards for this campaign is that they do not share much information. It does not say where you can buy a coke bottle with your name on it, or what the brand's intention is. As Coca-Cola want customers to love the brand and have relationships initiated from coke, the billboards are not demonstrating this. 

P1(U24): Describe the media products for an identified industry sector 

Methods used for Advertising:

- billboards

- leaflets

- radio ads

- email updates

- television adverts

- pop-up banners

- magazine/newspaper adverts

- social media: posts to show up on demographics feed

- social media: influencers or celebrities - product placement

- public speaking

- public transport ads - bus posters, tube posters

- sponsoring events

- word and mouth

Ariana Grande - Promoting 'sweetener' album

How products are adapted across media platforms

Instagram

Ariana Grande's campaign to promote her album 'sweetener' meant the products in her campaign had to be adapted to suit the different platforms. For an Instagram feed to show one large picture, rather than posting separate images to the account, the 'sweetener' Instagram account posted several images that come together to make one singular image when clicked on the account. This fixes the limitation that Instagram has where users can only post images to show up individually on their feed, rather than one large picture. 

On the other hand, the the average billboard aspect ratio is 4:1. This contrasts to Instagrams aspect ratio of 1:1. As a result, the billboard has been adapted to have her name, 'Ariana Grande' written across, length ways to fill the space, with the same image of her (on the Instagram) in the middle.

How institutions create brands across different products and platforms

Ariana Grande's marketing campaign for her 'sweetener' album created a brand identity in many ways. Throughout the campaign, the colour scheme of beige/blush tones mixed with white and black appear. This reflects the album artwork, as Grande is wearing a beige top against a beige background. The fact that all the marketing platforms included this colour scheme makes it clear it is promoting the album. All of the images of Grande are of her looking away or to the side; this also reflects the album cover, in which is she is posing to the side. This reinforces a brand identity and makes it easy for her target audience to recognise and understand what is being promoted.

How different target audiences are engaged

The use of social media advertising attracts a younger target audience. The study conducted by Statista in 2019, finding that 13-19 year olds are 90% more likely than any other age group to spend their time using a range of social media platforms. As a result, posting to social media allows a young target audience to engage with the posts, in ways such as sharing it with friends, or reposting it to their story.

Social media advertising also attracts a more niche demographic. This is because in order to find the 'sweetener' account on Instagram, users would probably find it from Ariana Grande's account. Thus, her fans can interact and find information from that account, rather than the general public on social media who do not follow Grande. 

The use of more traditional media platforms, such as the radio advert, or billboard attract a mass audience. This is because it can be played or seen without actively searching for it. For example, passing by the Ariana Grande's billboard on your way to work may entice anyone to listen to the album as they like the aesthetic. Individuals do not need to go out of their way to search for these platforms within this campaign, thus attracting a mass audience. 

Share a Coke campaign

How products are adapted across media platforms

One way that products were adapted within this campaign was to include a diverse range of names. In the United Kingdom, popular names found on coke bottles would be John or Sarah, for example. Contrastingly, in places such as Israel, popular names are faith based, written in Hebrew or Arabic. This ensures no one feels offended of left out. 

Another way that products were adapted was through the range of platforms. For example, when using celebrities to endorse the products, they would take natural looking photos showing them drinking their coke. This makes their fans want to buy their own as they see their inspirations doing so and looking happy with it. On the other hand, the billboard adverts have a different approach; they are snappy and straight to the point, often with one bottle with a popular name on it. This informs the public of what the campaign is all about and how they can get it in a clear manner.

How institutions create brands across different products and platforms

Throughout the campaign, images or videos of the product were included in different platforms. From social media posts, to billboards and television ads, every advert for the Share a coke campaign included a shot of a coke bottle with a custom label. This informs their target audience of what the campaign is promoting. 

How different target audiences are engaged

Through the use of social media, Coca-Cola was able to attract a mass audience. Because they had many celebrities posing with the product and posting it, their fans were enticed to purchase their own. The hashtag trend, #shareacoke was shared all over social media, for people to post their own drink. With over 600,000 posts with the hashtag on Instagram alone, their target audience were able to interact with each other due to their shared interest and desire to find their name on a coke label. 

The use of traditional advertisements, such as the billboard and TV adverts targeted an older, wider demographic. This is because anyone can see the adverts on TV if they are already watching - it does not just have to be existing fans of the brand/drink. Similarly, an older demographic is more likely to be watching live television (because it is more of a tradition to them) than a younger audience who may use streaming sites, such as Netflix. Thus, they can watch the advert playing on television, and although they are not the primary target audience, may still be attracted due to the inclusivity of the campaign.