The company wants more than 50% of Coca-Cola sales to come from lower and no calorie versions by 2020, and says it is putting the concept of choice at the centre of its marketing strategy.
Its new ‘one brand’ strategy will see each version take on the same branding style, but with various low calorie or zero sugar attributes highlighted clearly on the front of each pack. Each variety will retain its distinctive colour coding.
Coca-Cola will double 2015 media investment in low and zero calorie / sugar versions, with these products included alongside the full calorie version in the final frames of all Coca-Cola TV ads.
One brand
Coca-Cola says its ‘one brand’ marketing strategy will unify its portfolio - Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, and Coca-Cola Life.
“Under this new approach, the enduring appeal of Coca-Cola will be extended across all four products in the Coca-Cola portfolio,” said Jon Woods, general manager, Coca-Cola Great Britain & Ireland.
“We believe our no and lower sugar variants will benefit from this closer association with Coca-Cola.
“By extending the appeal of the original Coca-Cola across our lower and no sugar variants we believe we can drive sustainable growth for our business in Great Britain in the years ahead.”
Choice
A key part of the strategy, which will be launched in May, is promoting choice. Coca-Cola says that, although it has created different options in terms of flavor, sugar and caffeine content over the years, more needs to be done in making the distinctions clear.
“This is a significant change for Coca-Cola Great Britain, which for the first time is putting “choice” at the core of its marketing strategy,” said a statement from the company.
“The new approach will place much more focus on the distinct characteristics of each Coca-Cola, raise awareness of the choice available and helping people choose the right Coke for them.”
Research revealed that consumers don’t always understand the difference between each Coca-Cola variety, with five in 10 consumers unaware that Coca-Cola Zero is a no sugar, no calorie version.
New pack designs will keep the colours associated with each drink (green for Coca-Cola Life, for example) to distinguish each product. But the branding will be in the same style, with each variant highlighting its properties on a standard position on the front of the pack.
The packaging – which will start to appear on shelves in the coming weeks – will adopt the UK government’s front-of-pack labelling scheme. This shows nutrient amounts and percentage reference intakes with colour coding, showing consumers how much fat, saturated fat, salt, sugar and energy (calories) are in each product.
Coca-Cola says it has joined the front-of-pack labelling scheme in an effort to provide consumers with clearer information about its products.
The company is a sponsor of the Rugby World Cup 2015 and will – for the first time – promote all four variants as part of the campaign.
The new marketing strategy will also be implemented in Ireland, France, Belgium, the Nordic countries, and Holland, and Spain.