Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Coca-Cola rewards customers that pledge to recycle
Coca-Cola Enterprises will launch a fresh campaign this week designed to help boost theU.K.'s recycling rates by offering discounts to families who reuse or recycle their plastic bottles.
The “Don't Waste. Create” campaign will be launched Wednesday, asking customers to submit recycling pledges to receive a 50 pence (77 cents) voucher off their next purchase of Coca-Cola bottled drinks, including Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite and Dr Pepper.
The campaign website also will suggest ways of reusing old plastic bottles, such as turning them into bird feeders or self-watering plant pots, in a bid to raise awareness of plastic waste and keep children occupied during the summer holidays.
“By asking [customers] to reuse and then recycle plastic bottles, ‘Don't Waste. Create’ encourages families to think more sustainably while having fun, giving them a tangible way to help reduce their household waste,” said Nick Brown, associate director for recycling at Coca-Cola Enterprises.
Coca-Cola is keen to increase recycling rates to help feed the plastic bottle recycling plant that it co-owns with ECO Plastics in Hemswell.
The plant has allowed Coca-Cola to meet its target to include at least 25 percent recycled plastic in everybottle it produces, and the company is now aiming to further increase the proportion of recycled material.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Remember Mello Yello? Citrus Soda Plots a Comeback
via http://adage.com
For much of the U.S., Mello Yello is a brand they may have heard of but never spotted in the wild.
Launched nationally in 1979 as the "World's Fastest Soft Drink" with ties to the National Hot Rod Association, the citrus soda gained rockstar status in 1990 when Tom Cruise drove the Mello Yello car in the "Days of Thunder" movie. Fast forward a decade and the brand's popularity began to wane as parent company Coca-Cola launched new citrus brands. Mello Yello was relegated to more of a regional role, with primary distribution in the Southeast and Midwest.
Now, the brand is making a comeback, with Coca-Cola relaunching it nationally in 2010 and beginning to invest in earnest this year. Mello Yello recently went back to its roots, taking over the NHRA sponsorship from Coca-Cola sibling Full Throttle and launching a campaign, including TV, radio and updated packaging. The bulk of its marketing budget is dedicated to huge amounts of sampling -- handing out cans to thousands of race attendees, many of whom are experiencing the brand for the first time.
"It's a great opportunity to engage with new fans but also connect
with fans who had tried it before or maybe forgot about it," said Al
Rondon, senior sports marketing manager at Coca-Cola North America
Group. "There are a lot of folks who may have never tried Mello Yello,
especially out west where it's not as developed."
The new partnership with NHRA has given the brand a national platform, with 24 races taking place from New Hampshire to Florida, California to Kansas. Mr. Rondon says the deal has helped Mello Yello to "amplify" its retail efforts, with extensive programs at outlets including Circle K, Walmart and Domino's. The brand works with Melt, Atlanta, on creative, as well as Red Moon on program and event activation.
"The brand never went away, but we hadn't really put a big marketing effort behind it," Mr. Rondon said. "It's rejuvenated the bottlers, because they felt like we hadn't done anything with the brand. Now putting Mello Yello on a core, strategic partnership like NHRA shows we are putting resources behind it."
Mello Yello is also looking to stake a slightly different claim this time around, aiming to attract a more diverse audience than simply the teen consumers it targeted in the 1990s. Mr. Rondon says that while NHRA has a strong male fan base and is a good way to target males 18 to 49, it also appeals to women. The sport is also more ethnically diverse than Nascar and IndyCar, with a strong following among the African-American and Hispanic communities.
Going after a broader target market could also help the brand distinguish itself from PepsiCo's Mtn Dew, which is extremely popular with teens and younger consumers. Last year, Mello Yello outperformed the carbonated soft drink industry, with a 3% increase in volume, according to Beverage Digest. Volume is down single digits in the first half of this year, however.
Mello Yello is the No. 3 player in the citrus category behind Mtn Dew and Sun Drop, which is marketed by Dr Pepper Snapple Group. According to Beverage Digest, Mello Yello moved 43 million cases last year; by comparison Mtn Dew moved 628 million cases.
