Why Coke is joining TikTok with a hashtag dance challenge

Beverage behemoth Coca-Cola is launching its official TikTok page. To kick it off, Coke is starting a dance challenge, #ShareTheMagic, which features the song “Open” by Khalid, and choreography by Jalaiah Harmon. As part of the dance, there will be new Coke-branded TikTok effects that will let participants apply a #SharetheMagic lens to their video. The lens option is triggered by incorporating specific gestures and movements into their dance. Joining TikTok is the latest example of Coke working to stay relevant with younger consumers. The TikTok challenge is a continuation of the brand's “Real Magic” campaign that launched in September with an esports-themed ad that was not well received by the gaming community, with critics saying it was inauthentic, despite using real gamers. To keep up with the metaverse trend, Coke auctioned off four NFTs earlier this year. Coke is the latest big consumer packaged goods brand trying to find where it fits on TikTok, who’s users put a premium on authenticity. In October, Mattel worked with Attn to launch TikTok profiles for Barbie and Uno. Harmon is an Atlanta-based dancer and creative artist who created one of the first viral TikTok dances (“the Renegade”) when she was 14 years old, and was one of several Black creators on TikTok that spoke out about not being credited for the app’s viral dances. Coke will have other creators, including those of color, promote the dance, and says it will compensate them, but declined to share specific figures. In general, brands have been pledging to invest more in minority-owned media, and have been working to have more creators of color represented, but those creators still say they are not always given the same opportunities. “We want to be inclusive of all passion points and groups by elevating creatives who love our brand – from multi-platinum global superstars like Khalid, to emerging talent like Jalaiah – and giving them a stage to connect with our fans,” Richard Toranzo, social center director at Coca-Cola North America, said in a statement. On TikTok, the hashtag #coke has 3.6 billion views and #cocacola has almost 9 billion views. According to Toranzo, this first foray into TikTok is a “test-and-learn” experiment that will help shape how the brand partners with creators going forward. “We see this as a bottoms-up approach: We are not here to tell our fans what’s cool. We are shining a light on what they’ve told us is cool,” he said. The challenge will run from Dec. 8 to Dec. 21, and will end in a “best-of” mashup of entered videos that will be chosen by Harmon and Coca-Cola that will live on the brand’s TikTok page.

Why Coke is joining TikTok with a hashtag dance challenge

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