Mini Coke Finds a Following With Healthy Moms

via WallStreetJournal

A decade-long decline in U.S. soda consumption has left Coca-Cola thirsty for growth. Now it looks like the beverage giant has found one opportunity: smaller bottles and cans.

Sales of Coke’s 7.5-ounce “mini cans” and eight-ounce bottles have risen 9% this year, The Wall Street Journal reports. Compare that with sales of 12-ounce cans and two-liter plastic bottles, which are up a mere 0.1% over the same time frame.

The reason, according to Coke’s North America president, Sandy Douglas, has to do with health trends. Mr. Douglas said the smaller products — which only make up about a quarter of Coke’s overall packages — are attracting mothers conscientious about their children’s health.

“The health and wellness trend has set up, almost teed up, a tremendous opportunity for the Coca-Cola brand with our smaller packages,” Mr. Douglas said at a conference on Wednesday. “Consumers love it.”

And branding experts say Coke should seize on this opportunity in its marketing.

“Giving [consumers] choices to moderate their consumption by smaller indulgent treats is a smart way to allow people to still enjoy a Coke and manage the guilt,” said Allen Adamson, chairman of Landor North America.

Branding consultant Dean Crutchfield says Coke has entered celebratory drink territory and is no longer “something you expect to guzzle down like the old days.”

“It needs to position itself as a treat,” Mr. Crutchfield said. “That means that people aren’t going to be consuming it as much, but don’t forget, there are celebrations happening every day.” Still, growth will be difficult, Mr. Crutchfield says.

Overall, Coca-Cola spends $3 billion per year advertising 17 brands, and spent $109 million advertising its classic product during the first half of 2014, up from $56 million over the same period the year prior, according to Kantar Media.

Revitalizing Coke’s soda sales is no easy task, but part of that responsibility will fall on Marcos De Quinto, Coke’s recently appointed chief marketing officer.

Mountain Dew Bottle-top Helps Colombian Skaters Tighten Their Nuts

Via Marketing Magazine

PepsiCo brand Mountain Dew has taken packaging design into extreme sports and created a bottle top that doubles up as a socket wrench, which skateboarders can use to tighten their nuts.The 100-second video shows a skateboarder in Colombia doing tricks in a skatepark, with on-screen text stating: "A skater spends 50% of his time riding."He is then seen coming off his board."The other 50% repairing what he breaks," the copy continues. "Moutain Dew presents Dew Bottle Tool. The First Tool in a Bottle Cap.

Dew Bottle Tool from Alejandro Gomez on Vimeo.

Coca-Cola Designed Its New Can Around A Problem No One Has

via http://www.fastcodesign.com

There are two types of problems that designers try to solve: problems people have, and problems designers delude themselves into thinking people have. Venerable sugar tonic maker Coca-Cola has just released a new can design firmly in the latter camp: a chill-activated can to visually tell people whether their Coke is cold or not. First released as a 7-Eleven promotion six months ago, the chill-activated can is now available to everyone.

Chill-activation, of course, is nothing new. The designers at MillerCoors have previously rolled out a series of chill-activated Coors Light cans, glasses, and containers. When refrigerated, the outline of the Rocky Mountains on the cans turn a vibrant blue, indicating that the can is properly cold. Coca-Cola is doing the same thing here, only color-changing ice cubes serve as the visual cue.

It's all achieved with thermochromatic ink, a color-sensitive dye that has been used in cheap thermometers for years, and is increasingly being used by the big brands for packaging purposes. For example, Pizza Hut has used thermochromatic ink to show whether or not your pizza was delivered hot in an innovation they called "the Hot Dot." And Mountain Dew has also experimented with thermochromatic inks, releasing a limited edition 16-ounce can in a cross-promotional campaign with the last Batman movie that changed the color of the Dark Knight's symbol when properly chilled.
It's all innocuous enough, but with Coca-Cola getting in on the thermochromatic ink trolley, maybe it's time to call this what it actually is: faddish bad design.

