The long loved Coca-Cola Company has recently received pushback due to its high use of low- and no-calorie sweeteners.  In response, Coca-Cola released a new ad campaign citing statistics and providing information for consumers about the health benefits of its products.  The Coming Together Campaign focuses on creating a healthy lifestyle and ending global obesity.  By taking the offensive, Coca-Cola is reaching out to start to address their health aware consumers.

Millennials are becoming increasingly more health conscious.

• Millennials are focusing more on ingredients and food production.  High chemical ingredients like low- and no-calorie sweeteners have received the greatest pushback because of their connection to cancer and other health conditions.  By providing statistics and information on the benefits of alternative sweeteners, like aspartame, Coca-Cola aims to become more transparent for their health conscious consumers.
• A large portion of the Coming Together Campaign focuses on healthy living and better eating habits.  Coca-Cola has taken great strides to make sure its position on obesity is known.  In its published statement, Coca-Cola says, “We offer beverages with and without calories and are helping to develop workable solutions to address obesity.”  This directly correlates with the health awareness that is becoming increasingly more popular with Millennials.

The campaign is engaging and interactive

• Research shows that Millennials are all about brand engagement and interaction.  The Coming Together Campaign encourages consumers to share their stories and engage in discussions about healthy lifestyles.  The Coming Together website features sections where Millennials can post pictures, recipes and everyday lifestyle tips that promote healthy eating and physical exercise.
• The campaign also utilizes all social media outlets.  With more than 110,000 followers on Twitter and six million YouTube video views, the Coming Together Campaign is reaching out to the Millennial Market in an interactive way.  As a producer, Coca-Cola is creating the discussion about healthy living and encouraging their Millennial consumers to continue and shape the conversation.

Coca-Cola is one the frontrunners in the conversation about ending global obesity and creating a healthy lifestyle.  Its new transparent approach to its products is enticing Millennials because it approaches them in an engaging and interactive way.  Lessons can be learned from Coca-Cola about how to market strategically to the growing Millennial market base.

Leah Swartz contributed to writing this post.

Photo credit: James Flynn via Flickr