"Mtn Dew is one of the strongest and best marketed brands in the business, and the Coke bottlers need an entry to compete with it," explained John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest. "But even for Coke, competing with Mtn Dew is no easy task."
Indeed, Coca-Cola has for years tried various tactics to compete with the fast-growing Mtn Dew brand. In 2009, the company launched an audacious promotion, offering consumers a free sample of Vault to anyone who bought Mtn Dew. Vault has since been discontinued as Coca-Cola seeks to focus its energies in the citrus category on Mello Yello.
For much of the U.S., Mello Yello is a brand they may have heard of but never spotted in the wild.
Launched nationally in 1979 as the "World's Fastest Soft Drink" with ties to the National Hot Rod Association, the citrus soda gained rockstar status in 1990 when Tom Cruise drove the Mello Yello car in the "Days of Thunder" movie. Fast forward a decade and the brand's popularity began to wane as parent company Coca-Cola launched new citrus brands. Mello Yello was relegated to more of a regional role, with primary distribution in the Southeast and Midwest.
Now, the brand is making a comeback, with Coca-Cola relaunching it nationally in 2010 and beginning to invest in earnest this year. Mello Yello recently went back to its roots, taking over the NHRA sponsorship from Coca-Cola sibling Full Throttle and launching a campaign, including TV, radio and updated packaging. The bulk of its marketing budget is dedicated to huge amounts of sampling -- handing out cans to thousands of race attendees, many of whom are experiencing the brand for the first time.
"It's a great opportunity to engage with new fans but also connect
with fans who had tried it before or maybe forgot about it," said Al
Rondon, senior sports marketing manager at Coca-Cola North America
Group. "There are a lot of folks who may have never tried Mello Yello,
especially out west where it's not as developed."The new partnership with NHRA has given the brand a national platform, with 24 races taking place from New Hampshire to Florida, California to Kansas. Mr. Rondon says the deal has helped Mello Yello to "amplify" its retail efforts, with extensive programs at outlets including Circle K, Walmart and Domino's. The brand works with Melt, Atlanta, on creative, as well as Red Moon on program and event activation.
"The brand never went away, but we hadn't really put a big marketing effort behind it," Mr. Rondon said. "It's rejuvenated the bottlers, because they felt like we hadn't done anything with the brand. Now putting Mello Yello on a core, strategic partnership like NHRA shows we are putting resources behind it."
Mello Yello is also looking to stake a slightly different claim this time around, aiming to attract a more diverse audience than simply the teen consumers it targeted in the 1990s. Mr. Rondon says that while NHRA has a strong male fan base and is a good way to target males 18 to 49, it also appeals to women. The sport is also more ethnically diverse than Nascar and IndyCar, with a strong following among the African-American and Hispanic communities.
Going after a broader target market could also help the brand distinguish itself from PepsiCo's Mtn Dew, which is extremely popular with teens and younger consumers. Last year, Mello Yello outperformed the carbonated soft drink industry, with a 3% increase in volume, according to Beverage Digest. Volume is down single digits in the first half of this year, however.
Mello Yello is the No. 3 player in the citrus category behind Mtn Dew and Sun Drop, which is marketed by Dr Pepper Snapple Group. According to Beverage Digest, Mello Yello moved 43 million cases last year; by comparison Mtn Dew moved 628 million cases.
"Mtn Dew is one of the strongest and best marketed brands in the business, and the Coke bottlers need an entry to compete with it," explained John Sicher, editor and publisher of Beverage Digest. "But even for Coke, competing with Mtn Dew is no easy task."
Indeed, Coca-Cola has for years tried various tactics to compete with the fast-growing Mtn Dew brand. In 2009, the company launched an audacious promotion, offering consumers a free sample of Vault to anyone who bought Mtn Dew. Vault has since been discontinued as Coca-Cola seeks to focus its energies in the citrus category on Mello Yello.
