Telling Gen Z to Get Off the Phone… Through Their Phones? The Paradox of Coca-Cola’s Summer Campaign

Coca-Cola recently launched its summer ad campaign featuring messages about unplugging, spending time with friends, and cooling off with an ice-cold Coke. The advertisements feature QR codes that allow consumers to enter sweepstakes for a chance to win fun, summer-themed rewards, such as vacations and movie tickets. At first glance, this seems like a fun idea with a positive sentiment, but a closer look might be detrimental to the company’s campaign.  

Do Brands Really Want Young Consumers to Unplug?  

After giving some thought to Coca-Cola’s summer campaign, a critical issue stood out to me: Coca-Cola is telling young people to get off their phones while running ads on social media. It isn’t hard to see that there’s some irony here, especially given the advertised rewards can only be won by scanning a QR code, which requires a phone. This makes me wonder how much brands really want their consumers to disconnect from their devices, despite their messaging.  

TikTok is one of the main platforms this ad is running on, and that in and of itself isn’t a bad choice. Brands like Scrub Daddy, e.l.f., and Crocs are performing well on TikTok (it always comes back to TikTok), and Coca-Cola has almost 2 million followers on the app. Pair that with the massive success of influencer marketing and advertising that TikTok has revolutionized, and you’ve got a resipe for success. This is where I find that Coca-Cola’s “unplug” message seems self-contradictory. Is their social media success  worth sacrificing for a fun summer message? Or is it possible that two of Coca-Cola’s rising competitors, Olipop and Poppi, are gaining traction on social media, and this ad campaign serves as a subtle way to keep their consumers from seeing ads by other soda brands? If a teenager sees Coke’s new ad about enjoying summertime, goes out and buys a soda, then heads to the beach for the rest of the day, that’s one less viewer for competing soda companies and one more sale for Coke.  

The Device Dilemma  

Something else that puts Coca-Cola’s new summer campaign at odds with the rest of the brand: if people are turning off their phones, like the ad says, how are they going to see the ads? This is a paradox that begins to undermine the brand’s message to enjoy the moment.  

Of course, Coca-Cola doesn’t really want young people to put their phones away for long—how else would they see future ads? There’s nothing wrong with leveraging social media to advertise your products (like the Barking Mad podcast—now on TikTok!), but this obvious clash in messaging can make your brand seem disingenuous. This may not sound like a big deal, but it’s a total brand killer when it comes to Gen Z—the young, tech-savvy consumers Coca-Cola is trying to market to.   

Gen Z Keeps It Real 

In an article I wrote a few weeks ago, I mentioned the consumer backlash that came from the CEO of Duolingo’s announcement that the company was going “AI-First.” Part of the reason for this backlash is linked to people’s uneasiness about AI, but another large part of the equation is that Duolingo abandoned what made consumers love it in the first place. Duo was relatable and almost human, and when Duolingo announced their AI decision, consumers took it as a betrayal of the trust they had in the company.  

The point being, Gen Z cares about transparency and the values a brand stands for, and they are more than willing to publicly call out breaches in those values. Coke’s paradoxical marketing campaign might work with other generations, but with Gen Z’s history of calling out brands, and sometimes even boycotting them, it’s vital for brands to get their messaging straight and keep things as genuine as possible.  

From A to Gen Z 

If you’re a smaller brand targeting younger demographics, you must pay attention to their values and habits as consumers. Gen Z is generally willing to pay more for products that align with their beliefs, but being less than honest about your brand’s message or products will cause irreparable damage.  

There will always be a disconnect between your brand and your consumer. The key is to work around that disconnect and be upfront with your customers while understanding their values and habits. That’s where BSM Partners comes in. Our robust Brand, Marketing, and Strategy practice lives and breathes consumer insights, and we can give you the intel you need to connect with your consumers. Don’t just guess what your consumers want. Know it for a fact.  

Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates on all things happening here at BSM Partners.

About the Author

Cady Wolf is an Analyst at BSM Partners. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in English from Brigham Young University-Idaho, and she currently lives in Rexburg, Idaho with her husband, their two cats, and pet tortoise. She loves animals and learning about how to help pet brands and pet parents alike.