Choueke Spreading Cola Brands Too Thin
Cover Story
Cola variants
Spreading cola brands too thin
Over the past 20 years, the battle for supremacy between Coca-Cola and Pepsi has resulted in the launches of numerous brand extensions. In combating decline in the fizzy drinks market, are the cola giants wise to rely on new variants to protect market share? By Mark Choueke variants. Coca-Cola added Diet Coke with Lemon to its permanent range this year, only for PepsiCo to follow with lemon and lime-flavoured Pepsi Max Twist. Not to be outdone, Coke launched Diet Coke with Lime, and, as a limited-edition flavour for summer. Coke with Lemon. A Coca-Cola spokeswoman says: "Everything we do is consumer-led and research told us Coke with Lemon is the taste of summer. Consumers reminisce about childhood summers and heing treated to a bottle of Coke with a slice of lemon, so we made it available." Coca Cola is determined to forge ahead with CSD product innovation in 2006. "Consumers will determine all future launches. If a product fits our positioning and is demanded by consumers, then anything goes," the spokeswoman says. Britvic, which is licensed to distribute PepsiCo products in the UK, adopts a more guarded approach to brand extensions and limited editions. Britvic category director Andrew Marsden says: "'Limited editions add novelty and surprise to everyday categories and generate additional interest and revenue. But you have to be careful with the flavour of limited editions and how many you release. It is a risk and you need confidence in the product."
ONLY FOOLS RUSH IN
D
rink Coca-Cola. Coke Is It. The Real Thing. Three unmistakably clear and powerful advertising campaigns once used by the soft drinks giant to stress the inimitable essence of the world's most powerful brand. But the sheer number of Coca-Coia and Diet Coke variants now on the market set to increase when Diet Cherry Coke launches next February - are making the straplines obsolete. Diet Coke was launched in the UK 21 years ago
Cola variants
Spreading cola brands too thin
Over the past 20 years, the battle for supremacy between Coca-Cola and Pepsi has resulted in the launches of numerous brand extensions. In combating decline in the fizzy drinks market, are the cola giants wise to rely on new variants to protect market share? By Mark Choueke variants. Coca-Cola added Diet Coke with Lemon to its permanent range this year, only for PepsiCo to follow with lemon and lime-flavoured Pepsi Max Twist. Not to be outdone, Coke launched Diet Coke with Lime, and, as a limited-edition flavour for summer. Coke with Lemon. A Coca-Cola spokeswoman says: "Everything we do is consumer-led and research told us Coke with Lemon is the taste of summer. Consumers reminisce about childhood summers and heing treated to a bottle of Coke with a slice of lemon, so we made it available." Coca Cola is determined to forge ahead with CSD product innovation in 2006. "Consumers will determine all future launches. If a product fits our positioning and is demanded by consumers, then anything goes," the spokeswoman says. Britvic, which is licensed to distribute PepsiCo products in the UK, adopts a more guarded approach to brand extensions and limited editions. Britvic category director Andrew Marsden says: "'Limited editions add novelty and surprise to everyday categories and generate additional interest and revenue. But you have to be careful with the flavour of limited editions and how many you release. It is a risk and you need confidence in the product."
ONLY FOOLS RUSH IN
D
rink Coca-Cola. Coke Is It. The Real Thing. Three unmistakably clear and powerful advertising campaigns once used by the soft drinks giant to stress the inimitable essence of the world's most powerful brand. But the sheer number of Coca-Coia and Diet Coke variants now on the market set to increase when Diet Cherry Coke launches next February - are making the straplines obsolete. Diet Coke was launched in the UK 21 years ago