Coca-Cola’s new global strategy will move the brand backwards in Australia
Coca-Cola has created some of the best ad campaigns in Australia in recent years, which makes the decision to run bland global creative all the more bizarre argues Mumbrella’s Alex Hayes.
Every time I see a case study video about one of the Coke campaigns it starts with a line like “64 per cent of Australian teens don’t drink Coke” or “Coca-Cola was no longer deeply connecting with Australians”.
It’s a brand that needs to reinvent to stay relevant, and it’s beyond me how introducing generic global creative will do that.
Coca-Cola has made a lot of noise about its new brand strategy – and as my colleague Tim Burrowes is so fond of repeating the best number of brands is one. So rolling its less popular products under the banner of the big red one seems like a sensible ploy.
The campaign isn’t much more than chewing gum for the eyes but to be frank if you’re trying to maintain the prestige in a global brand you need to have global branding.
“Taste the feeling” is odd. Personally I think it works better as “Feeling the taste”.
I wouldn’t be bothered with this. If you use anything and everything that Coke is associated with. Take the Motorhead lead man Lemmy Kilmister. Has only recently left the physical plane to learn ‘the big secret’. He drank Jack and Coke… Instead of having Coke the as the stand alone hero why not associate Coke with the relative people and products… Do we have to spoon feed the creatives? It’s not only the young. Over 280,000 memorial views, most of these venues with some 200 plus… All of them drinking JD & Coke. No Coke inspired advertising just a mans habit becoming in vogue. Associate with other brands, and move ahead.
Agree the print is the saving grace for the campaign and will extend into outdoor.
TVCs are rank and that’s being kind. Can always smell BS spin when ‘storytelling’ and ‘moments’ are used in the same sentence.
Does it annoy anyone else that the coke bottle never has a lid on? In the ‘couple’ video the girl is even walking around with it in her back pocket opened
Has this got anything to do with it being an Olympic year — and as a major sponsor Coca Cola will be looking to use a globally aligned message and brand that will be seen across all ‘stateless media’?
Timely use of David Bowie and Queen’s “Under Pressure”. They will be back to local campaigns next summer.
I really love “taste the feeling” – i think that’s really powerful and evocative.
Having watched all the videos now it feels like stock images and stock video — nice, bland, nowish, safe. “Expect the feeling”.
Seems like they drank too much of the Byron Sharp kool aid.
It’s Coca Cola. Just find the relevant, punch it out and when it wanes punch it out again. Why is this so difficult. It’s advertising not a mystery or a second coming, its repetition – just tag it onto a relevant moment in time and get on with it.
Am I the only person that thinks “Taste the Feeling” sounds like the title of a Spinal Tap song?