Coca-Cola has a proud tradition of advertising itself as the quintessential carbonated soft drink of America. I don’t think anything can get more American than apple pie, baseball, and a tall cold glass of Coke. From its birth in 1892 to its monstrous empire today, the Coca-Cola franchise spans across the world encouraging everyone to “live on the Coke side of life.” In the past, their advertising strategies played on a few recurring themes such as family, patriotism and community. Today, they still maintain that branding technique, but just with a contemporary perspective, bringing to light the diversity and depth of our country, that same diversity that has earned us the title “The Melting Pot.” On Feb. 2, 2014, Coca-Cola aired their newest commercial during the Super Bowl. No more affable polar bears scrambling to open a bottle of Coke. Instead, this commercial portrayed average American citizens across the country of all different ethnicities, races, religions, and families. By threading together bits and pieces of various snapshots of daily life, Coca-Cola was able to convey the diversity of our country while advertising that their product is what unites us among our own people. The music overlaying the 60-second tribute to our diversity was “America the Beautiful” sung in 8 different languages including English, Hindi and Spanish. The ad, titled “It’s Beautiful,” sparked major controversy over the fact that a song paying homage to the United States of America was sung in a language other than English. Viewers lashed out on Twitter attacking Coke for dishonoring our country by airing the song in any language other than English. Despite the backlash, Coca-Cola stands firmly behind their commercial and the message it supports. “‘It’s Beautiful’ celebrates Coca-Cola moments among all Americans,” said Katie Bayne, President, North American Brands, Coca-Cola North America. “Our ad provides a snapshot of the real lives of Americans representing diverse ethnicities, religions, races and families, all found in the United States. We believe ‘It’s Beautiful’ is a great example of the magic that makes our country so special, and a powerful message that spreads optimism, promotes inclusion and celebrates humanity – values that are core to Coca-Cola.” On top of this statement, Coca-Cola aired a longer version of “It’s Beautiful” during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics Friday, February 7th. The 90-second version included the phrase “E Pluribus Unum- Out of many, one.” This phrase is considered the motto of the United States of America, is emblazoned on the Great Seal and rings true to the complex and diverse makeup of U.S. citizens. From a PR standpoint, Coca-Cola is advocating their advertisement undeniably well. Instead of apologizing and conceding to the minority of Americans who were offended by their commercial, Coke is firmly rooted in their beliefs, unwavering to those using expletives to slander their name via social media. As far as publicity goes, the aftermath of “It’s Beautiful” has given Coca-Cola free advertisement within the wake of controversy. Those boycotting Coke and preaching about it on the Internet are only giving Coke more fuel for their advertisement campaign. So #boycottCoke all you want, but after 122 years, their advertisement campaigns and PR tactics are rock solid. Poorly written tweets riddled with curse words aren’t going to bring this franchise down, let alone soil the name of Coca-Cola in their advocacy of diversity. Edited by Melanie Ford, Webmaster and Editor-in-Chief 2013-2014
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We all recognize the adorable, playful polar bears in Coca-Cola’s famous advertisements. I’m sure we could also finish the phrase, “I’d like to teach the world to sing…” (1971) with little to no hesitation. Coca-Cola rocks the world of advertising with its eye-catching ads not only on television, but also in print. This summer, I spent a month studying in London with Virginia Tech’s English department. Double-decker buses are often plastered with large, colorful ads that will catch people’s attention as they drive by. Amidst all the ads for upcoming films, the Coca-Cola ads caught my gaze the most often. They featured the words, “Share a Coke with…” followed by a name printed on a bottle’s label. The “Share a Coke” campaign was first launched in Australia in 2011. Its success in the land down under sparked its spread to Great Britain and 19 other countries, where it experienced equal success. Coke bottles in Britain feature 250 of the most common British names, as well as “Friends” and “Family.” Furthermore, the Coca-Cola Great Britain website features a “create your own” option for consumers to personalize their own bottles if their name isn’t already available. You can also tweet pictures of you with your Coke to @cokezone with the hash tag #shareacoke. I absolutely love this campaign. It is simple and easy to remember; Coke ads are never overly flashy. The personal aspect draws attention from anyone, because everyone knows someone with a name on a Coke bottle. When I saw a double-decker bus with a “Share a Coke with Laura” ad, I thought of my roommate, while a friend on my same trip thought of his girlfriend. Every time I purchased a Coke, I found myself looking for a bottle with my name on it. I’m glad to say that “Kate” is one of the 250 names printed on Cokes in Britain. It’s brilliant in one more way: it keeps consumers buying. When you find a bottle with your name on it, you feel like it’s “your” Coke, like you should own it. If every Sarah or every David buys a bottle with his or her name on it, think of the profits Coke will experience. The “Share a Coke” campaign is set to spread to 32 countries in total. Coke’s global head of content and advertising, John Mildenhall, says “Share a Coke” is part of a bigger effort to double Coke’s sales by 2020, and to “own a disproportionate share of pop culture and consumer conversations.” I don’t think Coke will have a difficult time achieving either feat. Maybe one day soon, I will find a “Kate” Coke bottle on a shelf in the States. More campaign facts: http://www.brandchannel.com/home/post/Coke-Share-Campaign-051513.aspx Edited by Melanie Ford, Webmaster and Editor-in-Chief 2013-2014 |
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