Coca-cola: 100 Years and Going Strong

 
    When it comes to soda products, Coca-cola has been dominating the market for over a century. Seemingly it has managed to stay on top all this time without any difficulty. While Coke is a brand whose product can sell itself, it still takes a lot of planning to keep up with the ever-changing world and the ebb and flow of product demand. Even when there are close ties with its competitors, Coca-cola continues to hold the lead because it has mastered a formula to keep customers coming back for more. Coke has shown that it is about more than a product, it is about spreading happiness. The brand constantly evolves its position to maintain this image.

    Throughout its early years, Coca-cola’s ad campaigns focused mostly on the emphasis of the product’s core appeal. They showcased the cola as a refreshing drink that could quench thirst during any event. Images were shown of Coke bottles dripping with condensation in a way that would make one’s mouth water. The images also showed customers that they could shamelessly drink their Coke products while at work, driving, or out in public. Coke was something that could be enjoyed by anyone on any occasion, and that idea could sell itself.

    In the late 2000s, Coca-cola aired “The Coke Side of Life.” These commercials and billboards displayed vibrant pieces of imaginative art from all over the world. This idea united customers in a bold new way. Customers from all different backgrounds were encouraged to express their individuality while enjoying their shared love of Coca-cola. This was a creative and personal way that Coke brought customers together in celebration while promoting their product to the world.
Coke revamped its image again in 2011 with its “Share a Coke” campaign. This campaign released bottles that displayed 250 of a country’s most popular names on them. It ran in 80 different countries, each set up with names unique to its region. Through this experience, customers from all over were connected by the Coca-cola brand. The campaign went viral on Twitter where customers would upload images of their Coke bottles attached with a hashtag that promoted the campaign. Thus spreading joy to customers in a whole new way, and increasing its sales and product demand.

    In the current year, 2021, Coca-cola launched its “Real Magic” campaign, combining reality with the magical elements of a fantasy world. Now Coke has expanded on the rising fascination with virtual realities. The commercial that brought out the campaign is a 2-minute animation where gamers are playing in an intense E-game tournament. In the midst of battle, one anxious player cracks open a Coke to cool herself down. When doing so, her character in-game suddenly gains free will and stops his attack. He helps all the enemies get up and then looks toward the sky at his player in command as she holds up her drink. “We are one Coke away from each other,” is the message that appears on the screen. Coke has used its product to intertwine the two worlds in a distinctive and memorable way.

    As the desires and interests of consumers continue to change, Coca-cola continues to follow up with the ideal marketing campaigns. It is continuously repositioning itself to live up to the customers’ needs and expectations. Coca-cola goes above and beyond what is expected of a soda company. It will surely keep evolving for many more years.

Originally published by Amanda Garlow on November 1, 2021 at

https://medium.com/@akga90/coca-cola-100years-and-going-strong-93db7303e8f1