Now introducing, Coke Life – the newest addition to a long line of products created by soft drink giant, Coca Cola. Unlike other Coca Cola products, Coke Life wears a bright green label, advertising itself to be a healthier alternative. According to Coca Cola, “Coke Life is a reduced-calorie cola sweetened with a blend of sugar and stevia leaf extract. It contains 35% fewer calories per fl oz compared to other leading colas.”
Although Coke Life strikes to be a ‘better’ alternative than regular coke, it is still a fundamentally unhealthy product and should be consumed in moderation. In my opinion, Coca Cola did a great job with marketing their Coke Life through the use of their strengths and product uniqueness, and my classmate Cameron Lee would agree. In Cameron’s words:”Coca-Cola has done an excellent job of using brand positioning to reach target customers in a crowded marketplace.” Coca Cola did an amazing job propelling their brand forward by coming up with points of differences that would help isolate their product from their leading competitor, Pepsi. As mentioned in Cameron’s blog, Coke Life is one of few soft drinks that contain ‘natural’ ingredients. “Coca Cola now hold a unique position in the mind of consumers.”
Nevertheless, Coke Life is simply a gimmick.
Stats show that even though there is a slight difference in sugar levels, the drink still contains high levels of sweeter and caffeine. A regular 250mL can of Coke contains 27g of sugar, compared to 250mL of Coke Life, which contains 17g of sugar. However, consumers are always on the hunt for foods and beverages that are marketed as healthy. This voids their conscience from feeling guilty about consuming bad chemicals, heavy sugar and sodium in their diet. Coca Cola was clever to associate Coke Life with the colour green. In doing so, this clouds an individuals judgement because not only is the can/bottle green, but the word ‘life’ is well integrated with the name of the drink as well.
Therefore, I think Coke Life is well marketed to consumers and is positioned for success. Coke Life will be very profitable through it being a “healthier alternative” compared to other leading soft drink brands. Ultimately, Coke Life will provide the company with a unique opportunity to target a different segment of consumers in the market, individuals who are easily influenced by products that are labelled ‘natural’ or ‘healthy’.
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