Watch the two videos in this week’s materials about Coca-Cola’s marketing strategies. Then respond to the prompts below:

• In what way does Coca-Cola use storytelling in its branding and marketing?
• The video narrator says Coca-Cola strives “to associate the brand with a good feeling.” How do they achieve this?
• Pick two of Kotler’s “human qualities or attributes” listed in this week’s introduction. Select two Coca-Cola ads and describe how they use these attributes to connect with customers.

peer#1

Hello everyone,

In what way does Coca-Cola use storytelling in its branding and marketing?

Coca-Cola has been around for many years. T.V commercials and radio advertisement has played a huge role in branding Coco-Cola. I’m not a big fan of Coca-Cola but I will drink it occasionally if I’m out at a restaurant. Coca-Cola storytelling has definitely come a long way. This company markets their product and give its history behind it. Really makes you feel like you’re apart of the Coca-Cola team. If you pay attention to the commercials over the years Coca-Cola has come a long way in a positive light. You learn how Coca-Cola started, the location Coca-Cola first became popular, and how it has grown to be a soda that’s selling all over the world.

The video narrator say Coca-Cola strives “to associate the brand with a good feeling.” How do they achieve this?

Coca-Cola are able “to associate the brand with a good feeling” because when we see something we like, our minds/brain will make us believe its good. When I see a cold drink, I automatically believe that once I taste it, it will taste good. When a person drinks a cold Coca-Cola it gives them a good feeling. The feeling of wanting more. The narrator knows that, so in the commercials you will see someone pull out and open a cold Coca-Cola and drink it. Once they’re done, they make a satisfied sound like AHHHH. This tells others that this particular soda is very good. This sound also make others curious about Coca-Cola.

Pick two of Kotler’s “human qualities or attributes” listed in this week’s introduction. Select two Coca-Cola ads and describe how they use these attributes to connect with customers.

Two of Kotler’s “human qualities or attributes” I’ve decided to list are emotionality and Sociabilty

Video 1 Coca-Cola – Brotherly Love connected with me through emotionality because it shows through this ad being there for the one you love when its most needed. Eventhough, the older brother picked on the younger brother he was there for him when he was needed the most.

Video 2 Share a Coke USA Commercial- connected with me through sociability because the girl went and bought Coca-Cola drinks for herself and her friends to enjoy.

Ref:

Kotler et al., Chapter 8: Human Centric Marketing for Brand Attraction

Coca-Cola. 2016. Brotherly Love/ COKE

Coca-Cola. 2016. Share a Coke USA Commercial

Kirk, “How Customers Come to Think of a Product as an Extension of Themselves”

peer#2

Coca-Cola does an excellent job of telling compelling stories to set a tone, such as the “Best Summer Coke” or even the memorable polar bear commercials. The magic behind these stores is that they invoke a feeling by adding very attractive people going through adventures, cuddly animals, or a community coming together for unity. Even though none of these items have nothing to do with the value or taste of their product, they create a scene that Coca-Cola is involved and make it more about the feeling of that particular moment that just so happens to have a bottle or can of coke.

The association of a feeling with Coca-Cola’s brand is present is almost everyone of its commercials. They make it more about the life experiences in the stories told versus the actual product. Let’s face it, most of the products are terrible for you, but they make you feel good. That is where the story telling or feeling the story Coke tells its audience helps promote the product. Like the videos state, people associate Christmas or the beginning of the holidays with the commercials showing the Coca-Cola trucks arriving into towns. They paint a picture of the start of the holidays with snow falling, reindeer, and Christmas trees. Not once does the commercial talk about taste or quality, but the feeling associate with seeing the Coca-Cola logo in the background. I would love to see that statistics of how many people go reach for a Coke from the refrigerator after watching that commercial.

Finally Kotler talks about the six attributes of human-centric brands. They are as follows: Physicality, Intellectuality, Sociability, Emotionality, Personability, and Morality. I wish I could pick more than just two of these choices for Coca-Cola, because I see a mixture of them in quite a few commercials that I have viewed, but here we go. Emotionality and Physicality are the two I chose for their brand. The two seemed almost too obvious, but nevertheless they are the choices.

Let’s start with the “my #BestSummerCoke” video. It paints a picture to two attractive young adults having a great time in an exotic adventurous place and they run out of Coca-Cola. So, what do they do? They don’t go to a store, but run through the jungle to find a random guys serving a coke at the bottom of a waterfall. Now, would most of us go this far for a drink? I would say no, but it doesn’t give an appealing and exciting story that is pleasing to the eyes and promotes Coca-Cola.

I couldn’t go without using my favorite, the polar bear commercials. To me they are 100% emotionality. Let’s face it, the commercial is nothing short of cute and it makes you smile. Which again, brings back the point of Coke selling a feeling and not the quality. Granted, I am not going to walk up to a polar bear anytime soon and try to put a red scarf and home they do the little hum they use on the commercials. However, usually I am looking for the little ornament style Cola-Cola bottles for stocking stuffers shortly after watching those videos.

In summation, I think we can all agree that the money Coca-Cola spends on advertisements is well spent. They do an excellent job of stirring emotions in people to promote their products. Have an amazing week!

Kotler, Philip (2017) Marketing 4.0, pages 109-118