What would be the first “concern” you have with this initiative?
The initial concern would be the consumer value framework and attitude of consumers. The value associated with the consumption of the new brand of Coca-Cola is a major concern because internal influences such as psychology and personality of the consumers may impede the initiative.
Who would be your target consumers? Why?
Our target consumers will be the youthful consumers. It is advisable to target the youthful population who are easily influenced by the social environment (new arrivals). Youthful consumers attach a higher value equation to new products.
When expressing the brand values of the Coca-Cola BlãK, the attitude of consumers is crucial (Abreu, 2006). In other words, attitude plays a fundamental functional role in defining the purchase behaviour of consumers. For instance, the US consumers are in a position to recognise the Coca-Cola brand quite easily because they have utilised the classic brand for over one century (Babin & Harris, 2009). The US consumers have a strong perception of the classic brand. The consumers’ attitude plays the ego, value expression, social and utilitarian functions in all the advertisements made by Coca-Cola. A strong bond is created between consumers and the Coca-Cola product when attitude plays a social function.
It is necessary to change the attitudes of consumers toward Coca-Cola BlãK. First, the advertising messages should be formulated in such a way that consumers can visualize the positive attributes of Coca-Cola BlãK. Consumer learning of the new brand is crucial at this point. The latter is instrumental in attaining a utilitarian function. Second, Coca-Cola BlãK should be advertised as a valuable product so that the exposure, attention and comprehension of consumers about the new brand are enhanced. A value expressive function will be attained by such an advertising message. Finally, the adverting messages should be laced with the notion that Coca-Cola BlãK can help users to minimise cognitive dissonance. The latter is instrumental in attaining the ego defensive function.
Coca-Cola BlãK is definitely a new brand in the market. Therefore, brand positioning is important. The uniqueness of this brand should be clearly and persuasively communicated to the market. In addition, its verifiable value should be known by the targeted consumers. Product differentiation for Coca-Cola BlãK is equally crucial. Other brand positioning strategies include developing a positioning statement, reasonable pricing strategy and identifying direct competitors in the targeted market.
Evaluate the few ads for brands that have been endorsed by the celebrity. What is the effect of the celebrity’s attractiveness, likeability and meaningfulness on the customer perception of the brand?
It is vital to mention that perceptions of consumers are significantly influenced by celebrities who endorse certain products (Choi, Wei-Na & Hee-Jung, 2005). For instance, celebrities are easily trusted by their followers. Hence, they are in a vantage position to sway the perception of their fans. Consumers’ perception is also transformed drastically due to the instant brand awareness created by celebrities. Most products endorsed by celebrities are rapidly recognised in the market.
The likelihood of such products being bought is mainly occasioned by the perception change due to influence from celebrities. They are also capable of adding a unique dimension to a brand in the market. Furthermore, celebrity fans can be swiftly persuaded by their icon figure. Positive product intention among consumers is also enhanced when products are endorsed by celebrities. These factors can remarkably influence the overall perception of consumers even if they have least demand for the endorsed products.
Kim Kardashian will indeed be effective in the launch of the Coca Cola BlãK in Australia. To begin with, the celebrity has a huge following in social media and as such, she is a well publicised figure. As it stands now, she has over three million Twitter followers and five million Facebook fans. Second, she can appeal greatly to the young generation who are also the targeted group in the 2015 launch of the Coca Cola BlãK. Awareness among the youthful population is below the expected level in the United States. The same challenge may be replicated in Australia. She can use her huge following to tweet and post about the new product.
According to the balance theory, individuals such as celebrities are in a vantage position to change the attitude of others. In addition, they are capable of instilling motivation due to their popularity and the general trust level they enjoy from the public. Hence, Kim Kardashian is in a position to sway the attitude of consumers toward Coca Cola BlãK in Australia. It is also interesting to mention that the same celebrity has been used to endorse a number of top brands in Asia, Europe and the Americas.
This question is to be completed individually outside the classroom.
Locate an advertisement that uses a theme of conformity and attach in this assignment. This can be to either get a customer to conform to trends, or to avoid following a crowd and instead act individually.
Sony TV commercial (attached)
Do you think the ad is effective? Why or why not? Justify your answer.
The ad is indeed effective in marketing the new brand of Sony TV. The effectiveness of the ad can be visualized from different perspectives. For example, the image of the ‘sleeping girl’ attempts to influence the perception of consumers to a more peaceful environment. Second, the ad creates an impression that upon purchasing the new Sony model, the consumer will enjoy the same feeling as the personality used in the ad. In addition, the ad promises a brand new era of TV viewing. Hence, the targeted market is highly likely to conform to the new trend of viewing a 213.5 cm. TV from Sony Bravia. The brand also comes with a sharper screen resolution than the previous ones. Highlighting the specifications of the new TV brand may easily draw the attention of buyers.
Would you consider this theme of conformity for the launch of Coca Cola BlãK in Australia? Justify your answer.
The launch of the Coca Cola BlãK in Australia should also follow the theme of conformity as one of the profound campaign strategies. The targeted market should be persuaded to transform their drinking culture for soft drinks. As a matter of fact, the proposed Australian market must conform to the adopted marketing strategies before the new brand can gain a significant share of the market (Banutu-Gomez & Rohrer, 2013).
References
Abreu, M. (2006). The brand positioning and image of a religious organisation: An empirical analysis. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 11(2), 139-146.
Babin, B.J. & Harris, E. (2009). CB2. Mason: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Banutu-Gomez, M., & Rohrer, W. G. (2013). Coca-cola: International business strategy for globalization. Journal of American Business Review, 1(2), 256- 268.
Choi, S. M., Wei-Na, L., & Hee-Jung, K. (2005). Lessons from the Rich and Famous: A cross-cultural comparison of celebrity endorsement in advertising. Journal of Advertising, 34(2), 85-98.