Coca-Cola has planned to launch Google+ Hangout next week on its own network and is scheduled for 2PM EST on February 16. There will be company archivists Ted Ryan and Jamal Booker involved in a question-answer session from the Coca-Cola Archives that is expected continue for 30 to 45 minutes. Since it will be an open discussion, it could go anywhere without a script depending on the kind of response and interaction the online audience gives.
CNBC and Bloomberg TV have featured Coca-Cola Archives before. It has been to Coke’s Virtual Online Museum, but it is closed for the general public due to which there has never been an event organized. Such historical memorabilia as Coca-Cola’s original patent award signed in 1887 and some of the Olympics memorabilia will be there. So to spread the word about Coca-Cola fans getting a chance at seeing all this historic pieces, the company announced about its Googe+ Hangout through its Facebook Page and Twitter account.
Google+ was opened to brands for having their own Hangouts on Google’s social networking site since early November. According to Simply Measured, this has given 3.5 million users a chance to put their favorite brands in their circles. Coca-Cola has the sixth largest brand page when considered in terms of “circles”. But still in brand advertising Facebook is way ahead than Google+ as Coca-Cola’s Facebook page has 39 million fans. Coca-Cola’s director of worldwide interactive marketing, Michael Donnelly, says that he is hopeful about Google+’s growth.
If Coca-Cola’s Google+ Hangout proves successful, then other brands might follow suit and utilize this social media platform for their interactive marketing. It will also be beneficial for Google too increasing chances of its not-so-old social networking site to grow in users and business. There are already many brands using this strategy for dealing with their customers and promoting their products.
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