Coca Without Cola
They say that change is the only constant in nature. And, it looks like winds of change are sweeping across the quarters of Coca-Cola with the advent of the new CEO James Quincey in May this year. The giant that has always been presented as the “ultimate cola” company is now, as self-stated, a “total beverage company”.
What started as a decade long rebranding and re-franchising endeavor will now manifest in its reintroduction to the American public. The root of the reason probably goes down to the fact that consumers are becoming increasingly aware of how much sugar this cola giant has been feeding them for decades. It is, in fact, interesting that despite the increase in still beverages from Coke, the sales from the fizzy drinks have been stagnant. Also, 2016 saw a major effort to reduce the calorie content in Coke with the introduction of Coke Zero – a sign enough to tell us that people have been moving away from fizzy drinks.
Now, the cola giant has actually sold off manufacturing and distribution that was till now capital-intensive, and devoted itself to marketing an innovation. And, this very campaign includes presenting Coke as a companion not just with popcorn and pizza but also with traditional dishes like paella, as portrayed in a recent commercial. Bloggers and Instagram pros are also being paid to click glass bottles of Coke along with their innovative food.
Coca-Cola, with this gargantuan campaign, however, aims to present itself not as soda brand but as a resource that is adding to the economy of America and touching the lives of people associated with it directly or indirectly. The new ad campaign thus, showcases a delivery driver that works for a Coca-Cola bottler, and a hydrologist who manages the company’s water sustainability program.
The bottom line is that the beverage giant has indeed been concerting its effort to bring back consumers who are now making healthier choices over fizzy drinks. This is also the reason why Coca-Cola’s new ad campaign features non-cola and non-fizzy products like Honest Tea, Odwalla juice, and Smartwater. Take a note, Pepsi.