Friday, August 9, 2013
Water is Life: Hashtag Killer Anthem
via http://creativity-online.com
Get out your hankies. Unsafe drinking water is the leading cause of death for kids in sub-Saharan Africa. That's morbid enough, but DDB New York's treatment of the subject, for charity Water is Life, is what really gets you. Via a beautifully shot film, the agency tells the story of a four-year-old Maasai boy, Nkaitole, potentially one of the one-in-five kids who won't reach their fifth birthday--the latest statistic on the mortality rate of children raised without potable H20.
So Water is Life takes Nkaitole to do all the things he's never done before, checking off items on a bucket list he shouldn't have even had to think about at his age.
The campaign is a follow up from the award-winning Hashtag Killer campaign, which tried to juxtapose the inanity of your First World Problems by asking poor, disenfranchised Haitians to read out your tweets about leather couches and broken iPhones back to you.
This time, the campaign will include the hashtag #5YearstoLive, as well as video clips featuring American kids -- who probably won't die at five years -- reciting their own bucket lists. Print ads and radio spots are also on their way.
Get out your hankies. Unsafe drinking water is the leading cause of death for kids in sub-Saharan Africa. That's morbid enough, but DDB New York's treatment of the subject, for charity Water is Life, is what really gets you. Via a beautifully shot film, the agency tells the story of a four-year-old Maasai boy, Nkaitole, potentially one of the one-in-five kids who won't reach their fifth birthday--the latest statistic on the mortality rate of children raised without potable H20.
So Water is Life takes Nkaitole to do all the things he's never done before, checking off items on a bucket list he shouldn't have even had to think about at his age.
The campaign is a follow up from the award-winning Hashtag Killer campaign, which tried to juxtapose the inanity of your First World Problems by asking poor, disenfranchised Haitians to read out your tweets about leather couches and broken iPhones back to you.
This time, the campaign will include the hashtag #5YearstoLive, as well as video clips featuring American kids -- who probably won't die at five years -- reciting their own bucket lists. Print ads and radio spots are also on their way.
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Debranding: why Coca-Cola's decision to drop its name worked
The success of Coca-Cola's Share a Coke campaign
in which the brand name was replaced by 150 of Britain's most popular
names has led to a lot of scratching of heads as to what it was about
this campaign that meant it worked so well.
Chris Deere, head of brand activation at Coca-Cola Great Britain explains that, beyond the obvious attempt at personalization, the campaign is about sharing: "We wanted people not just to find bottles with their own names on, but to surprise a friend or someone they love by seeking out a bottle with their name on it," he explains, pointing out, too, that social media is one way that global brands can make local connections.
Of course, Coke is fortunate in that, even with the removal of its traditional logo, its script is still iconic, the red and white immediately recognisable, the world over. Deere admits that the strategy wouldn't have worked with a brand which didn't already have so much equity behind it. So would others be foolish to try to emulate the success of this campaign?
The answer seems to be no, as long as any debranding is undertaken with some considerable thought as to the underlying strategy or purpose behind it, and whether it will work for the brand in question. Because, for something seemingly so simple, an awful lot of thought would have gone into the Coke summer campaign, as Sally O'Rourke, managing director of brand insight consultancy Promise Communispace points out. "What Coke does extremely well is to appear not to take itself too seriously," she says. "The campaign is about a quirky moment, something for me, a one-off, and a moment in time."
O'Rourke sees the trend for more 'silent' or 'quiet' branding as an antidote to the busy and frequently 'branded' world in which we live in. "The sheer amount of competing information out there means that it is no longer sufficient for brands to shout louder than others in the marketplace about their virtues. Consumers are growing weary of the noise," she says.
Starbucks has also tried to reduce some of this noise-weariness by removing its moniker and debranding some of its stores so that they seem more local, more approachable and less corporate. But what Coke and Starbucks have in common, of course, is that they are two of the most easily recognisable brands in the world.
