coca-cola

Branding: Commercial Wars Between Coke and Pepsi

PauloGabriel — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 12:49:07 +0000

TV commercials are a really important part of a brand's identity, along with the logo and slogans used over time. Just as the other parts of the identity, it tells us a lot about the company's positioning. Also, we get to see how they find themselves within the market.

We manage to find 2 basic characteristics in these commercials: the use/or not of celebrities and the use/or not of emotional appeal. Mostly, all Pepsi commercials tend to use celebrities, and have no emotional appeal. They're just selling their product, and don't bother to attach any kind of feeling to that. Check out these Pepsi commercials:

Michael Jackson. We drink Pepsi and dance... yay.

Cindy Crowford. That one hot chick drinks pepsi. And that's it.

Spice Girls. We used to be huge, and since we drink Pepsi, you should drink it too.

Christina Aguilera / Ozzy Osbourne. WHAT? Seriously...

Beyonce / Britney Spears / Pink. We are hot and we will rock you if you don't share your Pepsi with people.

Kylie Minogue. If you drink Pepsi, you'll be so freaking cool, that even that untouchable celebrity will want you.

On the other hand, Coca-Cola keeps the same strategy from the beginning: we are a traditional brand, people know us and know the quality of our product. Also, for being such a solid brand, they keep positioning themselves as an emotional brand. It sells tradition, warm feelings, brotherhood and happiness. Check these commercials out:

Happiness Factory.

Give a little love.

Polar Bears.

Polar Bears and Penguins.

Santa Claus.

The Christmas trucks.

So, as you can see, these 2 brands have their own, singular positioning. And it's very clear why most people tend to choose Coke over Pepsi. Coke sells all the things that bring people together. Pepsi sells futility. And no, I'm not a Coke fan.

Now, trying to be neutral, how do you guys see these commercials? Do you see them like me? Is Coke's positioning really the best one or Pepsi makes its way selling a product, not a feeling? You tell us! We'd love to hear from you. Cheers! ;)

About the author

Hello, everyone! I'm Paulo Gabriel, designer from Porto Alegre, Brazil, born in 1984. I have worked as a webdesigner since 2006, but websites and blogs have been a hobby for me since 1999. Here in Abduzeedo, I try to bring only the hot stuff for you... and hope that all of you enjoy my posts! For more cool stuff, you may also follow me on Twitter.

Branding: Slogan Wars Between Coke and Pepsi

PauloGabriel — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 13:01:35 +0000

The world is divided. Some people enjoy the classic feeling. Others, prefer to be the next generation. Whether you're a Coca-Cola or a Pepsi fan boy, you have witnessed the constant war between these two giants. When you place this war under a microscope, it's possible to see how these companies have tried to change their brand awareness during the years, trying to overcome each other.

When it was first introduced back in 1886, Coke didn't have much opponents in the cola drink market. That until 1898 when Pepsi was released and the rivalry between these two exploded, making the need for brand positioning really urgent for both.

In marketing, positioning has come to mean the process by which marketers try to create an image or identity in the minds of their target market for its product, brand, or organization. It is the 'relative competitive comparison' their product occupies in a given market as perceived by the target market. - Wikipedia

Since both were developed and introcuded by pharmicists, they claimed that both drinks had medicinal properties. Coke's 1900 slogan was "For headache and exhaustion, drink Coca-Cola", while Pepsi's 1903 slogan was "Exhilarating, Invigorating, Aids Digestion". In 1929, Pepsi claimed: "Here's Health!"

Coke has been selling a "refreshing" and "satisfying" image for a longer time than Pepsi. Here's a quick list of slogans that remind us a lot of those we see today:

1904 - Coca-Cola satisfies

1904 - Delicious and Refreshing

1905 - Good all the way down

1906 - Thirst quenching - delicious and refreshing

1907 - Cooling... refreshing... delicious

1909 - Delicious, wholesome, refreshing

1909 - Delicious, wholesome, thirst quenching

1909 - Drink delicious Coca-Cola

In the other hand, Pepsi tried to show that their drink was better for small pockets, having more ounces of drink avaiable in each bottle. Check it out:

1934 - Double Size

1939 - Twice as Much for a Nickel

1943 - Bigger Drink, Better Taste

1949 - Why Take Less When Pepsi's Best?

After that, since Coca-Cola was the top selling cola drink for so long, Pepsi started to change their awereness. Pepsi had to find a way to make people think different of what they were used to. Making Coke look old was solution they found.

1961 - Now It's Pepsi for Those Who Think Young

1963 - Come Alive! You're in the Pepsi Generation

1984 - The Choice of a New Generation

1989 - A Generation Ahead

1993 - Be Young, Have Fun, Drink Pepsi

1997 - Generation Next

Althought its reign was never trembled by Pepsi, Coke replied these slogans reaffirming its untouchable quality and tradition.

1942 - The only thing like Coca-Cola is Coca-Cola itself

1945 - Whenever you hear "Have a Coke," you hear the voice of America

1970 - It's the real thing

1985 - America's Real Choice

1989 - Can't Beat the Feeling

1990 - Can't Beat the Real Thing

1993 - Always Coca-Cola

Another detail that makes clear to us that Coke never felt threaten is the fact that the Coca-Cola logo was hardly ever changed. The times Coke tried some change, the feedback was all negative, and they had to bring back the classic logo. Pepsi has been changing its logo since ever, adjusting themselves to each generation, making their way to become the "young choice".

From our post "Branding is not a Science is it?"

This is pretty much the evolution of the Coca-Cola logo.

And now we'd love to hear from you guys what do you all think about this slogan war. How do you find yourself between these two giants? Which branding do you prefer? Tell us! Cheers! ;)

About the author

The Coca-Cola Identity

PauloGabriel — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 14:38:36 +0000

The Coca-Cola new identity was the perfect win for the english agency Turner Duckworth, which has won the Design Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2008. It's absolutily stunning.

Moira Cullen, The Coca-Company Design Director went down the right path during the redesign of Coke's identity. "It's happiness inside. Happiness in a bottle." It's worth checking this video, where she explains how making the identity simpler made it live again that Coke feeling of joy. :)

coca-cola

Branding: Commercial Wars Between Coke and Pepsi

TV commercials are a really important part of a brand's identity, along with the logo and slogans used over time. Just as the other parts of the identity, it tells us a lot about the company's positioning. Also, we get to see how they find themselves within the market.

About the author

Sponsored Links:

Branding: Slogan Wars Between Coke and Pepsi

About the author

Sponsored Links:

The Coca-Cola Identity

The Coca-Cola new identity was the perfect win for the english agency Turner Duckworth, which has won the Design Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2008. It's absolutily stunning.

About the author

Sponsored Links: