Coca-Cola Vanilla

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Coca-Cola Vanilla

Type Vanilla flavored Cola
Manufacturer The Coca-Cola Company
Country of
origin
United States
Introduced 1950s as a fountain drink
2002 as packaged
Variants Diet Vanilla Coke, Coke Vanilla Zero
Related
products
Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Black Cherry
Vanilla,Coca-Cola Cherry, Coca-Cola with Lime
Coca-Cola Vanilla is a vanilla flavored version of Coca-Cola soft drink introduced in the early
2000s. It was introduced in 2002 but subsequently discontinued in North America and the United
Kingdom in 2006, but remained available as fountain drink during that time. It was relaunched in
the U.S. in 2007 and in the UK in 2013. Coca-Cola announced that it would be Limited Edition in
the UK, however due to strong sales, it is now staying within the UK Beverage market, becoming
a permanent flavor.
In 2003, Pepsi introduced Pepsi Vanilla to compete with Vanilla Coke.
Contents
[hide]
1 Development
2 Marketing campaign
3 Distribution
o 3.1 Reception and discontinuation
4 Product information
o 4.1 Nutritional
o 4.2 Packaging
o 4.3 Varieties
5 Notes
6 External links
Development[edit]
Ordinary Coca-Cola already contains small amounts of vanilla. The history of adding additional
vanilla flavoring to Coca-Cola, at least in the US, dates back at least to the 1940s when local
soda fountain workers (soda jerks) would upon request add a "shot" (roughly two tablespoons) of
vanilla syrup to a (12-16 oz) Coca-Cola fountain soda. For decades, this remained common
practice in ice cream shops where vanilla syrup and Coca-Cola were both available. The Coca-
Cola Company first tested a Coca-Cola blend with extra vanilla flavoring at the 1982 World's
Fair inKnoxville, Tennessee.
[1]
After the introduction of Cherry Coke and the failure of New Coke,
the company was hesitant to introduce anything radically new. It was not until early April 2002
that rumors began to circulate that the company was planning a new variation to their classic soft
drink. The Coca-Cola Company was tight lipped regarding the details of the new beverage,
commenting to a London based newspaper, "We've always got a number of things in
development," leaving open speculation for what was to develop.
[2]
It was later revealed that
testing for a vanilla flavor had been completed and that the new beverage would be available in
months. However, in late April 2002 the company announced that Vanilla Coke would be
produced as early as May.
[3]

Marketing campaign[edit]
The marketing campaign for Vanilla Coke aimed to appeal across all generations. Yolanda Ball,
brand manager for Coca-Cola Classic, said, "We had to learn how to balance the newness of
vanilla with the established qualities of Coca-Cola".
[4]
Vanilla Coke debuted at the Vanilla Bean
Caf, locally known as "the Bean," in Pomfret, Connecticut. The diet variety would be directed
primarily at women. The first public tasting of Vanilla Coke took place in the Buckhead district
of Atlanta at the Three Dollar Cafe with Atlanta radio stationQ100 and their morning hosts from
The Bert Show.
One of the first notable advertisements was a television ad created by The Martin Agency which
was based upon the product's original campaign line of "Reward Your Curiosity". The ad featured
actor Chazz Palminteri, in which he and another man pull a teenager (played by a young Aaron
Paul) into an alley after catching him peering into a hole. Palminteri gives the boy a Vanilla Coke,
as a reward for his curiosity. Their former website rewardyourcuriosity.com went along with the
campaign and drew a large interest at the time. (In the Philippine version of the ad, Palminteri's
role was done by the late actor Johnny Delgado.) Ms. Ball described the ad: "We were trying to
create something new and intriguing . . . half of it was about new, different and change of pace,
and the rest of it was about how people love and trust Coca-Cola. But we didn't have to say New
from Coca-Cola. We didn't have to hit them over the head with it."
[4]

Distribution[edit]
The company began mass-producing Vanilla Coke on 15 May 2002. The Coca-Cola Company
announced in early 2002 that Vanilla Coke would be introduced initially in the United States with
distribution starting May 15, 2002, followed by a rollout in Canada. The introduction of vanilla
flavor was hailed by The Coca-Cola Company as "the greatest innovation since Diet Coke in
1983".
[5]
It also marked the 116th anniversary of the Coca-Cola Company.
[6]
Later that year, it
was introduced to the Norwegian, Swedish, and Icelandic markets of Europe. This was the first
Coca-Cola variety introduced in Norway since Coca-Cola itself in 1937 and Coca-Cola Light in
1983.
[7]
As of 2003, Vanilla Coke was marketed in several European countries as well as
Australia and New Zealand (in mid-to-late-2002). By late 2003, the company had marketed
Vanilla Coke in over 30 countries around the globe.
Reception and discontinuation[edit]
Its inaugural year in 2002 saw its best sales. It is estimated that the product was purchased by
about 29% of all United States households that year. It still remains popular along with its
flavored partner, Cherry Coca Cola.
[8]
Doubt was cast over the future of Vanilla Coke and its
splinter beverages when the company announced the 2004 sales figures: 35 million unit cases
in North America compared to 90 million in 2002; Vanilla Diet Coke dropped from 23 million unit
cases in its inaugural year (2003) to 13 in 2004.
[9]



