Viral marketing: More like a potential threat than a new trend

 

First of all, viral marketing is a strategy to stimulate the public or customers to share the new idea of brands, such as a new trend on social media. Hence, the effectiveness and the coverage usually be enhanced with the presence of influencers.  Source: vtv During the UEFA EURO 2020 championship, Cristiano Ronaldo has removed two Coca-Cola bottles far away from him publicly in the meeting press before the match between Hungary and Portugal. The action taken is unprecedented and has shocked reporters and everyone who was at the meeting because Coca-Cola was one of the twelve main sponsors for the league for 32 years continuously (UEFA 2019). Can Ronaldo’s reputation challenge the huge enterprise in the food and beverage industry?        Influencers can betray the brand any time they want,  so is there a regulation from preventing that scenario from happening?    In 2008, Ronaldo advertised for Coca-Cola and the clip went viral on YouTube and in 2021, Ronaldo struck the old brand with an opposite statement. Immediately, newspapers both traditional and online delivered the information the after day and create a viral trend on social media with hashtag Ronaldo, hashtag Drinkwater, etc. As a matter of fact, people do not remember about the 2008 video, they only recall their memory if a similar situation happen. It is obvious that the influences of Ronaldo in 2021, with more than 300 million Instagram followers is different from when he was a rising star.       Consequently, the Coca-Cola company’s market value dropped by $4 billion, equivalent to 1.6 percent the day after (Villegas 2021). Afterward, Coca-Cola responds with a statement that depending on the taste and habit, everyone can choose to drink what they like (Garcia 2021). Although one of the sponsors for the league, Coca-Cola, has done their best to improve the condition, the impact of a celebrity is significant. The answer for the above question is that in my perspective, Ronaldo cannot fight against Coca-Cola alone and he has no reason to do so.   Source: Facebook   A given explanation that Ronaldo has a strict diet schedule and exercise regime to follow. As a captain of Portugal national team, drinking a bottle of coke containing 37 gram of sugar can lead to diabetes which will lower the physical strength of players during the game (Garrity 2021). Achieving a great fitness background allows the Portuguese football star to play at the international league at the age of 36, while many players usually leave the field when they are over 30. It is clear that the statement is to encourage people to eat healthy and do exercise.   34% among 88 million Americans who conducted the survey suffered from diabetes (Central Disease Control and Prevention 2020). Coca-Cola can place two bottles of Dasani, a mineral water from their subsidiary, instead of carbohydrate drinks. Not only can this option help to share the message that we should drink more water to prevent dehydration, but it can also boost the mother company’s revenue. By doing so, Coca-Cola’s reputation can be enhanced as they care about customers’ health.    However, there are many arguments toward the idea that firms need to refresh their marketing strategy as viral marketing contains many risks and disadvantages. First of all, the positive trend will only survive for less than a week while the negative scandal will be remembered for years. The reason is the Internet can connect the globe together so YouTube viewers and Facebook users can be informed with the new trend almost immediately. In addition, advertising for a specific type of goods in the wrong circumstance will receive even more criticism from the public.  Source: Pepsico Vietnam, Youtube During the last three years, from 2018 to 2021, Coca-Cola did not have as many viral marketing campaigns as their competitor, Pepsi. The main theme of Coca-Cola for the Asian market is Chinese New Year because of the red colour. Unlike Coca-Cola, PepsiCo also uses the same method, viral marketing with influencers, but their collaborator is Black Pink. Well-trained influencer is believed to be more professional as well as reliable as the mother company’s reputation will also be affected if they do not manage their idol well. This only explains partly for the previous question but did not give an optimum solution for the problem.

In conclusion, the Internet helps the trend to become viral easily and forgotten very fast as everyone can have access to the wireless communication method. Influencer is not always a catalyst to enhance the quality of a viral marketing strategy, the content appropriation and the differentiated level is more crucial.

Garrity, T 2021, ‘We shouldn’t be surprised that Cristiano Ronaldo refuse to drink Coca-Cola’, InsideHook, viewed August 19, 2021, 

<https://www.insidehook.com/article/health-and-fitness/why-ronaldo-hates-coca-cola>.

Villegas, P 2021, ‘Cristiano Ronaldo snubbed Coca-Cola. The company’s market value fell $4 billion, The Washington Post, viewed August 19, 2021,

<https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/06/16/cristiano-ronaldo-coca-cola/>.

Garcia, A 2021, ‘Cristiano Ronaldo snub sees Coca-Cola market value fall by $4 billion, ESPN, viewed August 19, 2021,

<https://www.espn.com/soccer/portugal-por/story/4410619/cristiano-ronaldo-snub-sees-coca-cola-share-price-fall-by-$4bn>.

Central Disease Control and Prevention 2020, ‘National diabetes statistic report 2020, viewed August 19, 2021,

<https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/features/diabetes-stat-report.html>.

UEFA 2019, Coca-Cola signs on as UEFA EURO 2020 sponsor,viewed August 19, 2021,

<https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/about-uefa/administration/marketing/news/0255-0f8e6f0333ed-22fe305a8c25-1000--coca-cola-signs-on-as-uefa-euro-2020-sponsor/>.