Coca-Cola Launched CokeTag Facebook Application in their effort to go Social.

While there are many who have jumped on the idea of “social media campaigns,” running advertising around widgets, social networks and the web, I’m not a big fan. And I usually think they’re lame.

So when I looked at CokeTag, I was little doubtful — mainly because with campaigns like these, the focus on the brand vs. user is usually 80 – 20, so being a user-centric publication, there’s not much to cover. CokeTag, however, is kind of an exception. The only thing it has common with Coke, the drink brand we know and live, is that the name and the fact that it’s sponsored by them.

So, what is it?

Coca-Cola describes CokeTag as a “personal, customizable widget for individuals, bands, bloggers, artists, and companies to share links to content they want to promote and drive traffic to anywhere on the Web.”

The CokeTag, apart from the obvious promotion of Coke is also promoting we8, “an artistic and cultural exchange, uniting eight of China’s most exciting artists and design firms with eight of the West’s most progressive musicians to design a vision and soundtrack that celebrates the infinite possibilities that awaits when the doors are flung open between East and West.”

Will it help?

The CokeTag is a product of the Coca-Cola Company and really serves as a branding tool for them, since it puts their name in front of the people viewing it. Once you’ve created a CokeTag, other people can embed it on their own Facebook page. This allows fans to post a band’s CokeTag on their personal page. And your links spread around the social network that way.

What’s kicking it?

The CokeTag application features a self-service editor that allows you to control both the content and skin. Several levels of expandable menus enable easy navigation to specific content, while a built-in click tracker lets the creator know every time someone looks at their CokeTag and which links they visit.

PR Note:

What I loved about it, though, is that Coke has decided to take a very passive approach, and I think that’s what we need more of — don’t just think because you’re a big company, people are going to share around widgetized versions of your lame PR idea, unless of course, it’s useful to THEM.

Future:

Currently in beta form, CokeTag is the result of a partnership between The Coca-Cola Company and Linkstorm, an advertising technology company pioneering a new approach to social networking, online marketing and publishing. Initially built for Facebook, CokeTag will later be available across OpenSocial sites (MySpace, Bebo, etc.) and eventually to all Blogging platforms and everywhere on the Internet.

Related:

What’s with Widgets?

(Anubhav Sharma)