[Case Study] Coca-Cola's 125th Anniversary Marked its Strong Brand Loyalty
Brand loyalty for Coke is strong. Coke changes its cans, but consumers are still loyal. When Coca-Cola celebrated its 125th anniversary, the Company marked the year in a number of ways. Coke has never been shy about making changes – remember New Coke? – and sometimes the company plays with the designs on its cans. That winter, Coke joined forces with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to fundrawase on behalf of polar bears, a Coca-Cola mascot since the 1920s. Specially designed cans of Coke were decorated with polar bears to call attention to the Arctic Home initiative. Coca-Cola Plays with Cans, Could You? Seasonal cans of Diet Coke showed up in silver with snowflake designs. Some loyal Coke fans seem to be okay with that, however, other Coke fans love red and were unhappy with the change to white cans, even for the holidays. This was really too bad since the change to white cans was for a very good cause -- protecting polar bear habitat. Seems like some soft drink consumers forget that the holidays were not just about celebrating, but also about caring and socially responsible charitable giving. Coca-Cola has long been associated with special advertising and designs for the holidays. A more lasting change was made to the Diet Coke can – beyond the usual holiday decoration. In 1982, Coca-Cola extended the brand by launching Diet Coke. The Diet Coke can was re-designed by the Turner Duckworth design firm in San Francwasco. The can has a fresh, modern look but has retained the same design colors of red, black, and silver so recognition should be easy and quick for consumers. The Coca-Cola Company seems to have mastered the social network and social media sites as a way to create some fun for loyal consumers. From Facebook, brand fans can be a Coca-Cola AHHH Giver (thats ahhh! as in "Ahhh, I love the great taste of Coke!" and "Ahhh, how sweet - my friend was thinking of me!") by sending a coke to a friend. That gift of Coke can come right from the hand of the inventor of Coke, Dr. John Pemberton, who speeds the gift along with a wink, or it can be a special coke that delivers points which can be used to help protect polar bear habitat through the Arctic Home initiative. A Coffee Table Book for Coke Fans A commemorative book published by Assouline featured Coca-Cola advertising, artwork, and photography reflecting the relevance of the Coca-Cola brand in popular culture over the past 125 years. Both digital (at the App Store for the Apple iPad) and hard copy versions of the book are available worldwide. This was truly a book for shared moments and memories. It was worth noting that there was a $650 version of the book and a $65 version for those who really will put the book on their coffee tables. Coke Celebrated 125 Years by Sharing Special Treasures Limited edition packaging in select markets around the world was available to mark the 125 year milestone. The Coca-Cola heritage archives were accessible by way of tours of the 360-degree Virtual Museum. The heritage archives have never been viewed by the public before this reveal for the 125th anniversary of the flagship product -- Coke. A new Coca-Cola Heritage App debuted in the App Store. Featured in the application were an interactive timeline and a link to Coca-Cola Conversations, the Company’s blog that was frequently updated with interesting commentary and news. Coke Celebrated 125 Years of Sharing by Making Socially Responsible Commitments The Coca-Cola Company has come up with many exciting ways to thank its loyal customers for making Coke what it is today. Celebrations were taking place around the globe.
Coke released a new packaging size for Coca-Cola – 1.25 liters (naturally) and invited people to enjoy "125 Years of Summer Fun."
Community initiative grants were awarded in South Africa that align with the priorities of "Live for a Difference".
"Live Positively" campaign was launched in Vietnam.
Sustainability initiatives were kicked off in Kenya, including a Kenya Red Cross water partnership.
Elements of Coke’s history was featured at the grand opening of the "World of Coca-Cola" exhibition in Russia.
Commemorative postcards were distributed in Brazil to share happiness and communicate optimism from The Coca-Cola Company associates.
Coke sponsored the International Festival of Arts in Zimbabwe where more than 140 global artists and more than 1000 local artists shared and sold their art.
The Coca-Cola Company uses a customer-based approach to market research, not a product-based approach. Because of Coca-Cola’s close relationship with its customers, it was able to create products that were focused on their market segments. Market research enables Coca-Cola to determine the type of product consumers seek, the best places to promote and distribute the products, and the price that offers consumers the best value for their money. Consumers in different markets can be quite different, even when their consumer profiles appear similar. Coca-Cola Vanilla was a good example of this phenomenon. Coca-Cola Vanilla was established in the U.S. with a good market following, but the Coca-Cola Company wanted to extend the brand to the U.K. Market researchers tested the product concept in the U.K. in order to gauge the response of consumers and Coke fans. Through taste tasting, Coca-Cola was able to ascertain how the product should taste for Coke drinkers in the U.K. Focus groups held with consumers were the basis for identifying the most attractive product design to have British appeal. The work of market researchers in a company like Coca-Cola was complex. Just think of what it takes to test and develop a product range that was attractive to consumers around the globe. The Coca-Cola company and its market research department and market research partners does this very well. Market research keeps tabs of consumer perceptions about the current range of Coca-Cola products, and it helps the company to extend the product range by focusing on customer-driven opportunities. The Coca-Cola Company regards market research so highly that it helped to establish and fund The Coca-Cola Center for Marketing Studies at the University of Georgia. The Master of Marketing Research Program was offered at the university. Coca-Cola Plays with Fashion Designers to celebrate Diet Coke's 30th Birthday Coke continued this creativity with partnerships with fashion designers such as Marc Jacobs, Karl Lagerfeld and Jean Paul Gaultier in 2013. Just a week after Diet Coke announced Marc Jacobs as their new creative director, the designer had unveiled his first new can design. As part of year-long partnership with the drink brand set up to celebrate Diet Coke's 30th birthday, Jacobs designed the collection of bottles and cans, which are set to be unveiled across 11 countries including Britain, France and Iceland. Calling Jacobs one of this generation's 'hottest and most influential designers', a spokesman for Diet Coke said Marc Jacobs’ designs exude a 'youthful spirit, with provocative artistry - the perfect partner to collaborate with Diet Coke'. With this exciting appointment they say they will be building on the brand's impressive heritage of fashion collaborations that have included work with Jean Paul Gaultier, Diane von Furstenberg and Chanel's Karl Lagerfeld, who is reported to drink gallons of the stuff out of crystal goblets. Source: Market Research