A 1.25L bottle from Australia.
In November 2005, after slumping sales, The Coca-Cola Company announced that Vanilla Coke
would be discontinued in North America and Great Britain by the end of the year.
[9]
Coca-Cola
introduced Black Cherry Vanilla Coke and Diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke in North America in
January 2006. At the time, the company said Vanilla Coke and Diet Vanilla Coke would possibly
be made available again in the future:
[9]
"We are exploring ways to bring them back at another
time, but right now Diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke and Black Cherry Vanilla Coke are what
consumers are telling us they want."
[10]
Vanilla Coke beverages were never discontinued in some
markets, such as Australia, France, Russia, Malaysia, and Germany.
From 19 February 2007, Vanilla Coke was re-introduced into New Zealand.
[11]
The official re-
introduction of Vanilla Coke in the US began May 25, 2007 at the World of Coca-Cola Museum
in Atlanta, Georgia. The Coca-Cola Company announced a partnership with Edy's Ice Cream to
co-advertise with Coke on the launch, and featured a 10-ton Vanilla Coke float, which was
certified by the Guinness World Records as the largest ice cream float in the world.
[12]
A Coca-
Cola Vanilla Zero has also been introduced. The re-released Coca-Cola Vanilla features a new
packaging design. The advertising campaign for the revival used an instrumental cover of
"Welcome Back". In 2007, Vanilla Coke was also introduced into China. It was also introduced in
other countries in Europe and Asia. In June 2010, certain convenience stores in Ontario, Canada
have re-introduced it by importing it from the neighbouring United States. Coca-Cola has made
Coke Vanilla available in their Freestyle beverage machine in Canada, however, bottled and
canned versions are not yet available.


Advert celebrating the re-launch of Coca-Cola Vanilla on the side of a double-decker bus in London.
Coca-Cola initially stated that it had no plans to return Coca-Cola Vanilla to the United Kingdom
despite high demand. Several enquiries were made throughout 2011 and 2012. Coca Cola then
thought about returning Vanilla Coca-Cola to the United Kingdom sooner or later. They
eventually announced
[citation needed]
that they would definitely bring the beverage back to the United
Kingdom in the future, some time soon, which was predicted mid-2012, or early-2013. Coca Cola
announced that the vanilla flavor would be for sale in the UK from March 2013, after the flavour's
success on the Coca-Cola Freestyle refillable machine in Burger King.
[citation needed]
It was
reintroduced on March as part of Papa Johns promotion campaign before becoming available
elsewhere.
[citation needed]
There are no plans for Coca-Cola Vanilla to return to the Republic of
Ireland, as stated by Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola have stated that the market for the beverage is not
large enough for it to make a return to the Republic of Ireland. In May 2013, Coca-Cola Vanilla
appeared in stores in Romania (imported), expanding to more stores through the year, due to
demand, while there is still no official word from Coca-Cola. In July 2013, the drink re-appeared
in stores around Belgium and the Netherlands as well. In October 2013, Coca-Cola Vanilla
appeared in stores in Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Product information[edit]
Nutritional[edit]
Average quantity
per 12 oz
(~355 mL)
per 100 mL
(~3.4 oz)
Energy 150 calories 44 calories
Protein 0 g 0 g
Fat, total 0 g 0 g
- saturated 0 g 0 g
Carbohydrates 41.3 g 11.0 g
- sugars 40.9 g 10.9 g
Sodium 35 mg 10 mg
Packaging[edit]


2007 U.S. Vanilla Coke bottles.
Vanilla Coke was packaged in standard bottles in accordance with appropriate Coca-Cola
packaging. For a brief period of time in mid-2003, the bottles that Vanilla Coke came in, which
had before said Vanilla Coke, were changed simply to V (which matched Cherry Coke's new
labeling showing a picture of a cherry).
Varieties[edit]
Coca-Cola Vanilla (2002-2006 and 2007present)
Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero (2007present)
Diet Coke Vanilla (2002-2006)
In late 2002, a sugar-free version, Diet Vanilla Coke, became available. In some countries,
including Australia and New Zealand, a similar drink is marketed as "Diet Coke with Vanilla" and
in others is known as Coca-Cola light Vanilla (or Vanilla Coke Light) In 2005, the sugar-free
product in the United States and Canada became "Diet Coke Vanilla," with more emphasis on
the Diet Coke label. All varieties were discontinued in 2006 in the United States, Canada and
the United Kingdom. Both varieties are still available in Australia and Hong Kong, Coca-Cola
Vanille (translation) is also available in France and Germany. A new Coke Vanilla Zero was
introduced in 2007, along with regular Vanilla. Only these two are available in the United States.
The company has not announced any plan to resume production of Diet Vanilla Coke.

