How many times have you seen Coca-Cola change their can design? Be it the interface graphics or the shape of it’s cans and bottles, it remains one of the most recognized beverage in the world. With their new slimline 250 ml, Coca-Cola has collaborated with Spotify in an effort to bring their consumers the MyCoke trilogy experience all in the name of a healthier soda drink. We are due to see an integrated campaign with TVCs, outdoor as well as social media marketing. Users can also “blipp” the new can for a 3D experience while listening to music tracks via mobile devices as Coca-Cola will be working closely with Blippar. This new can is aiming to bring about not only a newer design but a series of other offerings. It is rather early to judge if this would be a successful campaign albeit the reputation of Coca-Cola. We have seen better campaigns from Coca-Cola which includes the can sharing campaign as well as the closer together campaign by Ogilvy & Mather and I love them. However, I remain skeptical on the results of this marketing effort. What is your take?
Take your time.
If you have seen enough of beer ads, you would have realize the abomination of these ads are the creation of bad scripts, dull storyline and the portrayal of lame male masculinity. While all these still holds true, there are exceptions. Amstel Lager created this TV spot that features quite an inspiring story of a chef on his stride to becoming a great chef. We see the huddles he overcame, the nights he had to burn and the long painful learning process which he endure through. The enervating transformation from a dishwasher to a chef illustrates the perpetual attitude of the male lead. Throughout the video, we see scenes where Amstel Lager is well celebrated. At the end of the commercial, the copy runs across: “Take your time. Slow brewed. Extra matured.” The commercial brings forth the message the importance of quality preceding quantity.
Brand identity and their subtle transitions
Have you ever been under pressure from time to time to refresh your company’s corporate identity? Most businesses that have withstand the test of time, would definitely encourage you to make changes and improve your corporate identity. Take Pepsi Co. for example, they have been in the business of producing cola beverages since 1898. More info here. Take a good look at the changes in packaging for the soft drink can.
As you can probably see, even though it has gone through such a long heritage, the logo’s integrity seem rather consistent. In terms of it’s colors and its symbolic curves. Following their rich history, this provides a very iconic imagery in the minds of many. The bloggers at Bold Post have collated a cataloge of some of the popular soft drink cans and their corporate brand image transitions. Have a look and be surprised. Although there are changes to be made as times are changing, it is vital to keep track of the changes you make, keep polishing and fine tuning that identity with subtle changes one at a time. You would very soon see a rather evident change in the logo’s identity.
Click here to see the post. Have you been engaging in a creative agency to refresh your corporate identity? What are your views of the work produced? Feel free to drop in your comments on views and opinions of what you think.
Lemonade, Sir?
In my last post, I mentioned the launch of an outdoor ad by Stella Artois Cidre which is powered by a weather detecting device that triggers the ad when temperature rises. Targeted advertising does in a way, ‘instill need’ for the audience at a more effective pace as compared to traditional advertising. Minute Maid lemonade brand Limon Y Nada just did a promotion with a really awesome idea that allows consumers to purchase the beverage at a lower cost depending on the weather conditions. Giving away discounts is a good way to bring in crowds. The creative idea packs both price points and climate conditions together, giving the ultimate ‘thought’ package to the consumers. Imagine this: the weather is hot and you really need a beverage. You go to the supermarket, and you realize there a couple of drinks on the rack. You then compare them on their price tags, flavors and brand integrity. And then you realize that the price for Minute Maid has gone down. What does it show? It could come across that the brand actually cares. It would also bring about the habit of shopping for the same brand every time the weather turns hot. This would effectively instill the mentality for someone to purchase the advertised drink even though it might be slightly more expensive than the rest on the shelves.
Momentum Madrid, installed 18 vending machines in water and theme parks all over Spain and plans to offer those drinks at a lesser cost whenever the temperature goes up. As I mentioned earlier, this is definitely one way targeted advertising would prove to be even more effective now that it is not only positioning its need at the correct time and location, it also instills and builds a new set of consumer behavior at the same time.