Skip to main content

Whats Driving Coke's Brand New Dairy Wagon!


Everyone who follows marketing or well internet in general, would have probably heard the news by now: COKE IS SELLING MILK.
With an "Enjoy Your Life" kind of an image, what prompted coke to take this step? Research suggests that aerated drink sales are dropping.. & dropping at an exponential rate for Coke! But would this "Coke Milk" be of any real help?

Diversification in an entirely different category of drinks might fill the gap for users giving up aerated drinks. But this, coming from Coke, a brand that in itself has become synonymous with aerated drinks, might face a challenge in gaining consumer acceptance.

So how is Coke trying to make sure you buy it? Let's run a quick decode at Coke's Mantra behind this beverage. 

COKE's Mantra for selling Milk:
  • Make it sound more healthy- Call it "Fairlife"
  • Add something extra - Add some protein, add some calcium, add some flavor
  • Tell people its better - Sell at a premium cost
  • Make it less boring - Dress models up in Milk

 And yes, we will come back to the last point.

Right after we figure out the target audience.
Listing the most simplistic terms, lets try and figure out who they are really selling it to. Here are some advertisement taglines that hint us of their target
  • "Better Milk Looks Good on You" - Health Conscious
  • "Milk With a Flair" - Young guys/girls
  • "More Good, Looks Good" - Weight Conscious
  • "Drink What She is Wearing" - Young guys/girls
  • "Swing Into Something Better" - Fun loving

 Still in the pilot run stage though.. Check out the advertisements coke has in mind..
Image Source: www.businessinsider.com,www.independent.co.uk
   


Besides the direct communication sent out by the brand a quick look at the indirect messaging tells us that coke is not really talking about itself here. There is no mention of coke, there is no indirect association drawn & there is a whole new logo that speaks nowhere of the parent brand.. Seems like careful planning that the typical red and white combo is kept far away from this one.

 What can be inferred from this is that instead of expecting the consumers to accept this new offering "from coke", its trying to create a mind space of its own.
Packed like a milk carton with a splashing wave of milk, Fairlife has quickly adapted to the packaged milk shelf space. How quickly will it fill up the refrigerators is another question.

Sixth Sense of Marketing Blog - Coke Fairlife

What do you think of Coke's new move? Drop a comment...
Labels:

Comments

  1. Vineet Mehta20 February 2015 at 08:58

    Last time Coke tried providing Healthy Juice product range, it backfired for having too much sugar content(Which wasn't too different from the market standard).
    I think, not linking it to the Coca - Cola Brand is actually a smart idea.

    If it doesn't work, it wouldn't harm the parent brand.
    If it does, Not being seen as a Coke product would definitely make it easier to sell something healthy!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Apoorva @ Sixth Sense of Marketing11 July 2017 at 03:13

    Agree with you Vineet! Thanks for sharing your perspective!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Share your thoughts!

Popular posts from this blog

Turbulent Times - The Air India Story

Part 1 With the cabinet giving a go-ahead in June 2017 for the government to try and sell Air India, I can't help but feel a sense of closure of a chapter in the long standing relationship between the government & the aviation sector. It is a move that has been debated since 2011 - the year when attempts were made, for the first time, to privatize the airline. With the market in flux and purchasing power low, is it a wise move by the government at this point in time? - Hard to say. But was it a move that was long due? - Probably yes. After multiple attempts by the government to convert the airline into a profit-making unit, it has still been unable to match the private giants that have grown at a rapid pace in the past few years. Air India, currently at the 4th position with 13% market share after Indigo, Jet Airways, and Spice Jet, is the talk of the town. It is up for sale, but the question remains intact - who will buy Air India and all its debt? Will the journey ta...
Post a Comment
Read more

Taking Customers Out of the Markets!

A market may have unlimited definitions. Let’s just get down to the basics and say out loud the first line that comes to our mind. Markets – A place where buyers and sellers meet, a place where goods are being sold to customers, a place where commodities are exchanged for money with the buyers– three answers that top the charts. But, for argument sake, let’s imagine  a market without the buyers . A place where sellers are selling, goods are being sold and commodities are getting exchanged for money – & No sight of customers. Incomplete? Self-implied? Or does it sound familiar? We see markets packed with people. And more often than not, we wish that the crowd around us would just disappear! Won’t that be so easy? No hassle to look for your size and a much needed break from the endless queues outside the trial rooms & billing counters. And snap goes the genie! You wished for it – you got it! Here comes the “e-commerce” boom. Isn't that “trending” these days? W...
6 comments
Read more

The Air India Story Part 2

Part 2 Whenever you see an Air India advertisement, it is hard to miss the "Maharajah" or the emperor which stands as a hospitable mascot for the brand since 1946. Strongly identifying its values with the rich cultural heritage of the country, Air India has positioned itself as a dynamic Indian brand that believes in "Atithi devo bhava" (a guest is like god). This is clearly impersonated in its mascot who humbly folds his hands in the form of "Namaste", a gesture of respect and welcome, widely used in the country. With disinvestment and privatisation on the cards, Air India's most recent marketing strategy might see a shift towards making it a more appealing buy for the potential investors. In this light, it is quite interesting to see the marketing journey of the airline and gauge how far it has come. While the entire brand talks of rich Indian culture and heritage, right from its inception, Air India is known to cause a stir through it...
Post a Comment
Read more