Tony Cortizas, vice president of global brand strategy at Melia Hotels International, points out that Starbucks faces similar issues to Nike, which he believes was one of the first brands to use such a strategy. Nike has moved away from using its name, preferring just the swoosh logo. According to Cortizas, brand maturity or saturation comes into play: "Starbucks' problem, which is the same that Nike has faced, is that it is everywhere," he says. "You reach a point where your logo is no longer cool."
And debranding can also work well when a company needs to overcome prejudice. Brian Millar, strategy director at Sense Worldwide points out that it can encourage people to listen to what's being said, rather than who's saying it. He recalls writing a tube advertising campaign for the British Museum which featured long copy but no logo. "Research showed that people who wouldn't consider going to the British Museum also wouldn't read an ad about it. So we got rid of the logo, and just wrote interesting things. If anybody got to the last paragraph, they'd realise it was an ad for the British Museum," he explains. He points out that Apple has just done something very similar with a recent print campaign: "You have to read the copy to realise it's an Apple ad. You find yourself nodding along with the copy, and – badda bing – there's the brand."
Of course the term debranding is in itself just a label which can mean different things to different people. And it's important to bear in mind that a logo doesn't equal a brand. These days, brand experience is key and the holy grail for many is to create such a great experience, that there is less of a need for overt branding or labeling: the experience can speak for itself.
And while dropping your logo may make you seem more forward-thinking, bold, or less corporate, there have also been attempts to debrand which have gone very wrong. Sony Pictures released a debranded DVD of its film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in an attempt to tie the product in with its 'hacker' theme. But the disk, which looked 'homemade', did not match the 'slick marketing and photographic design' that the rest of the merchandise featured, as an analysis by Marketing Week points out. In fact a number of consumers believed it was fake and tried to return it.
So, whatever you do, don't try to be too clever – or worse, end up looking duplicitous or hypocritical. Tim Hill of The Brand Union points out that consumers were "shocked and horrified" to learn that Harris + Hoole - a chain of coffee shops many believed was independent and artisan - actually had the backing of the UK's largest retailer, Tesco. "A business can no longer survive with an opaque facade," he warns.
That said, digital or brand 'noise' isn't going to decrease any time soon, and Uri Baruchin, strategy director at WPP agency The Partners, believes that brands that can effectively create "gaps in the noise" would do well to do so. Coke found such a gap, and it resulted in growth in Facebook traffic on its branded page of a reported 870%.
Chris Deere, head of brand activation at Coca-Cola Great Britain explains that, beyond the obvious attempt at personalization, the campaign is about sharing: "We wanted people not just to find bottles with their own names on, but to surprise a friend or someone they love by seeking out a bottle with their name on it," he explains, pointing out, too, that social media is one way that global brands can make local connections.
Of course, Coke is fortunate in that, even with the removal of its traditional logo, its script is still iconic, the red and white immediately recognisable, the world over. Deere admits that the strategy wouldn't have worked with a brand which didn't already have so much equity behind it. So would others be foolish to try to emulate the success of this campaign?
The answer seems to be no, as long as any debranding is undertaken with some considerable thought as to the underlying strategy or purpose behind it, and whether it will work for the brand in question. Because, for something seemingly so simple, an awful lot of thought would have gone into the Coke summer campaign, as Sally O'Rourke, managing director of brand insight consultancy Promise Communispace points out. "What Coke does extremely well is to appear not to take itself too seriously," she says. "The campaign is about a quirky moment, something for me, a one-off, and a moment in time."
O'Rourke sees the trend for more 'silent' or 'quiet' branding as an antidote to the busy and frequently 'branded' world in which we live in. "The sheer amount of competing information out there means that it is no longer sufficient for brands to shout louder than others in the marketplace about their virtues. Consumers are growing weary of the noise," she says.
Starbucks has also tried to reduce some of this noise-weariness by removing its moniker and debranding some of its stores so that they seem more local, more approachable and less corporate. But what Coke and Starbucks have in common, of course, is that they are two of the most easily recognisable brands in the world.
