It’s been 25 years since apartheid was dismantled. Our country now recognises 11 official languages. But the truth: We still can’t say each other’s names.

The original ‘Share A Coke’ campaign that put people’s names on cans was a global success. We were asked to reignite the campaign. Because of our past, we knew that a campaign about names should aim to bring South Africans together. We wanted to open up conversations about identity that we’ve always swept under the rug. With a budget of $4 million, we needed to make this countrywide summer campaign one of the most successful to date and steady brand love in a rapidly declining market.

Nothing’s more frustrating than having your name being butchered. So, in 2018, when Coca-Cola added the phonetics of each name from all the different cultures and languages to our cans, South Africans experienced a liberation of identity. Suddenly, a Coca-Cola can became so much more than a thirst quencher. It became an instant two-way invitation - to share how your name is pronounced and to try to say other people’s names. Like Elle magazine, said, “It’s time to learn those names you’re afraid to say.” We had an outpouring of public love – with people asking Coca-Cola to share their name pronunciations. A Coke can became a way to bridge language divides, an education tool and a symbol of cultural pride.

The target audience was ALL South Africans who experience the residual effects of racial segregation, as well as youth aged between 13-19. Our secondary market focused on young adults aged 20-29. It was important that a campaign about language and identity reached all parts of South Africa. Even the messaging was a direct invitation voiced throughout our campaign – “Share a Coke with me.”

Every element was designed to be a learning opportunity – from radio to our web series to Out of Home. In Out of Home, we deliberately mismatched languages to regions. This meant that people in Kwa-Zulu Natal, a province of predominantly Zulu speaking people, were served billboards in Sotho, Xhosa or any language other than just Zulu. People in the Easter Cape, where Xhosa is spoken, saw Sotho or Setswana billboards. In other words, everyone always had a chance to learn a name they didn’t know.

For a campaign about social cohesion and respect, we wanted to feature everyday South Africans and cast for names, not faces. We began a nationwide casting and those people were part of over 30 pieces of TV and online content, and were featured in over 400 outdoor sites across the country. Radio told stories about name mispronunciations, while highlighting the interesting differences in our languages.

Our langauages have complex ‘click’ sounds. These were explained in entertaining Sound Guides online. South Africa’s largest soap operas picked up on the campaign and included the phonetic cans in their storylines. People with the most difficult names took over a national radio station for the day. By telling a vending machine your name, you could get your own personalised can. “Share a Coke with me”, invited South Africans to get out of their comfort zones and to try to say each other’s names.