It should be obvious, but for the most part, no one needs to be visually told when something is cold or hot. There are exceptions, of course: an electric stove burner that turns orange when it's hot is an important safety cue. But when safety is not a factor--and a lukewarm can of pop is not going to kill anyone--a can that shows you when it is cold is like a siren that goes off when it's bright out. It's self-evidently absurd. We don't expect to "see" cold. We expect to feel it, and our skin has been designed to do just that. When we want to know if a can of Coke is cold, or a pizza is warm, our natural instinct is to touch it. That's what our hands are for.

The design problem that Coca-Cola, Coors Light, Mountain Dew, Pizza Hut have tasked themselves to solve is how to convey the temperature of their product to people without hands. That's actually a noble pursuit in its own way--amputees need a nice frosty one now and again, just like everyone else--but something tells me, that's not why these companies' R&D departments spent their millions.

Coke Unveils Broad Array of New Products, Packages at NAC's

via bevnet.com

With the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) show returning to Atlanta for the first time since 2010, executives from the Coca-Cola Co. didn’t have to travel very far from the company’s downtown headquarters to the show’s location at the Georgia World Congress Center. That was probably a good thing considering that they certainly had their hands full with a heap of new products and packages that Coke unveiled at the event.

Staffed by a small army of sales and marketing executives, Coke’s sprawling booth was packed with a broad array of line extensions and packaging updates, each highlighted by the company’s new Digital Cold Vault platform. The video-based technology uses demographic data and market insights that give C-store operators the ability to customized beverage sets each designed to increase sales and shopper satisfaction on a store to store basis.

Embedded within the Digital Cold Vault presentation were several of Coke’s new product introductions, which the company termed as “business-generating innovation.” From the recent launch of Sprite Cranberry, to an upcoming revamp for Vitaminwater’s 20 oz. bottles, to a new cold-activated 16 oz. can, Coke sought to offer retailers new ways to attract consumers and maximize shelf space.

“Retailers are looking for meaningful innovation that drives traffic,” said Doug Middlebrooks, Asst. VP of Shopper Marketing – Convenience Retail, The Coca-Cola, Co. Inc.

For Coke, part of that meaningful innovation meant doubling down on its presence in the liquid water enhancer category, which was pioneered and dominated by Kraft Foods’ MiO brand. Coke’s foray into liquid water enhancers began in October 2012 with the launch of Dasani Drops, and earlier this year, the company introduced Powerade Zero Drops, a likely response to MiO’s launch of MiO Fit, a sports-centric line extension. Coke will soon extend the “Drops” platform with products from Minute Maid and Vitaminwater Zero, both scheduled to debut early next year.

Minute Maid Drops is “the only liquid beverage flavor enhancer in the U.S. made with real fruit juice (an important driver of purchase intent)” according to a fact sheet that Coke distributed at the NACS show. The products contain 5 calories per serving and will come in three flavors: Lemonade, Pink Lemonade and Mango Tropical. Each will be packaged in a 1.9 oz. bottle.

Vitaminwater Zero Drops will launch in late March 2014 and is a line of naturally sweetened, zero-calorie liquid water enhancers that are packaged in 3 oz. bottles. Coke will debut the new line with four varieties: XXX, an acai-blueberry-pomegranate flavor, Revive, a fruit punch flavor, Squeezed, a lemonade flavor, and Rise, an orange flavor.

A line of liquid water enhancers wasn’t the only brand extension for Vitaminwater. Coke has reprised the short-lived Vitaminenergy with a new line called Vitaminwater Energy. Similar to Starbucks’ Refreshers brand, the products are naturally sweetened and formulated with an energy blend that includes green bean coffee extract and B-vitamins. Unlike the previous incarnation of the line, the non-carbonated beverages are packaged in slim 12 oz. cans (as opposed to a 16 oz. package) and contain 50 calories per can.

Coke also showcased a new bag-in-box fountain dispenser for Vitaminwater. The 4-value unit uses a Postmix Bag-in-Box, each of which holds 2.5 gallons of liquid. The fountain station will dispense four Vitaminwater varieties: XXX, Revive, Essential and Vitaminwater Zero Squeezed.

