Coca-Cola’s Altered Look???... 

As I was scrolling through the Marketing Dive page I came across a story headline that read “Coca-cola refreshed brand with global campaign built around shared moments.” It immediately caught my eye because Coca-Cola is such a classic brand, and reading that they refreshed their brand made me stop in my scrolling tracks. Automatically, my first thought was oh no, what did they do? The Coca cola has such a classic and nostalgic logo design, I couldn't imagine it being changed. Despite the moment of trauma I had as I clicked to expand the blog, I found myself pleasantly surprised with a side of caution.

As I read through the page I found that Coca Cola is not only refreshing its brand platform, they have altered their logo to make it look as though it is wrapping around something. They describe it as mimicking a hug, embracing the inspiration behind their new revamp, unity and togetherness. This is the first time there has been a refashioning of their brand since 2016 when they slightly edited the logos spacing and placement on the can to symbolize “uplifting” possibilities. This new global campaign introduces its new rebranding through a two minute video inspired by gaming called “One Coke Away From Each Other.” Their new so-called “philosophy” is referred to as “Real Magic” as a reference to shared moments. 

• Coca-Cola's Value proposition: The Value proposition of Coca Cola can be simplified into these few words “The Coke Side of Life”. You may think, well that doesn't make sense as a proposition, however its the deeper meaning behind this saying that they are communicating. It is essentially referring to the happiness one would experience when cracking open a Coca-Cola product. 

The company seems to be sticking with more of today's traditional style of marketing. That is, creating their content to target those who are avid consumers such as gamers. Now, there is no saying that coca cola is strictly the beverage of a Gamer, that is just who they are reaching out to this go around, which is very practical. It is not a secret that gamers like their sodas, and what is more deliciously classic than sipping on a Coca-Cola. 

The challenge that the company is trying to address and overcome is the so-called divisions that have occurred in the last 18 months. Referring to COVID outbreat and the off and on quarantining. They approach this challenge through this global campaign with the goals of reforming a connection between the consumption of the beverage and that which are their consumers' passions. In this case it's gaming and the way they approach this is through the making of their video. 

SEE VIDEO >>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2QZjUzWPMA 

In terms of their marketing solution I do have a couple issues with how they went about it. Specifically in reference to the short video. I think from an overall perspective they did a good job, but were here to pick apart at the details of the matter, and from my standpoint it isn't quite practical. 

To put it in simple terms, If I were to rate it on a scale of 1-10, I would say it's a 6 or so. I do think that how they appeal to the Gamers of the world is a good strategy. They are taking that one step farther rather than just appealing to the general masses. However, I noticed the way they went about it seemed unrealistic. The video depicts a video game where there are two enemies waging war against one another. As the main character is fighting off the foes, he is struck down looking as though he is defeated. At this moment, The gamer girl who is seemingly in control, reaches for a coca cola from the fridge, cracks it open and takes a sip. At this moment it pans to a strangely emotional scene of a dying troll's life flashing before his eyes and him suddenly being revived. That is, after the gamer in control takes a sip of the refreshing drink. Though it may touch the hearts of many seeing this ripped green goblin suddenly being filled with the strength and determination to win the battle, I found it quite distracting. Yes, the company did a stupendous job appealing to the emotions of the audience, but that isn't what this new promotion is about. I can see how it is misleading not only in that sense, but the fact that this is completely facticiouse. Facticiosue not just because it is about an animated character fighting in a battle, but that that kind in instance simply wouldn't happen in a normal video game. Now, I am no gamer myself, but I have had my fair attempts at playing Call of duty and Halo, and in my time of playing, I have never seen or heard of a character trotting off to battle with a newfound conscience of its own. My main critique in all this can be summarized as this, yes, they did do a decent job at directing this commercial to a specific group of people, but the way in which they went about it was very unrealistic.

If I were their brand product manager, my first critique would be their alter of their logo. Yes, it may be clever and I do like their meaning behind it, but it looks like they just took a snapshot of a coca cola can and took off the logo from there and made it 2D. That was my first impression. I think the photos do help to interpret the meaning behind the altar, but in terms of thinking outside of the box and creating something new and unique, I don't think there was enough done to get the kind of reactions they may have been aiming for. And then when it comes to the promotional video, I think it was well executed in the way it reached out and grabbed the attention of the gaming community. However I would have made the drama that occurred more realistic in how the world functions. People may enjoy fiction, but that's fake living. We want something real, something relatable, that's what is going to grab our attention.