Vanilla Coke Aims At Thirsty
Metro Youth Market
New Delhi, April 7 | Published: Apr 08 2004, 00:00 IST


Print
0G +0 0SU0
Comments 0
Its been dangling the Rs 5 carrot for some time now with its Paanch strategy articulated
aggressively by film star and Coke endorser Aamir Khan. But not anymore. Coca-Cola India (CCI)
plans to move up the price ladder with the launch of Vanilla Coke. This is the first new flavour
extension of the Coca-Cola brand in the country, launched on Wednesday in the Capital.
The brand targeted at the metro youth will be priced at a premium of Re 1 over the flagship cola
brand Coca-Cola once launched in returnable glass bottles (RGBs) of 200-ml (pricing it at Rs 6 as
against Rs 5) and 300 ml (Rs 7 as against Rs 6), CCI officials told FE. For now, the brand has
been launched in 500-ml PET bottles, priced at Rs 15.
The 200 and 300-ml RGBs will be launched a little later as we are currently running short of
production, CCI president and CEO Sanjiv Gupta said. The RGBs, he said, will be sleeved with
the Vanilla Coke logo.
CCIs reason for price increase is that the brand is targetted at the metro youth who as per CCIs
research, has shown a stronger affinity towards innovative new launches. We feel theres an
opportunity for innovation in carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) to connect with the metro youth,
Mr Gupta said. The Rs 5 strategy was initially launched for the rural segment, he added.

- FE Photo by Raaj Dayal Vanilla Coke is being launched in select markets of 10 million
population and 17 mm population markets which alone account for 30-35 per cent of total CSD
sales.
Interestingly, CSD variants failure (both by arch rival PepsiCo India and CCI) in the past is not
deterring the soft drink major from experimenting with innovation. Pepsi, in 2002, had launched
two brand extensions of its flagship cola brand Pepsi Aha and Pepsi Blue. While the former was
phased out owing to its slow offtake in the marketplace, the latter was launched in 2003 as a
limited edition to coincide with the World Cup and bring excitement in the soft drinks market.
Prior to that, the company also launched an apple variant of its Mirinda brand which was later
discontinued. CCI, too, had tested launched variants of Fanta brand which were later phased out.
Admitting that variants havent done too well in the past, Mr Gupta said: Its true that variants
go up and then go out but lets see to what extent Vanilla Coke goes up.
Excerpts
Consumer Response
Vanilla Coke failed to excite the Indian palate. A survey carried out by a national business
daily in India revealed that 67% of the respondents felt that Vanilla Coke was not
successful. 32% believed it was the least successful brand launch of the year. Only a
quarter of the respondents in the ninth Brand Derby (the survey) considered Vanilla Coke to
be one of the successful brands launches of 2004...
Conclusion
Coke officials maintained that the product had been launched after rigorous consumer
testing had shown the vanilla taste to be distinct and popular with consumers....

Monday, December 18, 2006
Vanilla Coke : Wakaw
Brand :Vanilla Coke
Company: Coca Cola
Agency: McCann Erickson
Brand Count : 178

Vanilla Coke was touted as the greatest innovation since Diet Coke in 1983. It also has the distinction
of the greatest flops after the New Coke. Vanilla Coke came with a bang in the Indian market in April
2004. It went without much noise in 2005.

The history of this product variant dates back as early as 1950's. The mass marketing of this variant
began in 2002.The brand went global in 2004.
2004 saw the unusual scream " Wakaw" played across mass media. We all looked up in awe : a
brand new variant from Coca Cola : Vanilla Coke. The brand was targeted at the metro youth was
different. It was different in taste, promotion, package, price etc.
Vanilla Coke was promoted in retro style. The brand had Vivek Oberoi , the then bollywood flame
endorsing the brand in an unusual style. Vivek sported the retro look with typical combination of Elvis
style + Shammi Kapoor style in an Old Lamby Scooter screaming Wakaw.
The ads were surely clutter breaking and backed by 360 degree branding efforts that ensured good
publicity. The creative done by the famed Prasoon Joshi was discussed in all media and that ensured
truck loads of free publicity. The brand also got into viral marketing. The campaign along with
Contenst2win asked the c ustomers to SMS Wakaw to 8558 inorder to
win goodies. According to media reports, the campaign resulted in 440,000 SMS in just 4 weeks
creating a record of sorts.

According to Indiatelevision.com report, the media brief given to the agency was to create a clutter
breaking campaign targeted at youth. The campaign should create a dhamaka in the market. And
rightly so all the client requirements was achieved with in a short span of time.

But how come a product with such a good start failed so easily. With in one year, the brand has been
taken out from most of the Indian states. The brand is said to be available in Gujarat,Kolkatta and
Delhi.
As a marketing person, I am also perplexed. Frankly I liked the ad the feel and wanted to try it out. But
soon the product was not at all available. The failure of this product line extension may have delighted
Alries and Trout .