Tony Cortizas, vice president of global brand strategy at Melia Hotels International, points out that Starbucks faces similar issues to Nike, which he believes was one of the first brands to use such a strategy. Nike has moved away from using its name, preferring just the swoosh logo. According to Cortizas, brand maturity or saturation comes into play: "Starbucks' problem, which is the same that Nike has faced, is that it is everywhere," he says. "You reach a point where your logo is no longer cool."
And debranding can also work well when a company needs to overcome prejudice. Brian Millar, strategy director at Sense Worldwide points out that it can encourage people to listen to what's being said, rather than who's saying it. He recalls writing a tube advertising campaign for the British Museum which featured long copy but no logo. "Research showed that people who wouldn't consider going to the British Museum also wouldn't read an ad about it. So we got rid of the logo, and just wrote interesting things. If anybody got to the last paragraph, they'd realise it was an ad for the British Museum," he explains. He points out that Apple has just done something very similar with a recent print campaign: "You have to read the copy to realise it's an Apple ad. You find yourself nodding along with the copy, and – badda bing – there's the brand."
Of course the term debranding is in itself just a label which can mean different things to different people. And it's important to bear in mind that a logo doesn't equal a brand. These days, brand experience is key and the holy grail for many is to create such a great experience, that there is less of a need for overt branding or labeling: the experience can speak for itself.
And while dropping your logo may make you seem more forward-thinking, bold, or less corporate, there have also been attempts to debrand which have gone very wrong. Sony Pictures released a debranded DVD of its film The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, in an attempt to tie the product in with its 'hacker' theme. But the disk, which looked 'homemade', did not match the 'slick marketing and photographic design' that the rest of the merchandise featured, as an analysis by Marketing Week points out. In fact a number of consumers believed it was fake and tried to return it.
So, whatever you do, don't try to be too clever – or worse, end up looking duplicitous or hypocritical. Tim Hill of The Brand Union points out that consumers were "shocked and horrified" to learn that Harris + Hoole - a chain of coffee shops many believed was independent and artisan - actually had the backing of the UK's largest retailer, Tesco. "A business can no longer survive with an opaque facade," he warns.
That said, digital or brand 'noise' isn't going to decrease any time soon, and Uri Baruchin, strategy director at WPP agency The Partners, believes that brands that can effectively create "gaps in the noise" would do well to do so. Coke found such a gap, and it resulted in growth in Facebook traffic on its branded page of a reported 870%.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Purefizz Soda Maker hides bubbles in plain sight
via http://www.cnet.comEvery kitchen has its list of regulars that consistently make appearances. For one it may be butter, cheese, bacon, and eggs, while another kitchen may populate its shelves with margarine, cottage cheese, tofu, and egg whites. But there is a subset within the spectrum of food that requires extra attention: the beverages.
Just as every kitchen has its preferred food items, every household quenches its thirst with a cast of regulars. But there is one thing that juice, lemonade, tea, and the like all have in common -- when bubbles are added, things change.
The Mastrad Purefizz Soda Maker ($79.99) is a simple carbonating contrivance that expands the drink possibilities in the kitchen. Easy to use, the device comes with two caps that fit upon a sleek serving container. Add a CO2 cartridge to the carbonating cap, and after the fizz has been added, the storage cap can be used -- making it so that the gadget itself becomes a storage vessel.
To make the fizz happen, just place on the charger cap and twist in the CO2 cylinder. Shake the bottle about a dozen times to distribute and incorporate the gas, let rest for about 3-5 minutes, and then vent with the pressure release button. No electricity or batteries required. Then, the freshly carbonated beverage can be stored in the fridge or taken to go. By replacing the carbonating cap with a more traditional one, it becomes a brand new kitchen staple, hiding in plain sight.