Fruitwater, the Vitaminwater brand extension which Coke revived earlier this year, will have two new flavors — Fizzy Lemonade and Tropical Pineapple — coming in 2014. The artificially sweetened, zero-calorie carbonated drinks are, like many new brands and products seen at the NACS show, similarly positioned to Talking Rain’s Sparkling ICE, which has seen many companies attempt to latch on its remarkable growth rate over the past two years.

Fast Chat: Diet Pepsi's Amy Spiridakis on Bringing Style to Soda Cans

via http://www.adweek.com
Soda giant busy re-shaping bottles and cans, partnering with Target

PepsiCo was unusually busy on the packaging front last week, unveiling a new shapefor Pepsi bottles and announcing limited-edition Diet Pepsi 7.5-ounce cans designed by HGTV star Vern Yip. While the Diet Pepsi mini-cans are available in eight packs for the next couple of months, more importantly, they are defined by a stylish, blue-and-grey print look that features an animated depiction of a peacock.

"This Vern Yip-designed can is perfect to inspire our consumers and give them a bubbly time-out," explained Amy Spiridakis, director of marketing for Diet Pepsi. "As we are in the spring timeframe, where people are really thinking about entertaining and going to gatherings, it seems like the perfect package."

Spiridakis chatted with Adweek this week about packaging strategies, as well as her brand's female-focused "Love Every Sip" 2013 campaign. She also dished on an upcoming program Diet Pepsi is running with Target next month.

Adweek: Since other names were surely thrown around, why did you choose Vern Yip for this initiative?

Amy Spiridakis: First and foremost, he's a beloved personality by our consumers. With his expansive history on TV, he's a designer who really thinks about the consumer, her love of her home and her love of design in general. So he does a great job of focusing on design, but in a way that highlights our product—instead of overshadowing it.

How integral is packaging in the way a brand is perceived?

Packaging is an incredibly important touch point. It really is the consumer's experience with the product—holding the package is critical. I think the Vern Yip design is yet another example of how Pepsi wants to elevate the role of packaging with its products. For Diet Pepsi, this package really connects with the "Love Every Sip" message....It's a fun design, with the color palette that Vern selected.

Does packaging actually affect soda sales?

Definitely. What sits on the shelf draws the consumer's eye. As they look at what brands they have to choose from, [packaging] is definitely a lever that will drive their considerations.

Is there a trend in the beverage industry in terms of giving creative control over to media stars like Pepsi did with Beyoncé Knowles and Diet Pepsi with Vern Yip?

Pepsi has a history of partnering with entertainers in different verticals, whether designers like Vern or musicians like Beyoncé. We really look for those personalities that bring style to consumers and who are very approachable.

Why the peacock for this limited-edition run?

It does a great job of representing confidence, vibrancy, positivity, energy and strength, which are all attributes of our Diet Pepsi consumer. We think it really fits in well with her lifestyle.

Outside of female, can you describe the rest of the demographic for this can design and the larger "Love Every Sip" effort?

It's targeted at females who love home design. It's not so pinpointed around a demo but more a mindset that focuses on enjoying being around others. The home is their anchor point. In May, Target will actually run an exclusive program where consumers who buy Diet Pepsi will get a set of six coasters that have the Vern Yip design printed on them.

Diet Pepsi and Vern Yip Invite the U.S. Consumers to “Sip in Style” This Spring

via popsop.com

Diet Pepsi has commissioned interior designer Vern Yip, one of the faces of the HGTV home design channel, to develop a limited-edition design for the brand’s mini can. The new offering will be introduced as part of the Diet Pepsi’s ongoing “Love Every Sip” campaign, launched last year and fronted by actress Sofia Vergara.

The new design features a trending peacock pattern, which is believed to be seen everywhere this spring. The new can has been developed in the brand’s traditional color palette, dominated by grey and dusk blue that was featured in this spring’s Pantone’s spring fashion and color report. The design also incorporates a peacock’s head in the bottom with the Pepsi’s traditional round logo above it.

