retailers visiting cash & carry operator Dhamecha Foods will be encouraged to share more Cokes with their customers after Coca-Cola Enterprises unleashed a virtual assistant to drive uptake.

Using the technology from digital specialist Tensator, CCE has created a virtual assistant called Isabelle to update retailers visiting Dhamecha’s C&C depots on its summer plans for the campaign.

Dressed in Coca-Cola branded clothing, Isabelle tells customers about the success of the campaign to date and suggests how retailers can maximise shopper interest in their stores. She even plays the new Share a Coke TV advert on a digital screen.

“After the success of the Share a Coke campaign last year, we were keen to ensure our customers understand how the campaign can benefit them and how they can get involved,” said CCE digital director Simon Miles. “Digital shopping marketing innovations such as Isabelle are a creative and fun way to reach our customers with the campaign and are a piece of genuine digital innovation.”

Dhamecha trading director Mukesh Vithlani said Dhamecha was always looking for new ideas to “inspire our customers,” adding “this technology from CCE is one of the most innovative we’ve seen.”

Isabelle will be moved between selected Dhamecha depots this summer. The arrangement is not exclusive, and the technology could be rolled out to other companies after that.

CCE said the Share a Coke campaign had driven a 10% increase in 375ml and 500ml unit sales across the Coca-Cola portfolio last year. This year Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Zero 500ml and 375ml bottles will feature over 1,000 of the most popular names in the UK, building on the 250 names from 2013, supported by a TV, digital and out-of-home push.

Topics