Pepsi vs Coke: The Power of a Brand
As humans, we all have our own unique styles that reflect aspects of our personality. I like to think of a company’s brand as what reflects its personality and distinguishes it and its products from all others on the market. The above article highlights the brand design evolution that Pepsi and Coke have undergone over the past 128 years in response to new technologies, new ideas and new consumer tastes. In the case of Coke, however, its attempt to redefine its brand from the original coke to the New Coke generated a negative response from consumers. This is due to the fact that Coca Cola was not staying true to its ‘Brand Heritage’. As a brand grows and establishes its personality over time, consumers develop an emotional relationship with and attachment to that brand and the values it represents (1). In this case, Coca Cola’s attempt to revamp and redefine its brand backfired, and created conflict with consumers who related to the brand, because the changes were so atypical of its established brand personality. Therefore, although experimentation and development are important aspects of branding, especially in a rapidly changing world, they should not occur at the expense of brand consistency.
References:
(1) Chennai Chatter – Your brand’s heritage may hold the keys to its future