The brand has also launched cans with a heart-shaped logo (see it below) to highlight the playful romantic theme of the current campaign. Last year, Diet Pepsi collaborated withcelebrated housewares designer Jonathan Adler, who created limited-edition red-blue-and-white straws for Target to be used for sipping Diet Pepsi. In early 2011, the brand introduced a sleeker, “skinnier” version of its can at New York’s Fall 2011 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.

These Clever Packages Can Turn Crates of Coke Into Boxes of Life-Saving Medicine

via gizmodo.com

It's one thing to have life-saving medicine, but it's quite another to get it delivered to where its really needed. And what better way to make sure it gets to the furthest reaches of the world than by packing it in with a truly vital necessity like Coke.

In every crate of Coca Cola, there's a bunch of wasted space between the necks of the bottles, and the AirPod, designed by Simon Berry, makes good use of it. And that's to say nothing of piggybacking on Coke's stellar distribution network. In its current test run in Zambia, the pods contain an anti-diarrhea kit, but the possibilities are only limited by what you can cram in that pack. And since people crave Coke a little more enthusiastically than they do anti-diarrhea medication, both the goods will keep flowing.

Berry's project, dubbed ColaLife, has teamed up with the soda behemoth to get AirPods in distribution alongside crates of Coke destined for the outer reaches of Zambia, but ironically, no kit-selling retailers have actually been slipping the packages in with the Cokes. Instead, they've just been shipping them packed separately, negating that bit of clever packaging. Still, the piggyback project has had a net benefit by cleverly filling holes, just ones inside delivery trucks instead of ones inside actual crates. Now if only someone could turn coke into live-saving medicine, then we'd really be set. 

Pepsi Updating Its Bottle Shape in the USA, for the First Time Over Past 17 Years

via popsop.com

Pepsi is changing its look in the U.S.—the brand is set to introduce an updated, “easier-to-grip” bottle shape along with the wraparound shorter label featuring a bigger logo. Starting April, the new look will be rolling out for the Pepsi 20-ounce plastic bottle and later for all plastic and glass packaging of the entire range, including Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max andPepsi Next. It is the first major redesign in 17 years.

Photo: The new Pepsi bottle, AP Photo/Pepsi (click to enlarge)

The new bottle shape has been created with convenience in mind—it features a swirled grip in the bottom part to make it easier for holding and a shorter label with the enlarged Pepsi ‘smiling’ logo, introduced back in 2008, which is the 11th in the brand’s 115-year history.

“We started with single serve, because it is the package you’re seen drinking and holding. The longer-term view is this new design system would eventually hit all touch points beyond packaging, to be honest, but certainly all other package types, as it applies,” commented  to Ad Age Angelique Krembs, VP-marketing for the Pepsi trademark. She also added that the swirl element could be tracked in some early glass Pepsi packaging, which in a way served as a source of inspiration for the update.

The new Pepsi bottles got a positive feedback from consumers on testing, so the 20-once packaging is soon to be available in the New York area, followed by Chicago, and some select cities in California and Florida. Ms. Krembs predicts that it may take a year or two before the national market will be converted to the new packaging. At the moment, it’s not clear, if the company plans to introduce the new bottle on the international markets.

The Pepsi bottle redesign follows a number of the last year’s prominent marketing initiatives, such as the cross-platform international campaign “Live for Now,” $50-m advertising partnership with music diva Beyoncé, and the 2013 Super Bowl sponsorship. Despite its efforts, PepsiCo reported a 4 percent decline in beverage volume in North America in 2012.

PepsiCo Sells Dresses To Promote New Trop50 Juice In U.K.

via AdAge

London Designer Makes Only 50, Priced At £555 Each, To Draw Attention To New Drink

PepsiCo is selling dresses for $872 (£555) each, as part of the U.K. launch campaign for Trop50, the Tropicana-branded juice with 50% less sugar and 50% fewer calories than regular juice.