I am assuming that the following factors may have caused the failure of this brand.

a. The product may have been bad. The TG may not have liked the taste. Although Coke has test
marketed this product, there is always a chance that the customers may have disliked the taste.
b.The campaign was not targeted at the right segment. This campaign had its fair share of critics also.
I liked the campaign because I have seen the old stars and the lamby etc and could easily relate the
old characters and the concept. But for a twenty year old, he may not relate or understand the
concept. The brand may have lost out in that respect.
c. The brand was priced at a premium over the ordinary coke. This may have discouraged the TG
from checking out the brand. Together with the retro campaign not clicking with the intended audience
may have given a double whammy for the brand.
d. Indian SD industry is a duopoly. Pepsi and Coke rule the roast and there are brand loyal on both
sides. The new variant will be tested first by the Coke loyal and not the Pepsi loyal. Hence like most of
the Product line extensions, the variant will be pitted against the mother brand. Hence the customers
may have compared the new variant with the classic coke and not as a new drink. And surely the
classic coke won .
These are all assumptions because I am still confused.
The failure of Vanilla Coke is a classic case that proves that Marketing is not a perfect science. There
are no formula or theory that can make a brand successful. To Quote Kotler " Marketing is easy to
teach and understand but difficult to practice".

source:agencyfaqs,indiatelevision.com,wikipedia,magindia,businessline


The VC Case
Coca-Cola Goes Vanilla Again
By Carla Campbell

Preface
Vanilla-flavored cola from the Coca-Cola Company has had an uneven journey throughout
the last few years. It is an interesting story and is the basis for this case study written by
former UT graduate student, Carla Campbell.

About ten years ago, in response to strong competitive moves, Coca-Cola began aggressively
exploring flavored drinks. One of the companys moves was the introduction of Vanilla
Coke in 2002. While experiencing strong early sales, the company pulled the plug on the line
extension in 2005, acknowledging that while a hard-core group of consumers enjoyed the
taste, not all of the marketing elements worked well together. In other words, it was time to
rethink Vanilla Coke.

However, in May 2007, the Coca-Cola Company decided to bring back its vanilla-flavored
line extension, calling it Coca-Cola Vanilla. The new product was introduced along with a
Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero version as well. For this case study, we are going to be concentrating
only on the Coca-Cola Vanilla reintroduction and not the Zero extension.

In this case, we are asking you to once again step back in time (for only about three months)
to help Coca-Cola with the development of its initial message/creative strategy for Coca-Cola
Vanilla. Best of luck..Coca-Cola Vanilla certainly needs it. It is very challenging to
resurrect previously failed line products.

The Story of Vanilla Coke

Background
Prior to reviewing the Vanilla Coke story, let us review some background about the company
itself. Coca-Cola is the leading producer and marketer of soft drinks. The company markets
four of the worlds top five soft drink brands, including Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, and
Sprite. Through the worlds largest distribution system, consumers in nearly 200 countries
enjoy Coca-Cola products at a rate of more than 1 billion servings each day. The companys
flagship brand is one of the most universally identifiable products. In a 1995 study of
symbols, the Landor organization found that the Coca-Cola name is the most widely
recognized commercial symbol in the world, and the expression Coca-Cola is second only
to OK as being widely recognized.

The Coca-Cola Company has enjoyed a long and successful history; however, it has made
mistakes. Fierce competition and category saturation contributed to financial woes
experienced in Coca-Colas beverage and soft drink divisions. Though success has not
always come easy or cheap, Coca-Cola has maintained a large loyal consumer base. As an
icon in America and around the world, the company can be credited for listening to and
catering to the requests and needs of its consumers. This is why its attempt to launch new
flavors must be carefully considered to ensure not only acceptance by the target market but
continued loyalty to the brand.

The Cola War: Coke vs. Pepsi
While Coke and Pepsi are the major league players in the soft drink competition and by far
have seen the most success, both have struggled in competition with each other. Both Coke
and Pepsi have begun to talk less about brands and more about trademarks. For instance,
in a letter, Pepsi North America president Gary Rodkin refers to Pepsi trademark and cites
Diet Pepsi, Wild Cherry Pepsi, and Pepsi Twist among products sharing the Pepsi
banner. Coke bottlers state that Cherry Coke would be more tightly integrated with Coke
trademark. The future for product introductions would likely be an attempt to build
trademarks with an array of line extensions such as Mt. Dew Code Red, Pepsi Twist, Diet
Coke with Lemon and Vanilla Coke.

One industry executive suggests that the beverage world is looking more and more like the
auto industry by saying, Several decades ago, there were a few, and a very few, individual
items for sale under the Chevy and Ford names. But now, look. There are sedans, compacts,
sports cars, SUVs, vans, etc. Dont be surprised to see our industry go the same way, at
least to a degree.

