Sometimes market research tells you that your brand is going great guns and you're reaching your target audience. Other times, such as in the case of Coca-Cola in Romania, research might tell you that young people are engaging with your product less frequently than before. Rather than lamenting, Coke decided to launch a new type of promotion that hinged on the fact that although kids weren't drinking a lot of their cola, they were going to a lot of concerts. Their resulting campaign and tie-in product is nothing short of genius!

1. Innovative wristbands boost youth engagement.
2. Custom design becomes a fashion statement.
3. Promotional products yield extraordinary outcomes.

Branded Wristbands for Marketing

The custom promotional wristbands that Coca-Cola began distributing came attached as part of the drink bottle's label. Youngsters were encouraged to tear off these bands and scan a barcode to see if their wristbands were winning bands that would grant the wearer access to a variety of music festivals held in Romania. The overall goal was to get the attention of the youth market again and to have them engage with the Coca-Cola brand.

Surprisingly the campaign was successful well beyond this initial scope. The group behind the campaign had anticipated kids would be interested in getting access to the music festivals, what they hadn't anticipated was that the eight uniquely designed wristbands would become fashion statements of their own. Young people started wearing the bands as stylish accessories on social media such as Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest. While they were happy to get access to the festivals, what they really loved were the colourful designs (all in Coca-Cola's brand colours) and suddenly they became must-have goodies for fashionable young crowds. Coca-Cola's brand was even more visible than before and engagement rose immensely.

In the end, the agency behind the campaign estimated that 75% of Romanian young people had interacted with the wristband campaign - much higher than they'd predicted. What this proves to the rest of us in the market for branding opportunities and campaign ideas is that if your custom decoration is exciting and appealing, then you can go well beyond the reach of regular marketing events. If your design is great, people will want to engage with it - even if your design is on a cheap, simple little item like a custom wristband!

Concept Behind the Campaign

The essential idea for Coca-Cola's marketing endeavour centred around designing custom promotional wristbands. Here are the key components of this strategy:

• Attractive Freebie: The wristbands, attached to the drink bottle's label, were not only promotional entities but also instant rewards for customers.
• Interactive Design: Each band included a barcode that, when scanned, could reveal if the customer won access to music festivals.
• Integrating Interests: By aligning the promotion with youngsters' love for concerts, the campaign resonated strongly with their interests.
• Rebranding Exercise: The custom wristbands served to bring beleaguered brand Coca-Cola back into prominence amongst the youth.

Fashion Statement in Disguise

I only wore wristbands during fun runs for a cause, since it’s one of the items in the promotional kit. But Coca-Cola’s marketing use of it was really one for the books. What started as a marketing gimmick soon became a fashion statement amongst Romania's youth. Around this phenomenon, these are some noteworthy points:

• Design Appeal: The wristbands sported eight unique designs, all in Coca-Cola's brand colours, which appealed to the young audience.
• Social Media Buzz: Youngsters wore these bands as accessories, flashing them on various social media platforms, thereby amplifying Coca-Cola's brand visibility.
• Fashionable Accessory: Unintentionally, these wristbands became must-have items for the fashionable youth, driving demand and interest.
• Quality Engagement: Beyond mere trinkets, these bands served as potent tools of engagement, driving the Coca-Cola brand into the everyday lives of consumers.

Final Thoughts

To conclude, Coca-Cola Romania's promotional wristband campaign skilfully merges strategic marketing and trendsetting initiatives, showcasing the immense potential of promotional products when implemented creatively. This success story inspires us at Cubic Promote Australia, continually encouraging us to think outside the box when it comes to choosing, designing, and distributing our promotional products.

Promotion first spotted here: http://www.adweek.com/agencies/coca-cola-made-detachable-bottle-labels-that-worked-as-wristbands-at-music-festivals/