Hey, Diet Coke - Nice Cans.

I love this can and I don’t know why.

Drinking Diet Coke from close-up can just feels….sexier.

It’s bold meets absolute simplicity. A testament to the no. 3 soft drink’s clout, it’s amazing how instantly recognizable it is.

 Less is more. It’s confident and clever.

Never mind surreptitious waves, swirls of silver and fake water droplets, the new treatment is fully prepared to elevate the DC logo to icon status.

Re-gifted?

A Turner Duckworth design originally commissioned to commemorate Coca-Cola’s 125^th birthday, the close-up can flew off the shelves last fall.

Well this year, Diet Coke turns 30 and Coca-Cola seems to be in a generous (re)gifting mood.

The look is back and looks like it’s here to stay.

As if we needed another reason to crack open a can…

Who is Mid-Calorie Soda For?

Coca-Cola announced this week that they’ll be testing mid-calorie versions of both their Sprite and Fanta brands this summer. Released in only four markets, Sprite and Fanta Select will boast half the calories of their regular counterparts and be comprised of a blend of both sugar and other artificial sweeteners, including Truvia.

Select comes on the heels of rival Pepsi’s introduction of NEXT earlier this year.

History Repeating

Both companies have been down the low-sugar/calorie road before – (Coke with C2 back in ‘01 and Pepsi with Edge in ’04). Each was pulled after disappointing sales.

‘Disappointing’ perhaps because no one identifies with middle-of-the-road cola!  

Who are these sodas for, exactly?

I recently had a lively discussion with a friend in the ‘biz. We agreed that over the natural course of time and by boasting two distinct tastes, regular and diet sodas are directed at two mutually-exclusive consumers.

Somewhere along the line, researchers must have concluded that “Diet” was perceived by some as feminine, leaving a segment of the soda market under-served.

Yes, men not quite comfortable enough with their sexuality to roam the office halls with a can of Diet were taking their hydration elsewhere.

And so, the decision was made to split the category by gender and the “masculinizing” of diet soda began.

Today, men can stay (comparatively) healthy with Pepsi One and Coke Zero – both seeming to boast “regular cola” taste.

Even Dr. Pepper jumped on the bandwagon last year. With Dr. Pepper 10, the aptly named 10-calorie alternate boasting traditional Dr. Pepper flavor, the company took a hardline approach to attracting men by denouncing women. 

They say variety is the spice of life

And so from time to time we get new flavors– cherry, vanilla, cherry vanilla, lemon, lime – all small attempts to infuse variety into otherwise routine cola purchases. And while these limited runs cannibalize classic flavor sales more than they produce net-new, with more selection comes the chance of increasing frequency and total brand consumption.

So, to recap: we’ve got regular, diet, men’s diet, and novel flavors from time to time (diet and regular).

Which brings me back to my first question:

Who is this new mid-caloric tier of cola designed for?

No clear target. No sizable hole to fill in the total cola marketplace. Is this a long-shot hope that with less sugar, cola might be welcomed back into schools? Is there a glimmer of hope that the new combination might one day replace the sugar-heavy recipe of original cola; even start to dominate in share of total sales?

This blogger remains unconvinced. I (still) see no way around a short life and quick demise.

Novelty Coke Machine Boasts Over 100 Choices…

Do you remember mixing soda fountain flavors as a kid? You’d scamper over to the self-serve machine, determined to fill your cup with equal parts Coke, Sprite, Root Beer, and, if you were feeling really adventurous, Pink Lemonade.

Oh, you still do that as an adult? I’m not the only one? Phew!

You’ll be happy to know that Coca-Cola has made soda-mixology a whole lot easier (all the while maintaining perceptions of our maturity).

Introduced back in 2009, the Coca-Cola freestyle machines are finally beginning to surface in select fast-food chains and drugstores.

Yay!

How can the machines offer so much variety?