The year 2002 was expected to be a busy one for Coke with many upcoming product
innovations. It was trying to reciprocate the blow that Pepsi gave the company last year,
taking more market share away from the leader. Pepsi was also expected to roll out new
products, but at a much slower pace because of an active year in 2001 with the introduction
of Mt. Dew Code Red, Sierra Mist, etc. Each company was expected to battle it out for
increases in market share. Coca-Cola, though maintaining a strong lead, would have liked to
have seen a reversal from the pattern of the previous years figures, as shown in the following
table.


Flavor Innovations
Coca-Cola was looking for new ways to sell and diversify a century-old product with formula
spin-offs. Coke executives stated, weve always got a number of things in
development. The issue then, was how to market effectively the items that make it past
development and would be accepted into the Coca-Cola family of beverages. The last major
alteration to the original formula came in 1985, when Cherry Coke was introduced. Since that
time, it has performed considerably well. Ironically, this was also the same year that New
Coke, a sweeter version of the original, was launched and failed due to consumer
outrage. The 99-year old traditional recipe was once again adopted under a new name, Coca-
Cola Classic, to satisfy demand.

Vanilla Coke was a line extension of Coca-Cola and was available in the same bottle and can
configuration and sold for the same prices as Coke. There seemed to be a lot of consumer
interest in the notion of vanilla, stated Chris Lowe, Cokes senior vice president of
worldwide brands and marketing. When we put it in product form, the consumers came
away and said This tastes super. Though focus groups liked the product, Mr. Lowe
commented that it was too soon to predict the profitability of the product among
consumers. At the time, he described the taste as a little bit smoother than Coca-Cola
Classic, with just a hint of vanilla.

Testing has shown that the public was interested in the new vanilla flavor. Consumers were
excited about the idea of Vanilla Coke, and we are pleased to give them what they want,
said Doug Daft, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. Excite.com conducted its
own poll, and of 12,502 participants, 38% were very interested, 28% somewhat interested,
25% not at all interested, and 3% werent sure while 7% didnt care.

Mr. Steve Hutcherson, vice-president for Coke Classic, claimed that research showed that
teenagers liked the product. The practice of adding vanilla to the soft drink in soda fountains
appeals to older generations, as well. It has a broad range of appeal all the way from teens to
young adults and adults, said Chris Lowe. Vanilla seems to cross the generational gap the
same way that Coca-Cola does.

This vanilla-flavored introduction was of major concern for the company, because Coke is
such an icon and the mess that resulted from the introduction of New Coke was regarded as
an act not to be repeated. It was under the same pressure from Pepsi that Coca-Cola made the
decision to alter its original soda and replace it with a sweeter one. The change sparked
outrage in America where generations had been bombarded with advertising convincing them
that Coca-Cola was an integral part of life, similar to baseball and apple pie.

Vanilla Coke continued the company's leadership in flavor innovation in the cola category,
first with Diet Coke in 1982, then Cherry Coke in 1985, Diet Coke with Lemon in 2001, and
then Vanilla Coke. Prior to the intro, Doug Daft, chairman and CEO, called the introduction
of Vanilla Coke "very exciting news that will continue to grow our business, in line with our
company's priority to accelerate the growth in carbonated soft drinks, led by Coca-Cola."

Vanilla Coke was introduced in the United States in mid-May 2002, and in Canada in late
May. The company supported the rollout with
television
, radio and outdoor advertising. In accordance with market research, Vanilla Coke was
aimed mainly at young adults, people in their late teens and early 20s, Lowe said. At the same
time, he explained, a mainstream soft drink brand must target a broad swath of consumers,
and Vanilla Coke will do that.

With Vanilla Coke, the company hoped to replicate the success of rival PepsiCos Code Red,
a red version of its Mountain Dew soda. Analysts say such line extensions typically offer an
easy method of enhancing sales.

Though the introduction of Vanilla Coke was officially announced in April 2002, there was
still speculation of a Sprite line extension later in the year. Executives at Coke noted the
likelihood of such, but downplayed the word Red Sprite. Coke did file for trademarks on
Sprite Remix and Remix, which indicated the possible names that the company planed to
use for the new formula. Pepsi also applied for a trademark on Mountain Dew Blue Shock,
however, contrary to the speculation that this would be an addition to Code Red, trademark
filing indicated that the product would be a frozen beverage. Pepsi executives reassured that
cola innovation would be seen from Pepsi, but did not state specific product line
extensions. Bottlers did not expect major innovation for Cadburys carbonated
products. The only noted change would be an introduction of caffeine-free Sun
Drop. Cadburys focus in 2002 was on building Dr. Pepper and returning it to growth.

