Coca-Cola’s ‘One Brand’ Campaign starts tasting better after a flat start

Coca-Cola is already the world’s number 1 beverage brand but in a market under pressure to be forever healthier and contain less sugar, how can the infamously sugary soft drink stay fresh and stop sales going flat?

Previously, Coca-Cola had approached the health trend by branching out into new products. Diet Coke had traditionally been marketed to women, so Coke Zero was introduced to give men a low-calorie alternative too. Then Coke Life appeared, using natural sweeteners as a direct response to calls to reduce artificial sweeteners.

Throughout these developments, the original variant was kept separate to keep the brand from being diluted by the low/no-calorie options. However, with the market turning against sugar so sharply, it appears that the opposite is true. It is the original Coke that might benefit from the association with its ‘healthier’ offspring.

In January this year, Coca-Cola launched their “One Brand” strategy, bringing all four variants together under the same red dot label and the unified tagline “Taste The Feeling.” As Coca-Cola President and COO James Quincey explains:

“The One Brand strategy takes us from [an] ineffective way of talking about four different brands and if you grew up drinking Coke Classic and you wanted to switch to Coke Zero you almost have to change brand and change your lifestyle. Now the idea of the one brand is you can enjoy Coca-Cola the whole of your life and you can have it in different product variants as you want to mix and match whether it is caffeine or sugar or whatever.”

This also means, that rather than pushing four different brands, Coca-Cola have been able to focus their marketing efforts behind a single, clear message that is endorsed by the world’s most iconic logo.

And according to Quincey after just over six months it is already “starting to look very encouraging”, bringing in more sales and giving a further boost to the overall brand.

In a market that’s in danger of losing it’s fizz, Coca-Cola’s strategy of bringing its brands together appears to be paying off.

 

Featured Posts