Grassroots Social Media: 'Coca-Cola Around The World' Goes Viral

 

Most brands only dream of grassroots publicity like this - but Coca-Cola got it, thanks to Duane Perera of Edmondton, Canada.

The story goes something like this: Dude gets dumped by his girlfriend on the eve of his 30th birthday. So he takes off to see the world, and films his year-long journey to share with friends and fans on YouTube.

Here's the kicker:  Each video features Perera drinking Coca-Cola in the exotic locations he visits. We're talking 48 different cities across 36 countries - sparking 400,000 YouTube views.

"I remember going to remote villages in Africa, and Asia, they didn't speak English at all, but they still knew what Coca-Cola was," said Perera in an interview with CTV Edmonton, as by reported Yahoo News. 

The cost to Perera: About $27,000 in credit card bills. The cost to Coke: Zip, of course.

Which makes this story amazing - a global icon so universally recognizable, and so beloved, that a guy will travel the world capturing his escapades and the one thing that ties it all together is this ubiquitous brand.

As to be expected these days, Perera is in talks with the company to possibly use video from his adventures in TV spots - which could easily defray his costs - but there's no news yet on a deal.

What's your take?

Should Atlanta deliver a Coke & A Smile? Or say, "So long, sucker"?

Read more, here.

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Comments

[Richard Ozro]

Love this concept - hope the man gets some sort of sponsorship or job from Coca-Cola. I'm sure he has more interesting ideas which could be of use to their marketing team!

[Ron Strauss]

I'd show his video internally to Coke employees around the world. So, yes, if I were Coke, I'd give him a Coke and a smile (and some large coin.) I'd also use the images elsewhere, as in the annual report...and put the video on my web site.