The White Coke Can

[dr_phil_physics]

One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others

Every year Coke does some sort of holiday packaging of their flagship product. And of course they do lots of holiday advertising -- the iconic Santa Claus of North America is of the classic Coca-Cola image. And polar bears.

So in 2011 they didn't just print a nice design on the 12-pack cardboard, they created a stunning can in white and silver with red lettering.


But here's the problem. Coke cans have been color coded for a long time. Red = Real Coke. Silver = Diet Coke. Gold = Caffeine Free. Black = Coke Zero. And this Xmas 2011 white can? It looks too much like Diet Coke -- even the 2011 Caffeine Free Diet Coke snowflake can.


I guess there've been complaints. "Guys" can't drink Diet Coke. Too close to the pink canned Tab of the 60s and 70s. Which is why the black canned Coke Zero was created to make a more manly Diet Guy Coke.

What you say? People can't confuse the two. One can clearly says Diet Coke while the other has the classic Coca-Cola script. And yet last Sunday morning, when we take a tray and the Sunday paper down to the kitty room, I found a Diet Coke can sitting in my mug. Our recent guests, you see, drink silver and gold Cokes, and the white and silver cans were too similar to Mrs. Dr. Phil, who doesn't drink Coke nor appreciates the finer distinctions. (grin)

Maybe there's something to the "complaints". Pity, because the white can is very pretty. But it ain't right neither...

Dr. Phil

Comments

[selfavowedgeek.livejournal.com]

First thing I thought upon seein the white can was Diet Coke.

Marketing fail on that one.

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Can anyone say "New Coke"?

Dr. Phil

[j-cheney.livejournal.com]

My understanding is that purchasing the white can contributes a small amount to a fund to save polar bear habitat.

Marketing Fail
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/coca-cola-brings-back-red-cans-after-purists-object-to-polar-bear-white-ones-134935188.html

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Spokesman Ben Sheidler said the company planned from the start to include the red cans in the campaign but chose not to discuss them at first.
"Bringing in the red can has also created a lot of stir, and people are talking," Schneider said. "That's exactly what we want to happen, is to have people talk about it and learn about the program."

Ri-ight. Someone's scrambling to cover their sorry-assed middle management fail butt.

Clearly both the polar bear help plan and the we-were-always-going-to-add-red-cans-to-the-mix plans were too secret for anyone to know what was going on. Marketing? What marketing?

I think Coca-Cola hoped they didn't have to spend any money on advertising this Christmas. Because I actually don't recall seeing any ads for a while.

Yup, fail.

Dr. Phil

Coke Can Got Me Too

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, cousin, I was also fooled by the white Coke can over the Thanksgiving holiday. I (carelessly?)reached into a family member's frig to help myself ....
Saw this in the WSJ shortly thereafter.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204012004577070521211375302.html

Re: Coke Can Got Me Too

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Hey! Which cousin?

Dr. Phil