Pepsis Climb to Fame
The first extension of Pepsi-Cola came in 1964 with Diet Pepsi. The industrys first diet
drink, Diet Pepsi targeted mostly women who were fashion and health conscious. The next
product variation from Pepsi came in 1975 with Pepsi Light. This version was a diet cola that
had lemon flavoring added. Ironically, this first venture with the lemon flavor did not see the
success that is currently being enjoyed by Pepsi Twist and production was stopped after only
a few promotions. During the 1960s Pepsi invested its future in the youth of America with
the discovery of the purchasing power that the baby boomers held. The company changed
slogans numerous times in the following decades:
Now its Pepsi, for those who think young early 60s
Pepsi Generation 1963
Taste that beats the others cold, Pepsi pours it on1967
Youve got a lot to live, Pepsis got a lot to give 1969
Join the Pepsi people, feelin free 1973
Have a Pepsi Day! 1976
Catch that Pepsi spirit 1979
Pepsis got your taste for life 1981

Pepsi has also built strong advertising ties with those in the
entertainment
industry. In the 1980s, Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie, and Michael J. Fox were part of the
companys marketing strategy. In the 1990s Fred Savage, Billy Crystal, and Ray Charles
were introduced into the mix. Now the company is reaping profits from ads featuring Britney
Spears.

Pepsi outsold Coca-Cola in store sales for the first time in 1976. And though Pepsi put
pressure on Coke in the mid-80s after acquiring the Burger King chain, the failure of New
Coke led to the creation of several brand extensions that ultimately increased Cokes market
share. Therefore, the battle for market share in the soft drink industry has shifted from allied
brands, such as Mountain Dew and Slice or Mellow Yellow and Fanta, to extensions of the
flagship brand.

Through excellent placement and advertising, Pepsi has gained a solid reputation for quality
and unique flavoring. Pepsi has created a distinct personality for itself. Though it appears
that the company lives in the shadow of its leading competitor, Pepsi has a strong, loyal
customer base and that along with flashy advertising, is likely to remain one of Pepsis most
valuable assets for years to come.

Coca-Colas Advertising History
Asa Candler, one of the early company owners of the Coca-Cola Company, is credited for
emphasizing the power of advertising the brand. Because the taste could not be described, he
urged people to try the product. The advertising produced under his direction also proved that
appeal for a brand could be generated through lifestyles and philosophies or in other words,
an image. Throughout its history, Coca-Cola advertising makes an effort to convey quality,
reinforce the brands identity by using the script lettering, the bright red and white color
scheme, and the contour bottle. The most successful aspect of the brand, aside from the
beverage itself, is the lifestyle is conveys. Available almost anywhere, its image as a happy
sociable drink plays extremely well in most cultures.

Coke had not presented the public with a catchy verse in several years, and although it spent
nearly $2 billion in 2001 advertising its various brands around the world, Coke saw its share
of the critical North America cola market decline. Meanwhile, PepsiCo was enjoying the
returns of its Britney Spears lead ad campaign and a greater percentage of market
share. Both companies flagship colas, which together account for 1 in every 3 sodas sold in
the U.S., lost share the previous year. However, Coca-Cola was hurt the most, and Pepsi
scored big with Code Red and Lemon Twist. Advertising experts did not give Coke much
credit. Theres nothing going on over there, says marketing consultant Al Ries in
Atlanta. He gave Pepsi far better marks for effectively using visuals like Britney Spears to
reinforce Pepsis image that it was for the young generation. One source stated that for
companies that sell very similar sugar water, image is everything.

Coke made some major changes in advertising for Coke Classic in 2001. Executives decided
to dump the Enjoy campaign in favor of a new tag line Life Tastes Good. Enjoy, only
lasted about a year, was preceded by Always, which ran from 1993 to 2000. The new
commercials were slice-of-life focused, harkening back to the feel-good ads of the
1970s. One depicted four young adults riding a train, returning from a concert. Three are
asleep while one thinks about how great life is as he takes a Coke from his friends bag and
drinks it. The slogan, Life Tastes Good beat out other suggested lines such as the magic
within.

In the 1950s, the two campaigns launched were The sign of good taste and Be really
refreshed. Both used television to the fullest with a variety of formats including animation,
stop motion, and live-action ads featuring such performers as the McGuire Sisters, Connie
Francis, Emmett Kelly, Anita Bryant and the Brothers Four.

In 1963, the slogan Things go better with Coke was a huge success. It was adapted to the
youth market by allowing a number of popular music artists to modify and perform the
song. Radio commercials were recorded by the Supremes, Tom Jones, Moody Blues, and
Ray Charles.

Coke has keyed its advertising to the moods of society. During the political uncertainty from
Watergate, Coke created a reminder of positive values with the Look Up America
campaign. This upbeat slogan made a smooth and timely transition to the celebration of the
countrys bicentennial in 1976. Coke adds life emphasized refreshment and tried to show
Coke as the perfect accompaniment to food, fun and leisure.

This image set the stage for have a Coke and a Smile which further emphasized the rewards
in drinking Coca-Cola. From this tagline, the Mean Joe Green ad, featuring the defensive
lineman of that nickname from the Pittsburgh Steelers, emerged and won a CLIO award in
the worlds largest advertising awards competition. Also, in the 1970s, Coca-Cola was
fortunate to have what has been described as the most memorable commercial in the history
of television. The famous hilltop ad debuted in 1971. The ad features young people around
the world standing on a hilltop in Italy uniting in song. It was part of the its the real thing
series and is viewed as being a political message emphasizing peace and harmony among all
people.

