Today is November 10, 2017, and, apparently, it’s also #DíaDeLaSalteña.
For those who don’t know what a Salteña is, it’s this delicious, empanada-like food we Bolivians adore. If you have never tried a Salteña, stop reading, jump on a plane, head over to La Paz, and make sure you try this little piece of heaven on earth.
But, I didn’t know today is international Salteña day.
As I sat in my cube in an office more than 3,000 miles away from my hometown, La Paz, Bolivia, I scrolled down my Facebook posts and saw this post:
What else did Coca-Cola do? Well, they promoted all of this content using one particular hashtag. One that I had never seen before #DiaDeLaSalteña.
They also created a special frame you could add to your Facebook profile in honor of the #DiaDeLaSalteña.
I ran into this other post, brilliantly created and promoted by Coca-Cola, who probably paid this influencer, who has nearly 5,000 friends on Facebook, to post this content:
He shared that picture on Instagram and on Facebook using the same hashtag.
And you know what I realized?
People around Bolivia are using the same hashtag.
Coca-Cola planned this and promoted it days in advance.
And that this is an amazing example of glocalization, the combination of two words, globalization and localization. Companies who glocalize their products either customize their products, and/or their marketing strategy, to each specific location. What really stood out to me, is how Coca-Cola reinforced their presence in a country so seamlessly.
So, as a proud Bolivian marketer, Coca-cola drinker, and ferocious Salteña eater, I take my hat off to you Coca-Cola.
You made us want to have a Coca-Cola and eat a Salteña.
Natalia Arteaga 