Independent comparison of the Twitter Social Media marketing strategies of Pepsi and Coca Cola. Both companies have several Twitter accounts. Therefore, the two that were chosen for this Social Media marketing study were the ones that appeared the most active in their attempts to engage consumers. These were determined to be: @ Pepsi which links to the Pepsi Refresh Project website and @CocaCola, which links to the official Coca Cola company website.
At first glance the comparison might seem unfair given that the Pepsi Refresh Project has been making headlines for several months now. However, based on the information presented below the choices were made for valid reasons and any Twitter advantage the recent media attention garnered by the Refresh Project appears to be minimal.
For research purposes the following categories were analyzed. Viral marketing results, engagement practices, the apparent Twitter philosophy of each company, and Tweet Statistics. For efficiency purposes from this point forward @Cocacola will be referred to as Coke and @Pepsi will be referred to as Pepsi.
Irbtrax SEO Social Media marketing and market research realizes that comparison studies of this nature are subjective. However, Irbtrax believes there's conclusions that can be drawn based on knowledge of the fundamental strengths of Twitter. Which in no particular order are viral marketing, niche promotions, branding, market research and expediency. Additionally, given the natural competition between these two companies this information can be of benefit to other businesses and online marketers that use Twitter as part of their marketing efforts. What follows is a condensed version of the original analysis
Pepsi verse Coke from a Twitter viral marketing perspective:
Pepsi appears to have the advantage at this time. Mostly due to their aggressive Tweeting about contests related to the Pepsi Refresh Project. However, the overwhelming majority of Pepsi Tweets appear to have had very little to no viral marketing impact. Irbtrax defines a viral marketing success as any Twitter submission that is re-Tweeted over 100 times and receives over 500 aggregate 'clicks'. To determine viral marketing results three different Twitter tracking sources were combined.
Coke verse Pepsi using pure Tweet statistics:
Pepsi appears to have a hard earned advantage at this time. As of the compilation of this information Pepsi had sent out 1155 Tweets, follows 25,205 accounts and has 23,789 followers. Coke has sent out 3224 Tweets, follows 9332 accounts and has 18,704 followers. Pepsi has sent out about a third less Tweets, has more followers, but has most likely gained many of these followers by following them. A time consuming effort which has yielded mixed results.
Pepsi verse Coke based on the apparent engagement practices of each company:
Pepsi appears to have a slight advantage at this time because there seems to be some effort to find a balance between viral marketing and direct engagement. Coke appears to be primarily focused on direct engagement, otherwise known as interactivity.
Coke verse Pepsi based their stated Twitter profiles:
Pepsis bio states: "Your direct line to the Pepsiverse. Currently serving: Ana and Rachel." It includes a link to the Pepsi Refresh Project.
Coca Cola's bio states: "Official tweets of Coke & The Coca-Cola Company" and includes a link to the main Coca Cola website.
Based on the fact a Twitter profile represents an opportunity to clearly and concisely state your mission Coca Cola is declared to have a large advantage at this time. Pepsi's Bio is more ambiguous when compared to profile information and the RefreshEverything.com link they feature.
Summary:
There's no doubt these are two hugely successful companies. They also employ and consult with some of best global marketing minds available. However, their Twitter results appear to fall short of what would be expected from internationally recognized companies and two of the world's top brands. Leaving the door wide open for one company to gain a significant Twitter marketing advantage of the other.
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