 

Josephine De La Baume models new Trop50 dress at a pop-up store

The dress has been created by London designer Richard Nicoll, and is modeled by Josephine de la Baume, the French model and actress who is married to producer Mark Ronson, creator of the music for Coke's 2012 Olympic "Move to the Beat" campaign. Only 50 of the dresses – adapted from Mr. Nicoll's trademark Stella t-shirt dress – have been created. They are available at www.atelier-to-go.com and at a pop-up shop in London's Carnaby Street, which has been curated by artist Robert Storey, who recently worked with Vogue, Victoria Beckham and Kenzo. All profits from sales of the dress will go to Fashion Targets Breast Cancer. Mr. Nicoll has also worked with Vodafone; he created a mobile phone-charging handbag for the wireless company.

Tropicana's marketing manager, Duncan McKay, said in a statement, "Trop50 is this year's most exciting juice innovation so we're thrilled to be working with Richard Nicoll, the hottest designer at the forefront of British fashion. Trop50 is perfect for those who are conscious of their calorie intake but do not want to compromise on taste."

Top 50 is sweetened with extract from stevia, a plant native to Brazil and Paraguay.
The move is Tropicana's first designer collaboration, and comes in the same week that Diet Coke announced designer Marc Jacobs as its creative director for 2013. The U.K. launch of Trop50 is being supported by TV advertising as well as in-store campaigns, sampling and digital banners."

Think Inside, Outside and About the Box: Packaging Matters

Consumers Want a Container That Lives Up to a Product's Image: Easy to Use and No Leaks

via Steve Kazanjian and Brian Richard of MVW.

Packaging matters. It's important to consumers, brands and retailers and can influence purchasing decisions. It impacts product and brand satisfaction throughout the product lifecycle. And there is plenty of room for packaging improvements and innovation.

These were the takeaways from our firm's recent study of packaging satisfaction study -- an area where marketers clearly need to pay more attention.

Price and quality are predictably the most important components of product satisfaction, but we were surprised that the average consumer ranks packaging almost equal to brand on a list of factors. Think about the investment you make in your brand, versus your products' packaging -- are those two numbers anywhere equal?

Our research shows opportunities to get them more into line. We studied shopping habits and consumer satisfaction with packaging, defined as all aspects of the container that a product comes in, including shape, color and materials it is made from, as well as graphics and labeling. The survey included 3,000 U.S. consumers in October 2012.

A majority (64%) of the respondents said they will sometimes buy a product off the shelf, drawn by packaging, without prior knowledge or having researched it first. We found that, despite the smartphone revolution, most consumers (72%) still rarely use a mobile device to research a product while they are shopping. Other studies have ranked packaging as one of the highest drivers of repeat purchase, with more impact than TV ads, online reviews or even recommendations from friends.
Given how significant packaging can be, it's surprising that less than 20 percent of consumers report being very satisfied with it. Shoppers are satisfied with its appearance on the shelf, but frustrated by many structural features that don't perform according to expectations. Of the 15 packaging attributes studied for importance and performance in our study, consumers ranked shelf appeal, or the product's "attractiveness" and "distinctiveness," as least important.

A package's appearance needs to communicate intangible brand attributes, such as luxury or value, but consumers expect the package to perform to the brand promise. It should be be easy to open, and dispense every last drop. The packaging must work.

After a consumer buys a package off the shelf, satisfaction can rapidly decrease as he transports it home, stores and uses it. To drive repeat purchase, packaging needs to satisfy consumers all the way to disposal. If a product's packaging leaks on the way home, or is too difficult to store or use or dispose of, you can bet that your consumers will consider another brand the next time they shop.
How should a brand go about making improvements to its packaging? While each product category differs, the identified areas for improvement in our study consistently related to functionality: "easy to open," "easy to carry," "maintains product integrity" and "getting entire product out of package."
Structural packaging elements can enhance a brand's image. For instance, the massive amount of marketing dollars that go into a high-end fragrance launch may be rendered null-and-void if the spray head doesn't perform. Whether a fragrance spray is fine and powerful with a whisper sound or long and uniform with a weightless, sensual feel, this packaging element offers brands the opportunity to enhance emotional connection with consumers.

