5.5 Promotion: Telling the Story
Promotion isn’t just shouting louder. It’s telling a better story.
In crowded, noisy markets, the brands that win are those that communicate value in a way that resonates emotionally and logically. Whether you’re building awareness or reinforcing loyalty, promotion connects the dots between your product’s benefits and the customer’s personal motivations.
It all starts with telling the right story. That’s where Coca-Cola’s Share a Coke campaign became a masterclass in creating personal connections—at massive scale.
Strategy in Action: Coca-Cola’s Share a Coke—Personalization at Scale
By the early 2010s, Coca-Cola faced flat sales and declining relevance among younger consumers in Australia. The solution? A bold personalization campaign that would later become one of the most successful global marketing initiatives ever.
The campaign swapped out the iconic Coca-Cola logo for 150 of the most common first names in Australia—plus generic labels like “Mom,” “Dad,” and “Mate.” But the real genius? The focus wasn’t just on individuals. The campaign encouraged people to buy bottles for friends and family. It became an invitation to share a Coke—not just drink one.
It wasn’t just clever. It was a social phenomenon.
That summer, Australians bought 250 million bottles in a country of only 23 million people. The idea spread worldwide, appearing in over 80 countries, becoming a global phenomenon. Coca-Cola reversed its sales decline and boosted both brand loyalty and purchase frequency.
In 2024, Coke reintroduced the Share a Coke campaign with an interactive twist: peel-off QR codes revealing prizes and experiences.
Why did it work? Because Coca-Cola didn’t sell a product. They sold connection and community.
When you give consumers a chance to see themselves—and their relationships—reflected in your brand, engagement and loyalty soar. That’s what public relations does at its best: it starts conversations and creates emotional relevance.
The Coca-Cola Company. (2014, July 14). How a groundbreaking campaign got its start "Down Under". https://www.coca-colacompany.com/about-us/history/how-a-campaign-got-its-start-down-under
The Coca-Cola Company. (2025, March 26). Iconic 'Share a Coke' is back for a new generation. https://www.coca-colacompany.com/media-center/iconic-share-a-coke-is-back-for-a-new-generation
Wikipedia contributors. (2025, May 5). Share a Coke. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Share_a_Coke
Advertising: Crafting the Message That Resonates
Before you can tell a great story, you need a plan.
That’s where the creative brief comes in. It’s the blueprint that turns your brand’s strategy into clear, compelling messaging. But this idea didn’t come from a committee or a textbook. It started with a man named Rosser Reeves.
Rosser Reeves and the Birth of the USP
Back in the 1940s and 50s, advertising legend Rosser Reeves coined the term Unique Selling Proposition (USP)—the simple idea that a great ad should focus on one specific benefit that sets the product apart.
Reeves’ most famous campaigns included the following:
-
M&Ms: “Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.”
-
Anacin (a pain reliever): “Fast, fast, incredibly fast relief.”
The USP was the seed that grew into today’s creative brief. But modern briefs go beyond one selling point. They capture the whole story you want to tell—who you’re talking to, why they should care, and how to deliver that message in a way that sticks.
What’s Inside a Creative Brief?
Most creative briefs cover five areas.
| Creative Brief Element | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Brand Legacy | Reminds the team of the brand’s history and current reputation |
| Copy Strategy | Outlines the target audience, main benefit, and reason to believe |
| Executional Considerations | Provides creative guidance—tone, style, goals |
| Core Customer Profiles | Describes the audience segments being targeted |
| Key Competitor Profiles | Identifies the biggest competitors and their messaging strengths/weaknesses |
In other words: It’s the document that turns your positioning into action. It ensures that ad agencies, social media teams, PR specialists, and even sales teams are all telling the same story.
Strategy in Action: Snickers and the Power of a Creative Brief
Imagine you’re leading the Snickers brand team and briefing your agency. Your creative brief might look like this:
-
Brand Legacy: Snickers has satisfied cravings since the 1930s. It’s the world’s best-selling candy bar.
-
Target Audience: Busy young adults and parents needing a quick, energizing snack.
-
Benefit: Snickers satisfies hunger and restores energy.
-
Reason to Believe: A combination of nougat, peanuts, caramel, and milk chocolate delivers both taste and nourishment.
-
Tone: Upbeat and humorous—because Snickers revives and revitalizes.
-
Executional Goal: Increase everyday usage occasions (after workouts, between meetings, etc.).
If you’ve ever heard the iconic line “You’re not you when you’re hungry”—you’ve seen this creative brief brought to life.
Sales Promotions: Short-Term Sparks, Long-Term Strategy
Not all promotion is about storytelling alone. Sometimes, you need to give customers a little push. That’s where sales promotions come in.
There are two main types of promotions:
-
Value-Added Promotions
These create extra excitement or benefits—like contests, sweepstakes, or product samples.
Example: McDonald’s Monopoly game. Millions of customers come back year after year for the chance to win. It’s not just a discount. It’s an event.
-
Price-Off Promotions
They work best when lower prices encourage customers to use more of the product—not just stockpile it.
