One of the biggest stories to come out of UEFA Euro 2020 has been Cristiano Ronaldo removing two Coca-Cola bottles from in front of him at a press conference, replacing them with a bottle of water and shouting “Agua”, (water in Portuguese). A snub that allegedly caused Coca Cola shares to plummet by a whopping $4 billion, in response to the soccer star’s disapproval of the carbonated drink.
The jury is still out as to whether the shares falling were a direct result of Ronaldo’s influence as a global football sensation, beloved by millions and boasting over 300 million followers on Instagram, or unrelated factors.
However, one thing is certain; the five-second gesture has become a trending international topic of discussion, making global headlines. And that is good news for companies who are paying attention and know how to leverage the power of “real-time marketing”: – the ability to boost brand recognition, by reacting in real-time and engaging in conversations as they happen, via social media messaging or other marketing platforms.
In the days that have followed, Ikea has emerged as a clear winner in the Ronaldo vs. Coca Cola controversy. It’s a great example of a brand which is actively listening and thinking on its feet, to seize a golden marketing opportunity.
Within a week of the incident, Ikea had already launched its latest reusable glass water bottles called “Cristiano” – a genius marketing ploy to capitalise on the interest and hype around recent events. Announced on social media via the caption “Drink water, sustainably @cristiano #Euro2020”, the cheeky homage to the incident has been loved by customers and heralded on social media via positive comments, retweets and likes, for its wit and timeliness.
Drink water, sustainably @cristiano #Euro2020 pic.twitter.com/ReRpbWNTIz
— IKEA Canada (@IKEACanada) June 18, 2021
But Ikea weren’t the only ones listening to all the chatter. Evian was lightning quick to take advantage of the incident and joined the conversation to encourage people to stay hydrated and drink Evian.
Cristiano says #drinkwater, we say 7 is the best number in the world! #stayhydrated #CR7 pic.twitter.com/P0rQOpedJl
— evian (@evianwater) June 16, 2021
They retweeted a clip of the incident on the same day with the caption “Couldn’t have said it better ourselves! #stayhydrated, #drinktrue #CR7” and followed it up two days later, with a tweet that read: “Cristiano says #drinkwater, we say seven is the best number in the world!”
Even the World Health Organisation (WHO) couldn’t keep away and chimed in by posting a link on Twitter with tips on how to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks.
A cornerstone of real-time marketing is the ability to engage with customers and on-line audiences in an authentic way, by adding value to the narrative. As news cycles become shorter and staying relative becomes harder, it’s opportunities like these that are priceless.
When done correctly, consumers will remember the brands that interacted with them and became a part of their daily conversations – but when done incorrectly, it can spur a strong backlash from customers, who are quick to call out brands that are jumping on the bandwagon for the sake of publicity or sheer self-promotion.
While the potential for things to go wrong is high, we can also see how simple it is to execute real-time campaigns to engage with customers – provided brands are actively listening and don’t force themselves into conversations.
Zaib Shadani, communications consultant, personal branding and thought leadership expert at Shadani Consulting.
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