The age old question
of « what’s in a brand? » appeals to various answers to
different people. I won’t try to answer to that one but to me a
tangible argument would be the packaging. In terms of brand strategy
how did Pepsi or Coca Cola’s packaging play a role?
First of all, let’s
take a look at Pepsi because it looks simpler to me. When I asked
myself how the bottle looked like I realized I had one image in mind.
To me, Pepsi didn’t change the shape or the color of its bottle
since I was born. I was actually wrong (as you can see below).
I just discovered
they changed their bottle a few months ago. "We didn't want to
create a shape that came out of nowhere," Krembs, VP-marketing
for the Pepsi trademark said. "It's not uniform, it's a little
asymmetrical, there's a little edginess and playfulness, which is
consistent with Pepsi's equities and youthful spirit."
I asked a few Pepsi
aficionados if they realized their favorite bottle had changed; their
answer was no. I have two explanations for it: either they didn’t
notice it because the change was minor or the new bottle didn’t
arrive in the stores in Antibes yet.
The opposite of
Pepsi in terms of packaging is its rival Coke.
Coke succeeded in
creating a subtle balance between staying the same and being modern.
When I think about Coke I automatically think about its limited
packaging editions. Here are a few examples :
It says a lot about
the brand when there is a page on the corporate website where you can
buy the limited edition bottles. It even says it all when most of the
articles are out of stock... Check it out :
http://www.cocacolacollectibles.co.uk/coca-cola-collectibles-by-country/coca-cola-collectibles-from-france.html
Additionnal sources
:
http://www.trendhunter.com/slideshow/coke-cans-and-bottles#15
(slideshow of Coke's packagings)
Emma G