An emphasis on function, as well as form, contradicts conventional wisdom. But, we believe carefully designed packaging will delight and keep consumers loyal long after they've bought into the brand's marketing, purchased the product and left the store.

Each day, more products are purchased online, removing more traditional tactics from the marketing equation. What does that mean for your brand? As buying off the shelf decreases, performance, execution and structural packaging features will outweigh attractiveness and distinctiveness of packaging in gaining consumer satisfaction and repeat purchase. Because 100 percent of a brand's purchasers interact with packaging, it has to be the physical manifestation of the brand -- both on the retail shelf and at every other touch point in the product lifecycle.

New Pepsi X - Dragonfruit flavored

On Thursday, Pepsi unveiled its newest "Pop Star" in dragonfruit-flavored Pepsi X, The Pepsi with THE X FACTOR. This spring, Pepsi joined THE X FACTOR and embarked on "The Pepsi Flavor Audition Tour," giving contestants and fans at more than 20 locations in 15 cities, the exclusive opportunity to sample four new Pepsi flavors and be the judge of which one earned the right to be called Pepsi X. With more than 15,000 contestant and fan votes captured, the limited edition dragonfruit Pepsi flavor was crowned as the nation's next "Pop Star," Pepsi X.

"Our partnership with THE X FACTOR has given us the opportunity to further engage with our passionate consumers, and continue the Pepsi legacy of supporting aspiring musical talent," said Eric Whitehouse, director of marketing for Pepsi. "With Pepsi X, we put fans in the judge's seat - giving them the power to select our next limited edition flavor - the Pepsi with 'THE X FACTOR.'"

The dragonfruit Pepsi X will be available in 12-packs, 2-Liters and 20oz bottles wherever Pepsi is sold while supplies last beginning Oct. 8.

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Aluminum cans and the cool factor

Beverage brands have been working on innovations and modifications that make their cans perform better and stand out in consumers’ minds.

British Columbia inventor Steve Archambault has created what he says will be the next generation can pop top, a “smart tab” that thirsty folks use to open the can in the normal fashion. Once their thirst is slaked, users swivel the tab around and it acts as a cork to stop up the can until thirst calls once more, as Beverage Daily reported this summer.

Cans closures have gone from sealed lids that had to be punctured with a can opener to the tabs of today; now, much of the latest innovation in the world of aluminum cans has shifted from sealing to temperature.

Some seem clearly destined to be novelties, such as West Coast Chill’s self-chilling cans. According to the website, the cans incorporate “Heat Exchanger Units (HEU) which uses a C-CO2 adsorbent-desorption system to cool the beverage in the can.” The company touts the technology from Joseph Company International as a game-changer, but with a six-pack of the energy drink selling on the company’s website for $39.99, it’s probably not ideal for everyday use. Still, the self-chilling properties are likely to appeal to campers, hikers and consumers who find themselves in places where ice is scarce and there’s no place to plug in a fridge.

Chilling out is also the objective of another emerging can technology, driven by innovations in ink from Chromatic Technologies that turns cans of drinks ranging from Mountain Dew to Coors Light different colors when the liquid inside hits a certain temperature.

The New York Times and other media outlets in 2009 described the launch of the Coors Light can that changes from white to blue when the brew inside reaches just the right temperature for drinking, along with the many marketing campaigns and partnerships created to promote the newly dressed silver bullet.

This year, PepsiCo incorporated the technology into promotional 16-ounce cans of Mountain Dew to coincide with the release of the movie “The Dark Knight Rises,” Packaging World reported last month. “Innovation in packaging design enhances the credibility of the brand: Graphics are one thing, but interesting inks and structural innovation provide a whole new meaning to our successful brand marketing efforts,” said Mountain Dew’s art director Mike Gottschalk.

