从人类学视角看可口可乐免费派送活动

Study on the Free Distribution Activity of Coca Cola from the Perspective of Anthropology

2008年再次成为北京奥运会赞助商的可口可乐实施了一项"可口可乐奥运畅爽地带"策略,它计划定点、定时向市民免费派送冰镇可口可乐。这项策略不仅为可口可乐带来了巨大商机,而且透露出了人类学相关理论的智慧。实际上,免费可乐是作为一种礼物存在的。礼物可以产生关系,可口可乐公司正是靠着这份馈赠形成了一个广泛支持和拥护自己的忠实消费群体,并且这种支持和拥护是长期的。在中国,礼物本身不包含一种超自然的特质,但它却是一种传递人情的最有力的工具,在这种背景下,可口可乐公司向人们发放免费饮料算是"滴水之恩",重情的中国人自然会"涌泉相报",对可口可乐公司的产品给予长期的支持,甚至向周边朋友大力宣传。可口可乐公司这次的营销策略可以看作是对"礼物"的"传统再利用"过程。

Coca Cola, who is the official sponsor of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, implemented a “Coca Cola Olympic Shuang Zone” strategy to distribute iced Coca Cola to citizens for free at fixed places and time. This strategy not only brings Coca Cola huge business opportunities, but also reveals wisdom of related anthropology theory. In fact, free Coca Cola as a kind of present can bring forth relationship. Just by this kind of present Coca Cola estab-lished a faithful consumer group who widely and perpetually support him. In China a present itself doesn＇t have any transcenderftal distinctive character, but it＇s a powerful tool to pass on favors. Under such background Coca Cola＇s free distribution could be counted as “the favor of a drop of water”, but friendly and kind Chinese would certainly “reward the gratitude with a fountain of water” by our tradition. People would give long-standing support to his products and even vigorously advertise to friends. This marketing strategy of Coca Cola could be seen as the process of gift＇s “reutilization of tradition”.