coca corporateness

What are Coke up to? This looks like something from a corporate report. But it's found its way onto the back of mags like OK. How odd.

Comments

[funkypancake]

are the colours or relative positions relevant ?

is it a brand badness-rating indicator ?

diet coke is the least fattening whilst dr pepper is the most, closely followe by coke ?

i don't think dr pepper is a real doctor anyway. certainly not a medical one.

[emi]

hmm...is it subliminal advertising?

[M@]

I dunno I kinda like it - all the different bubbly flavours of coke. A bit 'designy' for coke but nice not to have a chick in a bikini.

[Kenny]

Dr Pepper may not have been a real doctor, but Colonel Saunders was in the army ... he was accused of cowardice ... filthy yellow chicken, they said ... there's an idea, he thought ...

[Luca Vergano]

the typical coke bottle with all the brands of the company... I kind of think this looks like "how to dismantle consumers' certainties with one move" But maybe I'm too much into the "every-brand-has-his-own-personality" thing. Am I?

[rsaum]

It's a mediocre take on Tony Cragg's early plastic works - try searching Google for "cragg plastic".

[Holycow]

Perfect example of a brand halo effect at work perhaps? While they have heavyweight media coverage for Coke going on in London I guess they thought that it would be neat to remind us all of the other sticky drinks in the portfolio. Raymond loewy once said
'the coke bottle is the most perfectly designed package in the word' and I guess that makes it the perfect mnemonic device to carry the logos of the other brands - nice way to do it actually but yes Russell - what on earth is this doing on the backcover of popular magazines? Like to have seen the media brief for this one and also whether there was a 'role for this communication' box on the brief... I often wonder who taglines are written for too -the corporation or us? And I wish this poor use of language - floppy brand platitudes - would stop. To suggest that a corporation is a world of refreshment is pure nonsense. Stop it.

[Holycow]

Folks - just a thought - I was really thinking about the role for this communication and I came across this: http://www.interbrand.com/best_brands_04/league_table/BGBleaguetable_final.pdf

essentially it is saying that Coke is not perhaps the powerhouse it once was - so this could be a defensive move - what do you reckon?

[Ben]

I think there are two things at work here; firstly big American brands are becoming "ashamed" of their big American brandness and are trying to be "different". McDonalds is another example, and it's not working. For every anti-American member of the Liberati media there are hundreds of people that love a burger and a Coke. As someone senior from McDonalds once told me, "If you Brits hate McDonalds so much, how come the restaurants are always full?".

Secondly, almost every campaign these days has to hit so many "targets" we end up with this sort of bland shit. Witness all those hideously dubbed Euromercials you see on TV these days. Huge companies know they have to advertise and so they want a campaign that won't offend anyone, will work in any country and doesn't shout big American brand.

But you know what? If it didn't have all the logos and it was just a Coke ad - I'd quite like it.

[Christian]

Imagine the battle there must have been to decide which brand goes where, and in which size (how many AD have died during the process ? How many approvals has it been through ?).
Is there any relevance re. each brand position (fat cf.funkypancake) or simply color?
Is there a Code beneath ?
Who is the Kia Ora Mkg director ? (has he seen the size of its logo ?).

[richard]

What a total load of bollocks this advertising is. It is not only bereft of any creativity what so ever (thankyou VCCP once again for your sterling contribution to utter dreariness) but I can find no legitmate role for advertising no matter how hard I try. What a waste of cash.

[neil christie]

There's an article all about this campaign in today's Marketing magazine. There are a number of press executions, developed by VCCP, and a website www.refreshinglife.co.uk. The website suggests, amongst other things, that 'organising outdoor activities is a great way of keeping the kids entertained.' Hey, thanks for that, Mr Coke. This is Coca cola's first ever porfolio campaign and the article suggests that it may be an attepmt to address concerns over obesity issues by associating Coca-Cola's fizzy drink brands with healthier water and juice brands. But it's hard to imagine why a consumer might find an execution with a collection of logos and 'a world of refreshment' relevant or interesting.

[russell]

hey Neil, aren't they one of your clients? Do you want me to delete that comment?

[ben]

There is also a great story in Marketing this week about Coca Cola bringing out a new drink called Ipsei. Apparently Pepsi are none too pleased. Even considering legal action.

I love this story. I really hope Coca Cola did it on purpose, or that it’s a huge error by some junior brand manager. But I fear that it’s nothing so exciting...

[Paul W]

Ben, maybe Pepsi should retaliate. Perhaps launch Ocke - a diet drink for Darts players. At least it would demonstrate some local understanding and address obesity concerns.

[chris]

Looks like we should get used to the "Coke as art" debate!:
http://adage.com/news.cms?newsId=45767

COKE'S LATEST MARKETING EXPERIMENT: ART
Collectible Packaging, Videos, Music to Create 'Iconic Experience'

CHICAGO (Adage.com) -- Coke is art.

At least it was in the 1960s, when Andy Warhol dipped Coke's iconic contour bottle in silver. Now, Coca-Cola is trying to recapture the days when the brand was woven by artists such as Keith Haring into the popular culture. Its marketing plan is code-named M5.
...
'A weird project for Coke'
The project is so amorphous that even Coke insiders aren’t sure what to make of it. When it was unveiled at the top 100 marketing executives confab in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in May, attendees had a mixed view, including new marketing boss Mary Minnick, said some executives. “It’s a weird project for Coke,” conceded Mateus Santos, creative director and partner at Lobo.

[Lamar Cole]

Love is two people sipping Coca Cola from the same straw on a warm sunny day.