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Share a Coke: names on bottles

Coca-Cola South Pacific replaced its logo on bottles with popular first names in Australia, and the company says the idea reached more than 70 countries. Most evidence is company and agency self-report. No company document read cites a psychological theory.

2011 to 2012. Company sources differ. A company history page says the Sydney agency pitch was in 2011. A 2014 company press release says the program debuted in Australia in 2012. Chronology section: 2010 to 2026.

CaseCompany self-reportAdvertisingConsumer

Where it sits
Consumer applicationUse of psychology, or claims about it, in commerce, policy or product design.
Evidence level
Company self-reportThe main evidence is the company’s own account. It has not been independently audited.
Organizations
Coca-ColaAn organization is listed where the sources concern it. The text says exactly how.
Sources inspected
5 of 54 with the relevant text, company document or archive item checked, 1 as an abstract or reference article, 0 not verified.

What happened

According to a Coca-Cola Company history page, Coca-Cola South Pacific heard agency pitches in Sydney in 2011 for a campaign later called Share a Coke. Ogilvy, the incumbent agency, was chosen. The campaign launched with the 150 most popular Australian first names on bottles and cans. The company says it later reached more than 70 countries.

The psychological idea

The company's stated reasoning was commercial and cultural. Its research, it says, found young people felt Coke did not talk to them at eye level, and the page quotes Lucie Austin calling a name a person's fingerprint. No company page read cites a psychological theory. Brendl and colleagues' research on name letter branding is related academic work, not a stated company reason.

In practice

The company says it sold more than 250 million named bottles and cans in Australia, a country of just under 23 million people. A trade article reports a 7 percent rise in young-adult consumption but does not say who measured it. A trade report on a Galway school experiment with 404 children says name labels shifted drink choices.

Why it mattered

It is a much-cited example of packaging that invites people to give a product to someone else. It also prompted public-health researchers to ask whether personalized labels on sugary drinks affect children's choices.

Limits and qualifications

The sales and consumption figures come from the company, its agency or trade reporting, not an independent audit, and the campaign ran alongside other marketing. Only the abstract of the name-letter paper was read: it reports five experiments in which people favored brands sharing letters with their own name, which differs from a first name printed on a pack. The child study was read only through a trade report, which does not state its funding.

Evidence behind the claims

  • A Coca-Cola Company history page says Coca-Cola South Pacific heard agency pitches in Sydney in 2011, chose the incumbent Ogilvy, and launched the campaign with 150 names.

    Company self-reportSource: [1]Where: Origins sectionChecked at page level

  • The company says research showed teens and young adults felt Coke was not talking to them at eye level, and the page quotes Austin calling a name a person's fingerprint.

    Company self-reportSource: [1]Where: Stated reasoning and personalisation sectionsChecked at page level

  • The company says it sold more than 250 million named bottles and cans in Australia, a nation of just under 23 million people, and that the campaign has reached more than 70 countries.

    Company self-reportSource: [1]Where: Execution and figuresChecked at page level

  • A 2014 Coca-Cola press release places the Australian debut in 2012, gives no sales figures and names no psychological theory.

    Company self-reportSource: [2]Where: Press release textChecked at page level

  • A trade article states that young adult consumption increased by 7 percent in 2011, as its own narration with no named speaker or measurer.

    Company self-reportSource: [3]Where: Article text on resultsChecked at page level

  • Brendl and colleagues (2005) report five experiments in which people were more likely to choose brands whose names began with letters from their own name.

    Experimental findingSource: [4]Where: AbstractChecked at abstract level

  • A BeverageDaily report on a University of Galway study says 404 children were randomly assigned to label conditions and chose one drink from 12 options, and that name labels shifted choices; the report does not state funding.

    Experimental findingSource: [5]Where: Trade report summaryChecked at page level

People involved

  • Lucie Austin. Coca-Cola South Pacific colleague quoted on the company history page
  • C. Miguel Brendl. Lead author, name letter branding experiments, 2005

In the Psy101 course

This is course relevance only. It is not evidence for the historical or corporate claims on this page.See the full course map.

Sources and inspection

5 of 5 sources were opened and read at the level shown. A source marked as not verified supports no claim on this page by itself.

  1. [1]
    How a Groundbreaking Campaign Got Its Start Down UnderThe Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company, 2014. Company document. Company document.Company document readRead the company history page as returned by the fetch tool (dated 25 September 2014 on the page): pitch, Ogilvy, 150 names, eye-level research, fingerprint quote, 250 million, 70 countries. No psychological theory is named. Company self-report.
  2. [2]
    Coca-Cola Celebrates a Summer of SharingThe Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company investor relations, 2014. Company document. Company document.Company document readRead the 2014 press release as returned by the fetch tool. It dates the Australian debut to 2012, gives no sales figures and names no psychological theory.
  3. [3]
    How sharing turned a brand aroundPackaging News. Packaging News (Australia), 2014. News report. Secondary account.Relevant text checkedRead the trade article as returned by the fetch tool. The 7 percent figure is narration with no named speaker or study.
  4. [4]
    Name letter branding: Valence transfers when product specific needs are activeBrendl, C; Chattopadhyay, A; Pelham, B; Carvallo, M. Journal of Consumer Research (record at IDEAS/RePEc), 2005. Journal article. Primary source.Abstract or publisher record onlyRead the abstract and citation record at IDEAS/RePEc. Full text was not read.
  5. [5]
    Children's drink choices influenced by personalized labels, study findsBeverageDaily. BeverageDaily, 2017. News report. Secondary account.Relevant text checkedRead a trade report on the Pediatric Obesity study by McDarby and colleagues as returned by the fetch tool. The paper itself was not opened. Funding is not stated in the report.

Access note: No independent sales measurement of the Australian launch was found. The child study was read only via a trade report.

Independent source review: Claude review agent, independent of the research agent, 2026-10-21. Verdict: pass-with-edits.