{"id":117085,"date":"2013-04-02T00:37:00","date_gmt":"2013-04-02T05:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/the-coca-cola-controversy-that-isnt-why-social-media-is-more-than-just-buzz\/"},"modified":"2024-12-19T16:39:56","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T21:39:56","slug":"the-coca-cola-controversy-that-isnt-why-social-media-is-more-than-just-buzz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dacgroup.com\/en-ca\/insights\/blog\/paid-media\/the-coca-cola-controversy-that-isnt-why-social-media-is-more-than-just-buzz\/","title":{"rendered":"Coca-Cola: Why Social is More Than Just Buzz"},"content":{"rendered":"

A senior marketing executive at Coca-Cola sent the digital marketing world reeling when he told a conference audience that he sees no link between social media marketing<\/a> and sales.<\/p>\n

Well, no, actually, he didn’t. What Eric Schmidt, senior manager of marketing strategy and insights<\/a> at Coca-Cola, actually said was this:<\/p>\n

“But when Coca-Cola put buzz sentiment data into the same analytical framework it uses to evaluate other digital media\u201d Mr. Schmidt said, “We didn’t see any statistically significant relationship between our <\/em>buzz<\/i><\/strong> and our <\/em>short-term sales<\/i><\/strong>.”<\/em><\/p>\n

That’s an important distinction, and one that the company scrambled to clarify<\/a>. But by then, the damage had already been done. The rumour that Coca-Cola, one of the world’s biggest companies and largest marketing spenders, doesn’t believe in social media as a marketing channel, was spreading like wildfire.<\/p>\n

\"Coca-Cola<\/a><\/p>\n

As in most cases, truth is more nuanced than headlines. Integrated social media marketing comprises a lot of different channels and tactics. They work in concert and, together, they absolutely produce a lift in sales. The combination of offline and online media<\/a> (TV, print, digital and social) has proven extremely effective from an ROI standpoint.<\/p>\n

The thing is, “buzz” — engagement, conversation volume, sentiment, or any of those so-called “soft” social media metrics — tend to have an indirect influence on sales. It’s an influence that can’t necessarily be observed overnight, the same way that issuing a coupon, sending out an eFlyer or running a search campaign can. But does that mean it’s useless?<\/p>\n

\n \n
\n
\n

\n Stay Forward <\/h2>\n

\n Get exclusive insights into digital
media's top-trending topics delivered
directly to your inbox. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n \n