This launch is expected to have “Open Happiness” as its advertising slogan and hopes to counter the crisis we are facing.
Coca-Cola is to launch a new global advertising campaign for its iconic drink, hoping to appeal to consumers looking for solace amid a worsening economy.
The new campaign, the first in three years for classic Coca-Cola, should carry the slogan “Open happiness”, according to insiders. The company would still work on the Spanish version. The new slogan replaces the one used for three years, “Coca-Cola side of life”.
The newspaper Reforma announced that the first print ads are expected to start circulating in the US next week, and the television commercials are expected to debut during the Super Bowl, the final of the American football championship, these sources point out.
The new campaign, one of several recent attempts by marketing executives to use positive messaging to combat the economic downturn, was born out of a six-month initiative called “Project Next.” The project was spearheaded by CEO Muhtar Kent, who after seven months in the role wants to leave his mark on the company by giving the 123-year-old brand a new shine, sources say.
Coca-Cola will depend heavily on its new campaign to boost sales of its flagship brand. Although its popular cola drink is growing in many parts of the world, U.S. sales fell 3.5% in the first nine months of the year, according to Beverage Digest, continuing a years-long downward trend amid competition from new drinks such as teas and vitamin waters. The sales volume of classic Coca-Cola fell by approximately 16% from 1998 to 2007.
However, the new campaign is likely to raise eyebrows as it replaces Coca-Cola’s first successful advertising campaign in several years. “The Coca-Cola Side of Life” was the first hit since the acclaimed “Always Coca-Cola” campaign, which ran from 1993 to 1999. Coca-Cola seemed to have a hit in 2006, with “The Coca-Cola Side” ” Cock of life”. Several ads, including “Happiness Factory,” an ad that used computer animation to depict a fantasy world inside a Coca-Cola vending machine, won the Cannes Lion, one of the advertising industry’s top honors.
“Coca-Cola has finally cracked the code and got the right voice, look and tone,” said Allen Adamson, director of Landor Associates, WPP Group’s brand image consultancy. “Once you have the right formula, it’s not a good idea to experiment too much with it.”
The ads in the new campaign are sure to face stiff competition from arch-rival PepsiCo, which is preparing to launch its own new campaign for its flagship brand.
It is not known how much Coca-Cola will invest in “Open Happiness”. In 2007, it spent $406 million on ads in the US, according to TNS Media Intelligence.