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
Vitamin Water Makes Light of Homeless With CollegeHumor Prank Video
via http://www.adrants.com
On behalf of Vitamin Water, CollegeHumor orchestrated a prank in which a panhandler enters a subway car and begins do quite the opposite of begging for money. He regales subway passengers with stories of his increasing success and the fact that he's not holding an empty latte cup to fill with money, he just refuses to litter. The humor escalates to the point the entire subway car is giving the man high fives. The stunt is part of the brand's Make Boring Brilliant campaign. The boring, in this case, is, of course, the lowly panhandler seen all day every day as one makes one's way through the city. What's not boring, of course, is that fact that some of these panhandlers are good folks who have simply fallen on bad fortune and are desperately doing whatever they can to survive. We're not sure poking fun at that situation is the best marketing move a brand could make.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Undercover Josh Duhamel Takes Diet Pepsi to Top of Viral Chart
via http://adage.com
Diet Pepsi's latest celebrity campaign, with Josh Duhamel as an irresponsible grocery employee, earned the top spot in the world of viral video. In the ad, Mr. Duhamel is halfheartedly undercover as he operates the grocery check-out line; sometimes he poses with fans, and sometimes he shrugs as shoppers say, "you should be an actor!" His antics, which include throwing customers' produce across the store and grocery cart-racing, racked up 2.3 million views with an effort from Weber Shandwick, with director P.R. Brown and Bau-Da Design.
It has become part of Pepsi's trademark strategy to capture consumer attention through celebrity videos. Recent Diet Pepsi spots included Sofia Vergara and David Beckham. In a similar vein, PepsiMAX's strategy is to take sports celebrities such as Jeff Gordon and Kyrie Irving deep undercover and shock the people they come across. In Mr. Irving's spot "Uncle Drew" last year, Pepsi MAX dressed the NBA star to look like a tubby, 60-year-old geezer who then shocked 20-somethings in a neighborhood basketball court by out-performing them.
Diet Pepsi's latest celebrity campaign, with Josh Duhamel as an irresponsible grocery employee, earned the top spot in the world of viral video. In the ad, Mr. Duhamel is halfheartedly undercover as he operates the grocery check-out line; sometimes he poses with fans, and sometimes he shrugs as shoppers say, "you should be an actor!" His antics, which include throwing customers' produce across the store and grocery cart-racing, racked up 2.3 million views with an effort from Weber Shandwick, with director P.R. Brown and Bau-Da Design.
It has become part of Pepsi's trademark strategy to capture consumer attention through celebrity videos. Recent Diet Pepsi spots included Sofia Vergara and David Beckham. In a similar vein, PepsiMAX's strategy is to take sports celebrities such as Jeff Gordon and Kyrie Irving deep undercover and shock the people they come across. In Mr. Irving's spot "Uncle Drew" last year, Pepsi MAX dressed the NBA star to look like a tubby, 60-year-old geezer who then shocked 20-somethings in a neighborhood basketball court by out-performing them.
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Sprite Films(TM) Presents Original Short Films Created by Next Generation Filmmakers
via http://www.marketwatch.com
Nationwide Program Invites America to Vote for Short Films at Sprite.com as Student Finalists Compete for Fan Favorite Award and Green Ribbon Panel Award
Got a thirst to see the very latest film creations from America's up-and-coming filmmakers? Sprite Films(TM) today debuts four original short films developed from script-to-screen by four talented college student filmmaker teams from across the country. Starting today through August 31, America can view the short films at Sprite.com and vote to crown one team with the Fan Favorite Award. For the first time in the program's history, the team which creates the winning short film selected by a Green Ribbon Panel will be awarded the exclusive opportunity to work on a $30,000 contract job for Sprite and The Coca-Cola Company.
"The Sprite Films program returned this year to encourage self-expression and authenticity among student filmmakers nationwide with the challenge to develop a script that brings to life an aspect of urban culture while boldly delivering a story from their individual point of views," said Kimberly Paige, Assistant Vice President, Sprite. "Sprite has long been a cultural advocate that embraces youth innovators, and we value the talent and vision of these young filmmakers - one team of which will assist the brand in the near future for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work alongside us on a special film project.
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