Coca-Cola is using social networking as the core of a global marketing campaign focused on cash-strapped consumers.

The initiative is part of the firm’s wider promotional campaign "Open Happiness" – which focuses on "simple pleasures" such as drinking Coke – and will see three bloggers travelling across 206 countries in a year to find out what makes people happy.

The trip, dubbed Expedition 206, will begin on 1 January 2010 in Madrid and ends 31 December at Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta.

During that time, the travellers will post blog entries, send updates through Twitter, Facebook and other social networking sites, share pictures and add videos to YouTube. The material is expected to generate interaction between the company and its customers and increase sales.

"This mash-up of social media – online photo galleries, video clips, blogs, microblogs, social networking – combined with an amazing journey, enthusiastic travellers and a theme of happiness is a great way for us to connect with people around the world," said Adam Brown, director at Coca-Cola’s office of digital communications and social media.

"The global adoption of social media has given us a way to deliver a year-long reality TV series without the TV."