Coca-Cola 'Share a Coke' campaign boosts US sales for first time in a decade

A simple marketing campaign appears to have paid off

The ‘share a coke’ has seen bottles and cans featuring common names and terms of endearment such as ‘friends’ and ‘family’ lining shelves in shops across the globe

What is in a name? A lot, at least judging by the success Coca-Cola’s ‘share a coke’ campaign has enjoyed after sales of the beverage jumped over summer.

The ‘share a coke’ campaign has seen bottles and cans featuring common names and terms of endearment such as ‘friends’ and ‘family’ lining shelves in shops across the globe.

The personalised labels allow people to buy cans with their own names on - and crucially ones for their friends - giving sales in the US a two per cent rise, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Coca-Cola's website even had a feature allowing people to type their names on virtual cans which could be shared across social media.

This boost reverses eleven years of decline for Coca-Cola in the US, who are battling concerns over links between soft drinks and obesity.

The campaign was first launched in Australia in 2011 as a way of re-engaging with consumers both in stores and online. Sales among young Australians subsequently surged by seven per cent and the campaign was rolled out across 80 countries.

In the US, the company printed bottles with the 250 most popular names, while in the UK the Coca-Cola was replaced with 1,000 names.

The Share a Coke campaign was only a temporary push however, and Coke is gradually switching back to its standard labels in America.

Evan Holod, Coke's senior brand manager, said the company is now giving “serious consideration” to bringing it back next year.