Introduction
Advertising plays a significant role in creating public awareness of a given product and enhancing its sales levels. Advertising can be done through a number of ways which include the internet, radio stations, television networks, bill boards, movies, magazines, newspapers, audio games, video games and diverse social media platforms. Advertising plays a critical role in enhancing the overall success and realization of advertisement goals. Though challenging, advertising gives a product, service, organization and the individual person being advertised greater publicity and awareness.
The object of advertising is thus able to have competitive advantage in the market. In advertising, product recognition is improved through the use of consistent advertising. In some instances, product or service branding is undertaken in commercial advertisements so as to create a positive impression by ascribing outstanding qualities about a given product or service. Coke Zero Advertisement is a well thought out, effectively executed, relevant and timely advertisement that has managed to build and enhance a strong relationship between the Coca-Cola Company and both existing potential consumers by fulfilling consumers’ unique demands. This refers to the need for a carbon free soft drink. This study attempts to establish whether the advertisement will attain its envisioned mission.
Coke Zero Advertisement
Over the years, the Coca Cola Company, the globally recognized major manufacturer of alcohol free beverages, syrups, and beverages has continued to have very outstanding and impeccable advertisements such as the Coke Zero Advertisement. As a soft drink company with a global presence and a monopoly in many countries’ soft drink industries, the existence of competitors such as Pepsi has compelled the company to initiate more strategic and extremely customized advertisements. Besides Coke Zero, there exist many other Coca-Cola products such as Odwalla, Sokenbicha, Nestea, Glaceau, Vitamin Water and the Dasani Mineral Water among others.
The fact that Coca-Cola advertisements are often customized to address unique customers and analyzed market demands, specific cultural practices and themes as are the cases with the Coke Zero Advertisement remain to be of great focus and issues of concern to the competitors. In nearly all its advertisements, the Coca-Cola Company offers special focus on the targeted consumers of Coke Zero. The Coke Zero Advertisement has continued to attract people’s attention and led to many discussions about its content, focus, strategy and intended outcomes. The male celebrity in the advertisement uses Coke to portray how the drink could help a male person to charm the woman of his dreams despite the many challenges that one could face in life.
The Coke Zero Advertisement is focused on persuading men towards greater consumption of Coke Zero. This will lead to subsequent bigger sales of the drink if the advertisement achieves its mission. The advertisement tends to suggest that Coke Zero has low content of calories compared to other soft drinks in the market. It has low levels of calories measured at only 0.75 percent for every liter of soda. The advertisement makes use of the scripted Coca-Cola logo. The logo is red and trimmed. It is embedded on a dark background and the word “zero” is clearly written underneath. This is a sure indicator of a well planned advertisement.
To articulate the message in the advertisement in a more effective manner, the word “zero” is done in a geometric unique typeface known as “avenir” which is a customized style of most Coca-Cola advertisements. The Coke Zero Advertisement is dominated with a theme that is correlated with the Ghost Protocol Mission of the company with its core focus being on its brand theme of “making it possible” in life. The advertisement aims to link this theme with its integrated marketing strategies that include cinema advertising, television sports and effective product branding, packaging and dynamic digital activation.
Passion, zeal and self drive are evident in the Coke Zero Advertisement undertaken by the Coca-Cola Company. In some instances, the Coke Zero Advertisement is incorporated and effectively aligned to a number of comic video franchises. It is also evident that the advertisement is built on the need to appeal to men, most of whom are people who recognize and appreciate risk taking, excitement and healthier living in all their endeavors. To exploit all possible advantages that may emanate from consumers’ curiosity, the Coke Zero Advertisement is made to be very elaborate and simple. This aspect helps in addressing the product’s major advantage which is also its unique feature of its low level of calories.
The Coke Zero Advertisement has a unique focus and goal. The Coke Zero Advertisement is in line with the company’s mission and vision both which focus on enhancing the best possible consumer’s experience. The Coke Zero Advertisement aims to educate consumers on the company’s newest soft drink that is highly acclaimed to be healthier than any other soft drink product in the global market. It therefore follows that the company, through the Coke Zero product, gives consumers million reasons to continue consuming soft drink products. The Coca-Cola Company intends to appease clients by effectively and strategically presenting itself as a customer-friendly company. The main focus of the Coke Zero Advertisement is to enhance popularity, educate the public and familiarize consumers on the unique aspects of the product. It focuses on fulfilling a desire for a soft drink and gap that has been needed by many consumers for a while now. There are a number of limiting factors and critical issues of concern in the Coke Zero Advertisement.
To begin with, it is evident that the advertisement is biased against women. Coke Zero is perceived to be a preserve of men thus excluding the potential female customers that may otherwise be persuaded into consuming Coke Zero as their soft drink of choice. Such an approach could lead to most consumers ignoring the information being communicated and worst still, discouraging others not to buy and even dare to test the product. Though having a gender based appeal is not a bad approach, this concept has the danger of being perceived to be divisive and selective. Additionally, while the advertisement seems not to be focused on attracting more clients to purchase and use the product, it is evident that a lot of focus seems to have been accorded to a lot of side shows that do not directly add any value to the final outcome. In the end, a lot of money and finances are spent in the advertisement to communicate the message to the target audience.
Conclusion
The Coke Zero Advertisement is a very unique and effective advertisement. In spite of some of its limitations, it is evident that the Coke Zero Advertisement has a market niche over many other advertisements as it has a unique goal. It is well thought out. It is timely. It is full of content and relevant to the product being advertised. It communicates effectively. The advertisement employs a high level of creativity. It focuses on solving people’s health concerns. It is humorous as well as employing the “nobility” concept of advertising. The advertisement justifies the fact that the main purpose of any form of advertising is to sell a given product or service and to uniquely identify interest groups by either directly or indirectly creating awareness and informing consumers thus empowering them to make more informed decisions.