On Friday, August 8 Coke came to The University of Akron for their Share-a-Coke Sampling Program. Students, faculty and staff alike were able to obtain free 7.5-ounce Coke cans with personalized names on them.

The Share-a-Coke campaign is an international promotion that has been active in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and a number of other nations. Its goal has been to increase coke consumption during the summer.

Martina Zerbola, a sophomore tennis player from Argentina, stood in line to have a Coke.

“People don’t drink as much soda as they drink here. Here I drink it every day,” Zerbola said.

The Share-a-Coke campaign may make it to her home country since it has been active in over 50 countries since its original launch in 2012.

“The coolest thing is it allows more consumers to have their name on coke,” a Coke Representative said.

People lined up outside of Bierce Library to get Coke for themselves and for someone special to them.

Coke representatives assisted people with the Coke machines that produced the personalized cans. This is different than the Cokes sold in stores since they have complete control over what names are printed. Even the most uncommon names could fit on the cans.

Joe McCartney, a Residence Life Coordinator, said he came out of a meeting and spotted the Coke trucks and promotional equipment.  He was delighted to find out the objective of the promotion.

“Coke is my favorite drink,” McCartney said with two cans in hand.

He fashioned Coke cans for his sister-in-law, Kassie, and his mother-in-law, Kim. He talked about how his sister-in-law could never find a coke with their name on it so he decided he would make one for her. Knowing his mother-in-law was an avid fan of Coke, he got her a can too.

Tiffany Montgomery, another Residence Life Coordinator, branded her own name and the name of her mother on two cans of Coke. She said the cans made her feel special since it had her own name on the can.

“I think it’s a fairly brilliant marketing campaign,” Montgomery said.

Participants are encouraged to use the “#sharecoke” hashtag on social media. Non-personalized bottles and cans can be found in most stores that sell Coke. There are 250 names in the United States that can be found on the Coke products.