Coca-Cola's Strategic Shift- Taste the Feeling

Coke is very fascinating brand for me. I’m sure same goes to other marketers. Its really stirring that how a brand becomes so vibrant with leadership since last 130 years!

(Image taken from google)

Recently Coca Cola launched new global campaign "Taste the Feeling" which will replace the seven year old Coca-Cola "Open Happiness" campaign. It is part of an effort to battle the trend of declining beverage sales, following consumers' health concerns about sugary drinks. The Wall Street Journal reported that Coca-Cola's sales (by volume) grew at just 1% in the first nine months of last year.

This campaign is marking a significant shift in their marketing strategy. For the first time, all Coke Trademark brands are being united in one global creative campaign: “Taste the Feeling”. At this new campaign ten television commercials will be part of the campaign, along with more than 100 campaign images, a new song developed by Avicii, interactive digital advertising and out of home advertising.

“Taste the Feeling” will feature universal storytelling with the product at the heart to imitate both the functional and emotional aspects of the Coca-Cola experience of drinking an ice-cold Coca-Cola.

Here another major noticeable strategy is that Coke adopted a "one-brand" approach that will unite multiple varieties like Diet Coke and Coke Zero in a single campaign, rather than running disparate campaign.

If we look into the tagline “Taste the feeling” which is not a great line. It doesn’t have any artistic appeal – no memorable rhythm or something to make it memorable in the mind. But if we dig it out, we will find its simplicity. Coke has discovered a great insight that the more they position Coca-Cola as an icon, the smaller it becomes. The bigness of Coca-Cola resides in the fact that it's a simple pleasure. So the humbler they are, the bigger they are!

Now let’s wait and observe whether Coca-Cola’s new strategic shift can bring them new life and gain significant growth in the sugary drinks industry. My good wish for one of my loving brand Coca-Cola. J