Coca-Cola is attempting to appeal to New Year?s Eve revelers by sponsoring an advertisement on Instagram that showcases a recipe for a non-alcoholic cocktail containing several of the company?s branded beverages.

As brands ramp up their advertising efforts on social media networks ahead of New Year?s Eve, a major night for parties and entertainment, Coca-Cola is ensuring its products stay front-of-mind for consumers looking to enjoy a fizzy drink before the clock strikes midnight. The company is sponsoring ads that appear within Instagram users? feeds, displaying ?mocktail? recipes that consumers can make on New Year?s Eve using its tea, lemonade and soda products.

?Coca-Cola?s Instagram campaign is similar to what the alcohol brands (Bacardi and Stoli) are doing so well,? said Adam Meshekow, executive vice president of product strategy and national sales at SITO Mobile. ?I believe relating real world instances and event-based behavior such as New Year?s Eve can engage almost every audience, effectively creating interest associated with the Coca-Cola brand.?

Fizzing up excitement
With excitement for New Year?s Eve reaching a fever pitch, many consumers are in stages of planning or finalizing their celebratory activities. The anticipation for one of the biggest party nights of the year has made the occasion an optimal marketing opportunity for brands, especially those in the food and beverage sector.

Coca-Cola is sponsoring advertisements that will appear interspersed with targeted Instagram users? content in a bid to ramp up on last-minute beverage sales. One advertisement shows a quadrant view of the drink-making process, featuring a soda bottle, a carton of lemonade and tea bags, a pitcher and a highball glass.

The ad?s caption invites consumers to comment with their opinion on the best way to enjoy a Coca-Cola drink. Options include shaken or stirred.

Once users scroll down, the caption will offer instructions for a mocktail recipe. Mocktails are an offshoot of cocktails that require several ingredients to make, but do not contain any alcohol, making them the ideal New Year?s refreshment for partiers with underage guests.

The ingredients needed to make an ?Atlanta Sunrise,? the ad?s featured mocktail, include four ounces of Coca-Cola soda, Gold Peak unsweetened black tea and Minute Maid Lemonade. A lemon wheel may be added as garnish to the finished product.

All three brands listed are part of The Coca-Cola Company.

To make the non-alcoholic cocktail, individuals should fill a sixteen-ounce glass or cup with ice, up to the halfway point. Then, all ingredients must be combined and stirred before the lemon wheel can be added for an extra hint of citrusy flavor.

Coca-Cola?s sponsored ad goes beyond the stagnant units frequently seen peppering users? Instagram feeds. Its direct call-to-action invites consumers to enjoy the experience of creating a branded mocktail that will add happiness to their New Year?s Eve festivities.

?The real takeaway here is that brands are leveraging content to own a moment in time, allowing their target audience to associate with that brand during any kind of experience, be it a concert, football game, or New Year?s Eve celebration,? Mr. Meshekow said.

Fueling last-minute sales
The brand may experience a surge in last-minute sales of its products following the ad rollout, as it could convince consumers to pick up some soda or lemonade in preparation for the big night.

Coca-Cola?s ad may also come in use for revelers throwing parties with underage guests present. If an individual comes across the unit while perusing his or her Instagram feed on the night of New Year?s Eve, he or she may have time to dash to the store and pick up the necessary ingredients so that non-alcohol drinkers will have a beverage to enjoy.

Coca-Cola has previously marketed to target audiences ahead of New Year celebrations.

A Coca-Cola executive at the Mobile Marketing Association?s SM2 Innovation Summit 2015 said that mobile video outperformed television in a recent campaign for the Chinese New Year, and was twice as effective in fueling sales, proving its potency for food and beverage marketers (see story).

Another option of increasing outreach would have been for the company to offer a link to a mobile coupon in the ad caption, usable on purchases of Coca-Cola beverages this week.

?I think a clear call-to-action is always beneficial, but in this case, I think what Coca-Cola is looking for is a more experiential outcome; being top-of-mind for its customer base and creating a positive experience that is further associated with an event,? Mr. Meshekow said.

Final Take
Alex Samuely, staff writer on Mobile Marketer, New York