Instead of drawing its ingredients from bulky 5-gallon boxes of syrup, Freestyle breaks tradition and employs compact flavor cartridges. The machine builds beverage selections using micro-dispensing and PurePour technologies originally developed to deliver extremely precise doses of drugs. The process blends the highly-concentrated ingredients with water and sweetener at the point where the beverage is dispensed. Genius.

What’s Available?

What isn't!?

As you can see, all colors of soda, energy and fruit drinks, waters, and seltzers. If you want it and Coke owns it, it’s here.

Pros:

For users – Freestyle offers novelty and a break from the mundane.

Tired of regular Diet Coke? How about infusing it with lime, vanilla or orange? By all means, get creative – pair original diet with varying parts of raspberry and vanilla.

For Coke – Freestyle offers real-time data and field reporting.

The machines are RFID enabled. Chips detect when ingredients are low and radio suppliers to refill. Freestyle also transmits daily reports including brands/flavor combinations sold, foot-traffic trends, troubleshooting information and service data.

Cons:

Ooh, a long line! Try again later. Like any new technology, there is a learning curve to get through before efficiency can be achieved. The machine, albeit intuitive, can be intimidating to first-time users. The selection process can be time-consuming as new users combat information overload.

More than Just a Pretty Face…

Seriously, I love this thing...

Sure, the machines are sexy and fun to use. And yeah, they are more efficient and easier to maintain than traditional soda fountains. But what Coke is really banking on is their ability to see into the future; crystal balls for the beverage industry, if you will.

With so many choices and combinations, Freestyle is field research!

Its ability to log and report consumption trends back to corporate serves as an R&D primer to product development. Data trends may help identify the rising popularity of certain flavor pairings or totally new genres (coconut water, anyone?). And so, rather than strict product distribution, Freestyle is a vital tool in Coke’s ability to sustain its competitive advantage.

What will your favorite flavor combo be?

The Coca-Cola Bears are Coming out of Hibernation...!

I knew something was missing last Christmas, but couldn’t put my finger on it until now - the Coca-Cola Polar Bears!

They’re back…

They must have been resting up for the Super Bowl. As if shooting 30- and 60-second commercials weren’t taxing enough, this year Coke is streaming its beloved mascots live from the North Pole for the entire game. 

That’s right; at CokePolarBowl.com we humans can experience Super Bowl XLVI alongside our arctic counterparts.  Conceived by Coca-Cola’s digital AOR, Wieden+Kennedy, the website will boast live reactions to on-field activity. Cloaked with team-specific scarves (Giants vs. Patriots) and with the help of game-day puppeteers, the polar bears will show approval, frustration, and other appropriate, up-to-the-minute emotions throughout the telecast.

But don’t just watch the bears; follow them on Twitter (@NY_Bear and @NE_Bear). To provide a truly interactive experience, Coca-Cola has asked its furry mascots to tweet their thoughts as well. Look for them to interact with followers throughout the night via their animated tablets (“BearPads”) and smartphones. 

Nice catch!

In addition to their live Arctic broadcast, Coke will also be debuting two traditional commercial spots. The specific version set to air will depend on game play and the score up through halftime.

Cool, but where’s the sizzle?

So the bears will cheer whenever their favorite team performs well and “boo” for the opposite; that’s cool with a chance of cute for a couple of plays. Then what?

Did we mention they’ll be reacting to the commercial spots as well? Now were talking!

Coca-Cola has changed the Rules of the Game…

Who doesn’t want to see how Coke’s beloved mascots will react to a Pepsi ad?! While game play responses are logical, real-time reactions to commercial spots will be a riot. ::sizzle::

What’s more, by giving us a reason to check in on the bears after each competing advertisement, Coke brings viewer attention back to their own brand (on competing brands’ dime).

Absolutely brilliant.

Note: This year’s 30-second commercial spot is going for upwards of $3.5M. 

RSVP and be sure to drop in on the “snow-fa” (sofa) to catch some of the antics come Sunday.

It looks like there will be a few ornery penguins to boot...

Plus, with each RSVP Coca-Cola will donate $1 to the World Wildlife Fund to help polar bears and their Arctic home – we applaud thee, Coke!