The direct, positive statement Coke is it was meant to appeal to the forthright mood of
America in the 1980s. It played on previous themes stressing quality, the enjoyment, and
especially the anticipation of drinking a Coca-Cola. Ironically, the introduction of "New
Coke" demonstrated in unexpected ways that after ninety-nine years, Coke had indeed
become a part of American life. When the Coca-Cola Company introduced a new taste for
Coke in North America in 1985, television advertising helped launch it. The public, however,
demanded the return of the traditional drink so vehemently that the company was obliged to
bring it back renamed as "Coca-Cola Classic." With both the new Coke and Coca-Cola
classic in the marketplace, The Coca-Cola Company needed two distinct ad campaigns.
Introduced in 1986, the "Catch the Wave" campaign for the new taste of Coke strove to be
youthful, leading edge, and competitive. For Coca-Cola classic, the "Red, White and You"
campaign emphasized the drink's broad appeal and the emotional attachment it generated. In
surveys at the time, seventy-five percent of respondents said they considered Coca-Cola
classic a symbol of America. The "Red, White and You" theme was a natural consequence.

In 1993, The Coca-Cola Company made a dramatic shift in its advertising by introducing the
"Always Coca-Cola" campaign by Creative Artists Agency and later Edge Creative. The
campaign was a diverse one with an initial run of twenty-seven commercials designed to
appeal to specific audiences. The ads ran around the world and included a variety of
innovative technical approaches, such as computer animation. One such commercial,
Northern Lights, introduced what would become one of the most popular symbols of Coca-
Cola advertising: the animated polar bear. The polar bear was a considerable success, and
went on to star in six commercials for Coca-Cola, including two ads for the 1994 Olympic
Games in which it slid down a luge and soared off a ski jump. Bear cubs also made their
debut for Coke in a holiday ad in which the bear family selects its Christmas tree.

From the mean Joe Greene football spots of the 70s and early 80s to the cuddly polar bears
of the 90s, Cokes main theme behind all their commercials is that drinking Coke is fun and
the ads portray Coke as a happy part of life.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution took a poll and of 1500 people and the results below
indicate the slogans most favored.

39% Always
23% Id like to buy the world a Coke
23% Have a Coke and a smile
4% Coke is it
4% Enjoy
4% Life tastes good
3% The magic within

The company wanted to regain the association with better times and create an effective, long-
lasting strategy for the brand. Coke executives have conceded that recent advertising
strategies have not lived up to the image of the brand. A fresh campaign is greatly needed,
especially as the companys rival, Pepsi continued to roll out ads under the successful banner
of Joy of Pepsi.

In 2001, Coke tied some of its marketing efforts to famed pop singer Christina Aguilera and
the first movie from the Harry Potter childrens book series, in response to Pepsis Britney
Spears and Bob Dole advertisements. However, these attempts were not as successful as
executives had hoped they would be.

The Atlanta-based companys marketing plan for 2001 was a dramatic switch and included
ads from new agencies and up to $500 million in extra marketing spending. Because 2000s
advertising was uneventful, sluggish sales and heightened criticism resulted. The upshot was
that Coke went through 2000 without a strong marketing message for Coke
Classic. However, that was not a strong business strategy for a product that accounted for
60% of Cokes total volume sales.

Vanilla Cokes Introduction & Fate
Fast forward to 2005. Coca-Cola was initially satisfied with early consumer response to the
introduction of the Vanilla Coke product. However, the company soon realized that the
consumer following was limited to a hard-core group of consumers, albeit incredibly
loyal. This dynamic was going to limit the appeal of Vanilla Coke over the long run,
probably never allowing the extension to gain the broad following the company wanted and
expected.

The brand team at Coca-Cola was forced to accept that the advertising and perhaps some of
the other marketing elements were simply not working out. The advertising was did not seem
to highlight the appeal of the vanilla flavor, the whole reason for the product. The vanilla
flavor was not presented in an appealing manner.

In 2005, Coca-Cola yanked Vanilla Coke from the shelves with hopes of revisiting the
concept later. In fact, the company never lost hope for a vanilla-flavored product. Plans to
bring back the product were in the works almost from the start.

