If you’re like me then there’s nothing more satisfying than
coming home from a long day and opening a can of pop while watching Netflix (I
am from Ohio, I say pop not soda). Soft-Drinks are a billion dollar industry
paying millions of dollars for marketing and advertising each year. These
advertisements, along with beer commercials, make up the bulk of the
commercials during the Super Bowl and if you’ve ever told someone you prefer
Pepsi to Coke (which I can proudly say I do), you know the argument that
usually follows. In this post, I will look at three top companies and talk
about what each is doing to attract customers.
1. Coca-Cola
Coke has been around since 1886 and the company is still
going strong today. Bringing back its classic glass bottles and promoting a
community of Coke drinkers around the world, Coca-Cola has created a brand that
is easily recognizable all around the world. Through the use of their iconic
red and white colors and polar bear mascot, Coke has created a brand that
people love and live for. Online, their presence seems to be just as popular as
it is in the tangible world we live in. Buying up as many domains with their
name as they could, Coke has several websites for various regions around the
world.
While Coke is offered in many restaurants across the country
(and seems to be the only thing available in the south), the company has tried
to make their consumers feel like a community. In the past, Coke ran campaigns
such as “Have a Coke and a Smile” which encourage consumers to smile more and
look at the positive side of life. In some areas around the world with lower
income, the company would give out a Coke just for smiling. Currently, they are
running their “Share a Coke” campaign, producing hundreds of Coke cans and
bottles with people’s names on them. And if you couldn’t find your name, you
could always go on the website and have them print you one. They even ran a
campaign where they designed Coke bottles that couldn’t be opened without the
help of someone else’s Coke bottle, promoting fun with family and friends.
Their website invites users to come and hang out and connect
with other Coke enthusiasts. They even have a place where you can catch up on
music from artists who promote their brand as well as find recipes and other
facts about the company.
And with all of this popularity, the company has still been
working hard to keep customers happy. Their recent new product line is Coke
K-cups which will work with the Keruig Kold machine when it hits stores
sometime in the near future. They have also allowed for mass customization with
their Coca-Cola freestyle machines which allow you to choose the flavor you
want in your favorite drink and have been put in restaurants all around the
country.
2. Pepsi
Although not as old of a company, Pepsi has been around
since 1898 and has proven that it can keep up with its “old” friend and rival
Coca-Cola. While Pepsi also tries to create a community within their brand,
they go about it a little differently than their long-time rival. Recently
promoting a Pepsi bottle many fans recognized from “Back to the Future”, the
company boosted sales and sold out of the product faster than expected. Although
their website is mainly just simple graphics and animations and not as involved
or easy to navigate as Coke’s, Pepsi proves that there’s more to them than
meets the eye.
While still using music and sports to grab people’s attention,
Pepsi has been known to create a community based more on the people who don’t
like Coke. In fact, Pepsi has featured several ads taking shots at Coca-Cola
over their polar bear mascot or the long standing rivalry these companies have
had. They have also promoted themselves through several deals with athletes and
iconic figures everywhere, even becoming the official soft-drink of the Super
Bowl. Partnering with Starbucks and owning Gatorade has also given the company
a competitive edge over Coke, proving Pepsi knows what their customers want.
Through the use of social media and their websites as well
as some clever marketing within their products, both of these brands have not
only made a solid brand name for themselves, but a lasting online presence as
well…which brings us to our final company.
3. Dr. Pepper
No, Dr. Pepper is not owned by either Coca-Cola or Pepsi
which is good because their online presence is not quite up to par. Dating back
to the 1880’s, the soda has been around for a long time. The company is still a largely recognizable brand, however, because it
only sells it’s one product line (as well as Snapple which is owned by the same
company), Dr. Pepper is at a major disadvantage to its competitors. 
Instead, the company has tried to take a unique approach
with their “I’m a Pepper” campaign and their scholarship program, proving that it’s
ok to be different and stand out. In fact, I can’t remember an ad where Dr.
Pepper has felt the need to attack Coca-Cola or Pepsi. While the company is
moving in a positive direction, their website is a little plain in comparison
to its rivals. It’s community base is also a bit lacking. The variety of
flavors that are offered within their product line are also rather simple and
the company does not sponsor as many things as Pepsi or Coke which has put a
damper on their marketing efforts. That said, Dr. Pepper does have one of the
largest scholarship giveaways in the country which promotes the company every
year around the start of a new semester.
The company also has a Vine page, which is not usually a
form of social media used by top brands.
No matter what you say about soft-drinks, they make up a
large industry in our country and shell out millions of dollars each year
towards ads and product placement. While brands like Coke and Pepsi are more self-promoting
(the rivalry itself is enough to keep the brands going for years to come), Dr.
Pepper could do a little more online to boost its marketing presence and prove
that not only is the company here to stay, but it can keep up with its top
competitors.
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