Dissertation task one.

1. Coca-Cola is now seen as a cultural emblem in a sense because it’s everywhere, it’s something that can be understood by everyone no matter which country you originate from and they target everyone, not just a small section of the consumer market. It’s seen as a popular product so therefor everyone should buy it because we all tend to buy into what is popular. The reality is that brands make up our culture now, ‘Brands, products, fashions, celebrities, entertainments - the spectacles that surround the production of culture - are our culture now. Our role is mostly to listen and watch - and then, based on what we have heard and seen, to buy’ The above quote states how we are supposed to react to brands and advertising and this has been proven effective in the success of many brands such as Coca-Cola because people see or read and then go fourth and buy. However, this is not always the case because one consumer from research stated, ‘I rarely drink Coca-Cola, I never drank it as a child or growing up, but do ask for it in bars/clubs as it is the easiest thing to ask for as it's so well known’ This shows that not everyone is inclined to go fourth and buy once they see an advert for Coca-Cola because this consumer very rarely drinks Coca-Cola so branding/ advertising has had no effect on them and they are not easily swayed by what is seen as popular and by our culture as a whole. However, in a sense this consumer has been won over because they still buy into the product and the fact it is everywhere you go making it convenient. To summarize, ‘The search for the true meaning of brands or the ‘brand essence’ as it is often called gradually took the agencies away from individual products and their attributes and toward a psychological/anthropological examination of what brands mean to the culture and to peoples lives’ (Klein, 2000, P7) This means that brands focus on what they mean to people and culture because they are now aware of what our culture is made up of (see the first quote) so this must be having an impact on the majority of consumers with brands being so successful still. Although they don’t trap every consumer with the values they try to advertise and encourage people to believe in, the vast majority of people will believe because the brands try to encourage a personal response from each consumer and the majority of the time this works for them.

2. Recently Jean Paul Gaultier released two limited edition diet coke cans and along with this also three lightweight metal bottles. This is a promotional method Coca-Cola use year on year as something else they hope their consumers will buy into. From the three metal bottle designs one of them proves particularly interesting because at first glance it appears feminine which may come across as odd for Coca-Cola as their target audience has no focus. The subtle peach colour that covers the whole of the bottle is very different to that of the eye catching red the consumer is used to but this doesn’t seem to be an issue because the overall design applied on top of this attracts enough attention in itself therefor no doubt encouraging the consumer to pick it up, investigate and look closer. This design is a further aspect to the bottle that appears feminine because the figure is a women’s body and the general style of the artwork is very delicate. The fact the bottles are made of metal in some ways makes them a keep sake too because the consumer knows they will last forever

and never deteriorate like the typical bottles. This also encourages the consumer to pay that little bit extra because they know they are getting more out of the purchase other than just a drink, which is a clever sales tactic from Coca-Cola. Although this bottle alone seems to communicate that it was made for a female audience, when the other two Jean Paul bottles are viewed it then brings it back into context that Coca-Cola are communicating to anyone and everyone because they have a mixture of masculine and feminine aspects about them. The fact each bottle on their own can be seen as they are communicating different messages therefor isn’t an issue because when they are sold in store, they will all be viewed together and male or female will select which ever appeals to them most. Overall, this idea of the limited edition Coca-Cola bottle is very successful because people will buy into it for the simple fact it’s different, it can be kept and even possibly because it’s ‘designer’ and the majority have a keen eye for that. It could be said that although this is successful, Coca-Cola have missed a trick because not everyone loves diet coke although it sells more than full fat. They could use this to their advantage by applying it to full fat coke too and appealing to more of their target audience like they always endeavor too.

3. Within the book ‘Brandwatching’ there is a section of text relating to Coca-Cola’s distribution. It refers to the fact that Coca-Cola can be bought everywhere we go whether it be in supermarkets or restaurants and it’s in every country imaginable. This is what in fact makes the brand so successful because it has considered everywhere a consumer may go and placed itself there so if not top choice, it is a choice. Although we as consumers are aware of Coca-Cola’s existence all over the world, we never really sit down and think about it and the power it really has. This text makes you accumulate, in your head, everywhere you have ever seen Coca-Cola and how natural this now is because you don’t give it a second thought. It’s as easy to access Coca-Cola as it is to turn the tap on and fill a water bottle. Due to this worldwide exposure and being located everywhere, Coca-Cola don’t have to advertise to draw the consumer in because all consumers know about it, they have achieved greatness through their distribution instead. Also due to having such a huge exposure Coca-Cola also highly regard themselves and maybe come across as slightly arrogant with referring to earth as the home of their brand but no mention of anything or anyone else. In summary the text is explaining that Coca-Cola have taken a different angle with their exposure by effectively following their target audience rather than making them come to them as consumers are easily lead when things are handed to them.

4. For advertising to work effectively the person creating the advert must understand the psychology that makes the consumer react, purchase the product and have a ‘relationship’ with the product. They must be fully aware of what it takes to control consumers without the consumer knowing it because this is the key to advertising success. The more psychological knowledge that the advertiser has and can be used to his advantage, the better because it is very likely to make the brand more successful. They need to understand that certain aspects of advertising make people react in different ways and use that understanding to capitalize on previous results from advertising.

They need to avoid any mistakes as this could be costly for the brand and drive consumers away to their competitors.