I ntroducing New Coca-Cola Vanilla
For the reintroduction, the new product is now named, Coca-Cola Vanilla. It comes in 12-
ounce cans, 20-ounce bottles, 1.5 and 2 liter bottles and will be available at convenience
stores and grocery stores. To help kick off the introduction, a company spokesperson stated,
on the day of the introduction, the following:

To celebrate the occasion and kick off the Memorial Day weekend, Coca-Cola today created
the Worlds Largest Vanilla Coke Float at the new World of Coca-Cola attraction in Atlanta.
A 15-foot-tall contour glass filled with 2,850 gallons of Vanilla Coke and 7,200 scoops of
DREYERS/EDYS Grand Vanilla Ice Cream tipped the scales at 10 tons and set an official
Guinness World Record in the Largest Ice Cream Float category. The Guinness World
Record event helped launch a summer-long promotion with Dreyers Grand Ice Cream,
Inc./Edys Grand Ice Cream encouraging consumers to add an extra scoop of smooth to
their day by creating a Coca-Cola Vanilla float using DREYERS/EDYS SLOW-
CHURNED Light Ice Cream or No Sugar Added Light Ice Cream varieties.
The spokesperson further added, The promotion will be supported through point-of-sale
displays and merchandising in approximately 10,000 supermarkets across the U.S. In
addition, an extensive marketing campaign, featuring in-theater advertising, out-of-home,
online activation, point-of-sale advertising and sampling will support the reintroduction of
Coca-Cola Vanilla.

Vanilla Coke is back! But not everything is as
vanilla as it seems
There has been huge consumer demand for the return of Vanilla Coke so we were really excited about bringing
back the variant to the Coca-Cola family.
- Zoe Howorth, Marketing Director for Coca-
Cola Great Britain
So the advertising campaign wasnt a prank! Vanilla coke did indeed hit the shelves on April Fools Day.
Highlighted by a 100,000 strong BRING BACK VANILLA COKE campaign on
Facebook
, the Coca-Cola Company seemingly took notice of the demand for a much-
missed product and re-launched the soft drink seven years after its
discontinuation in the UK. As more and more people took notice of the
advertising on billboards and on the side of public transport, many
inevitably took to social media to express their excitement about Vanilla
Cokes return:
@alwyt: as if vanilla coke is back. this is the best day of my life
@hayleylord: Thought I needed a boyfriend, then vanilla coke came back.
@kkatierobertson: I just seen a sign saying vanilla coke is back. Omg omg omg are you kidding me?!
This word cloud shows the overall positive reaction across Social Media with frequent mentions of words such
as love, happy, and best being mentioned in conjunction with the soft drink.

Frequent words mentioned with Vanilla Coke
From Media Measurements work with the Wispa chocolate bar re-launch, we understand how successful
bringing back a popular product can be. Though there is no other soft drink currently in the middle of a re-launch
campaign, the graph shows how Vanilla Coke has gazumped a rival drink that has recently been released in
Fanta Peach & Apricot (the term rival is used rather loosely as both are products of the Coca-Cola Company).
Vanilla Coke is a long way ahead in terms of mentions, with 11,130 compared to Fanta Peach & Apricots 336
mentions during a recent four week period, including a notable increase around the time Vanilla Coke was
released.

Graph 1: Vanilla Coke vs. Fanta Peach & Apricot
Tweets
from 15/3/13 to 11/4/13

However, as a big fan of the flavour and having been to countless soft drink-selling stores and I am yet to find it.
Far from being a personal and isolated problem, not being able to find the product is a commonly expressed
issue amongst social media mentions, with 415 posts echoing the sentiment. Here are a few examples:
@Menachite: VANILLA COKE! WHERE ARE YOU?!?!?!
@RobbieBowen4: Didnt spend a penny in the city, mainly because I couldnt find any vanilla coke
@MahiWTF: Tesco, sainsburys, COOP and 6 different off-licences didnt find a single coke
vanilla
Words like find, want, and anywhere featured dominantly in this group of Vanilla Coke mentions.

Frequent words of those having issues finding Vanilla Coke
Before the release date, it is understandable that people may have heard that the drink was making a return and
wondered where they could purchase it, but after its apparent release you would expect these queries to
significantly reduce as the product hit the shelves. Instead, mentions continued to rise.

Issues with finding Vanilla Coke from 15/3/13 to 11/4/13

A new product is bound to have some teething problems with getting stock out to all stores, but that cannot hide
the fact that there is an issue of consumers not currently getting the supply they want. Both the Coca-Cola
Company and soft drink-selling retailers are losing out by it not being on the shelves. People are evidently going
to some outrageous lengths to purchase the drink once more, so it is nice to see that some retailers, having
recognised the demand, are adopting a Social Media Strategy to promote when they have it in store and reply to
customer demands:
@ShakeAwayHast: Vanilla Coke is back and we have it in stock in both cans and bottles!
@Morrisons: @toppdogg6991 Hi Alan, we stock Vanilla Coke in both of those stores. We hope that
helps!
It is difficult to speculate whether the lack of Vanilla Coke on our shelves is an issue with inadequate supply or
whether it is the retailers simply not ordering in the product either way there is an evident demand for it. Stores
should be looking to order it in to increase custom whilst the Coca-Cola Company should be pushing retailers to
stock the product to increase ROI.
Yes it is officially back, but I feel Vanilla Coke will really be back when it is readily available in stores across the
country and people, like myself, are not having to go to such great lengths sourcing it.