Example: Coupons, rebates, and buy-one-get-one deals
Remember Coca-Cola’s insight:
As one retired executive famously said, “Coca-Cola is not like toilet paper.” When customers buy extra toilet paper, they don’t use it faster. But when they buy more Coke, they drink more Coke. Price promotions for Coke drive not just short-term sales but long-term consumption.
Promotions should drive usage, loyalty, and value—not just price cuts.
Influencer Marketing and Social Media: Amplifying the Message
Of course, not every brand has Coca-Cola’s budget or McDonald’s reach. That’s why some of the best promotions today don’t just advertise to customers—they invite them into the story. Canon’s Project Imagin8ion is a perfect example.
Strategy in Action: Canon’s Project Imagin8ion—Turning Customers into Co-Creators
By the early 2010s, Canon faced a tough challenge. Its DSLR cameras were locked in a competitive battle with Nikon, and smartphone photography was rapidly improving. Canon needed to do more than just market specs and features—it needed to tell a story and invite customers into it.
Enter Project Imagin8ion.
Canon launched a photo contest that flipped traditional marketing on its head. Instead of hiring celebrities or showcasing professional photographers, Canon asked customers to submit images that would inspire a short film directed by Ron Howard.
The payoff was stunning:
-
Over 100,000 photo submissions across eight creative categories
-
Massive social media engagement—Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr buzzed with excitement
-
DSLR market share surged from 31.6% to 50.5%
-
On Black Friday (the film’s premiere), Canon captured 71.7% of DSLR sales—its best month ever
But the real victory wasn’t just sales. By inviting customers to become co-creators, Canon built deeper loyalty. People didn’t just buy Canon products—they felt personally invested in the brand’s creative journey.
When customers feel like co-creators, not just buyers, loyalty skyrockets.
Working Not Working. (n.d.). Canon / Project Imagin8ion. Retrieved May 29, 2025, from https://workingnotworking.com/projects/66166-canon-project-imagin8ion
Fauer, J. (2012, August 16). Ron Howard and Canon’s Project Imagination 2. Film and Digital Times. https://www.fdtimes.com/2012/08/16/ron-howard-and-canons-project-imagination-2/
Adding the Power of the Marketing Event
In traditional marketing, big brands often rely on deep pockets: large ad spends, celebrity endorsements, and broad-reaching campaigns. Startups and challengers know something big-brand marketers sometimes forget that the right marketing event can do what no ad can:
-
Grab attention
-
Create personal experiences
-
Spark word-of-mouth
-
Turn customers into fans and storytellers
The Golden Rule of Budget-Friendly Promotion
Make sure your promotional efforts are unique and news worthy; because with a small promotional budget, you can never match the marketing power of a market leader.
Why Events Work
A great marketing event doesn’t just “get the word out.” It creates a living brand experience. That experience travels through social media, conversations, and personal stories.
Example: Honda Fit in the House
Instead of running endless car ads, Honda sponsored a music tour with the House of Blues, taking the Honda Fit directly to their young, music-loving target audience. People didn’t just see the Fit. They sat in it, experienced it, and shared their experiences with friends.
Events don’t have to be expensive to be effective. In fact, low-cost, high-creativity events often outperform pricey ad campaigns.
Five Rules for Great Marketing Events
-
Feature your competitive angle front and center.
-
Make it gorgeous and memorable—quality reflects on your product.
-
Connect with a local cause where possible.
-
Target carefully—know your audience and objective.
-
Send people home with a souvenir or story to share.
While public relations sparks conversations and boosts visibility, marketing events go a step further—they let customers experience the brand directly and build lasting emotional connections.
Strategy in Action: Gatorade High School Athlete Awards—Grassroots Brilliance
In the 1990s, Gatorade wanted to deepen its connection with young athletes—and reinforce its brand as the essential fuel for high performance.
Instead of just running more ads, Gatorade created the High School Athlete Awards. These awards recognized outstanding athletes across a wide range of sports and communities, bringing together school coaches, parents, and local media.
Gatorade wasn’t just advertising to high school athletes. They were celebrating them.
Why did it work?
-
The event positioned Gatorade as a brand that cares about athlete success, not just selling drinks.
-
It built loyalty early—many of the young athletes went on to become college and even professional players who remained loyal to the brand.
-
Local media coverage amplified the reach far beyond the event itself.
By turning their target customers into heroes, Gatorade created a long-lasting emotional connection that competitors struggled to match.
Gatorade. (n.d.). Gatorade Player of the Year. Retrieved May 29, 2025, from https://playeroftheyear.gatorade.com/
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Gatorade Player of the Year awards. Wikipedia. Retrieved May 29, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gatorade_Player_of_the_Year_awards
Bringing It Together
Promotion isn’t an afterthought. It’s the bridge between your product’s value and your customer’s desires. Done well, it creates awareness and excitement, communicates your differentiation clearly, aligns with the positioning and values you developed earlier, and moves customers from interest to trial and loyalty.
And always remember—the story comes first.
Click here to view a list of available activities.