Introduction
Advertising has undergone significant changes with the rise of social media, shifting from one-way communication to interactive engagement. This essay, written from the perspective of a student studying Managing a Diverse Workforce, examines how these shifts reflect and promote diversity in marketing strategies and workforce management. I select the Always #LikeAGirl campaign (2014) as a recent social media example and Coca-Cola’s “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” advertisement (1971) as an older, pre-social media commercial. The analysis explores their intents, messages, social media’s role, success factors, personal opinions, and lessons for businesses using platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. This highlights how diverse workforces can drive inclusive campaigns that broaden customer bases.
Campaign Overviews and Stated Intents
The Always #LikeAGirl campaign, launched by Procter & Gamble in 2014, aimed to challenge gender stereotypes and empower young girls by redefining the phrase “like a girl” as a positive attribute. Its intent was to promote confidence among females during puberty, aligning with brand values of femininity and strength (Always, 2014). In contrast, Coca-Cola’s 1971 “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” ad sought to foster global unity and peace amid social unrest, portraying the brand as a symbol of harmony. The stated goal was to connect people across cultures through a shared, positive experience (Coca-Cola Company, 1971).
From a diversity management viewpoint, both campaigns implicitly addressed inclusivity. The older ad featured a diverse group of young people from various ethnic backgrounds, reflecting an early attempt at representation, while #LikeAGirl used social media to amplify female voices, demonstrating how diverse teams can create resonant content.
Intent, Actual Messages, and Social Media’s Role
Explicitly, “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” conveyed optimism and togetherness, with a multicultural choir singing on a hillside, suggesting Coca-Cola as a unifier. However, it arguably idealized harmony without addressing real social divisions, potentially oversimplifying diversity issues (Schneider and Barsoux, 2003). The #LikeAGirl campaign explicitly fought gender bias by showing how phrases demean girls, encouraging empowerment. Implicitly, it commodified feminism, linking product use to self-esteem.
Social media transformed #LikeAGirl’s execution, enabling user-generated content on platforms like YouTube and Twitter, where participants shared stories, fostering dialogue (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). This differed from the 1971 ad’s broadcast-only approach via television, lacking interaction. In diversity terms, social media allows diverse workforces to engage varied audiences, broadening networks, whereas traditional methods limited reach to passive viewers.
Success Factors and Personal Opinions
The 1971 ad succeeded through cultural impact, becoming iconic and boosting sales, measured by recall and popularity (Coca-Cola Company, 1971). #LikeAGirl went viral, garnering over 85 million views and awards, successful via engagement metrics like shares (Always, 2014). However, its success depended on authenticity, risking backlash if perceived as insincere.
Personally, after review, Coca-Cola appears as a nostalgic brand promoting superficial unity, while Always seems progressive in addressing gender diversity, enhancing my view of it as inclusive. As a student of workforce diversity, I see #LikeAGirl as evidence that diverse marketing teams can authentically tackle inequalities, unlike the less nuanced older ad.
Lessons for Businesses Using Social Media
Businesses use Twitter for real-time engagement, Facebook for community building, and LinkedIn for professional networking to promote diversity and expand customer bases (Mangold and Faulds, 2009). Social media enables participatory campaigns that reflect diverse workforces, as in #LikeAGirl, contrasting traditional control. Lessons include leveraging diversity for authentic messaging, solving engagement problems through inclusive strategies, and building trust via dialogue.
Conclusion
Comparing these campaigns shows advertising’s evolution from static broadcasts to interactive platforms, with implications for managing diverse workforces. Traditional ads like Coca-Cola’s offered broad appeals, while social media campaigns like #LikeAGirl promote active inclusion. This underscores the need for diverse teams to create genuine content, enhancing brand loyalty and market reach. Ultimately, businesses must integrate diversity into strategies for effective communication in a globalised world.
References
- Always. (2014) #LikeAGirl Campaign Video. Procter & Gamble.
- Coca-Cola Company. (1971) I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke Advertisement. The Coca-Cola Company.
- Kaplan, A.M. and Haenlein, M. (2010) Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media. Business Horizons, 53(1), pp.59-68.
- Mangold, W.G. and Faulds, D.J. (2009) Social media: The new hybrid element of the promotion mix. Business Horizons, 52(4), pp.357-365.
- Schneider, S.C. and Barsoux, J.L. (2003) Managing Across Cultures. 2nd edn. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall.