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New Zelanders invited to "Share a Coke" with names on Bottle

Do you have a friend called Matt? Have a crush on Josh? Want to meet Jess? Miss Kate? Why not ‘Share a COKE’ with them?

Some of New Zealand’s most popular first names will appear on millions of COCA-COLA bottles and cans this spring in a campaign that will inspire people to connect and ‘Share a COKE’ with friends and family.

From now until Christmas, bottles of COCA-COLA will have first names ranging from Aaron to Zoe on one side of the bottle inviting them to share the COKE. Cans of COKE will also invite consumers to share with the likes of their mates, Sis, and Bro.

"This is a playful social invitation to Kiwis that puts them front and centre using the power of the first name," says Brid Drohan-Stewart, COCA-COLA Sparkling Beverages Marketing Manager.

"We want people to have fun finding the names of friends and family they want to catch-up with, those they’ve lost touch with, or even someone they’ve yet to connect with, so they can enjoy sharing a COKE together."

Last summer Aussies were invited to ‘Share a COKE’, but COCA-COLA says the New Zealand campaign is distinctively Kiwi: "The 150 names are New Zealand’s most popular and reflect our own unique identity and diversity."

New Zealanders may also see the names and faces of their friends and family members appear in one of a kind COCA-COLA advertisements, including a 30-sec television commercial. Real Kiwis named ‘Jess’ and ‘Josh’ volunteered to share their ‘Share a COKE’ experience with the rest of New Zealand.

For those that can’t find their name or names of friends and family, consumers will also be able to request 600mL COKE bottles and 200mL COKE cans with a name of their choice at select universities, grocery stores and shopping centres - visit the website for dates, locations and conditions.

"Inspiring Kiwis to connect or re-connect is at the heart of this campaign. If they can’t get together face-to-face, we’re also providing places online to share great stories about how Kiwis are connecting over a COKE."

COCA-COLA Facebook fans can personalize and share a ‘virtual COKE’ with friends, as well as swap notes and pictures of how they are connecting.

For more information head to www.shareacoke.co.nz or the COCA-COLA New Zealand facebook page.

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Diet Coke makes permanent it's limited edition packaging

Diet Coke is making a permanent change to its packaging for the first time in more than five years.

Beginning Sept. 1, the brand will switch to a design introduced last fall as a limited-edition package. The design, created by Turner Duckworth, features a section of the Diet Coke logo, cropped to prominently feature the "D" and the 'k.' The can's color scheme, red and black on a silver background remains the same. The packaging design only impacts the brand's cans, not bottles.

Kerry Tressler, a spokeswoman for the brand said the cropped logo is coming back "by popular demand."

The bold design goes hand in hand with the brand's efforts to align itself with the fashion community. This fall, a T-shirt designed by Miami International University of Art and Design student Gustavo Alonso will be sold in Target stores nationwide as part of Diet Coke's Young Designer Challenge. The T-shirt features the cropped logo.

The fall season has become an important marketing period for the brand, which typically focused its efforts around the first quarter. In 2010, Diet Coke inched past Pepsi to become the No. 2 soda in the country. And since then, it has sought to push its advantage, in part by ramping up marketing in the second half of the year. Historically, Diet Coke's marketing was weighted toward the first quarter, given its Academy Awards sponsorship and the Heart Truth campaign, which ties in with New York Fashion Week.

Ms. Tressler declined to comment on the brand's marketing plans or on how it would be sharing news of the permanent packaging change with consumers. She said there would be more news in the coming weeks.

Last fall, David Turner, a partner at Turner Duckworth, told Ad Age that the brief and clear objective of "Stay Extraordinary" -- Diet Coke's ongoing campaign -- lent itself to "really clear and bold work." Still, Mr. Turner joked about the age-old desire of marketers to "make the logo bigger."

Coca-Cola tested the cropped logo design extensively beginning in August and September 2010. In a trial with Target, the test market saw volume growth outpace the rest of the country. "It wasn't an accidental design or something that we just happened on," said Katie Bayne, Coca-Cola's president-sparkling beverages, at the time.