The Difference Between the Colas…

Two rivals. Two very specific strategies. Two of the most recognized brands in the world.

On one hand, there’s Coke. At a recent South Dakota Advertising Federation meeting, we were treated to a presentation by the brand manager of Coca-Cola, Terisa Monroe. She walked us through the history of Coke – the name, the logo, the bottle, the ups and downs and successes and failures.

One thing stood out. They have found success through a strict dedication to their history. Their logo has been unchanged for over a century. Their bottle has become an icon unlike any other. They have the same colors, the same attitude and the same marks.

And the one time they strayed from the original? New Coke. We know how that ended.

On the other hand, there’s Pepsi. The agent of change. The cool kid in the cola market. Generation Next. And on. And on. They’ve spent the last few decades racing after a younger market, fighting to stay on this generation’s minds as they grow older.

And while their logo has stayed the same for the most part, it has been tweaked and re-shaped at least three times since I became old enough to notice such things. Every several years there’s some kind of identity crisis. The logo undergoes a million-dollar-rebrand and emerges – let’s be honest here – a little goofier than the last.

Which leaves us with this. The new Pepsi logo. A little too subtle (it’s supposed to be a smile…get it?) and a little too disingenuous. As if they are taking Coca-Cola’s message of happiness and enjoyment a little too far, attempting to create brand loyalty by simply stating that there IS brand loyalty.

The logo smiles, as if we’re smiling too.

What I wonder is if this is becoming expected. Pepsi is unable to keep their logo stable, always changing it to meet oncoming trends, and I wonder if the public is now more likely to subconsciously expect a change every several years? Are they able to look back on old logos and realize how dated they look?

When you look at the Coca-Cola logo (acknowledging that, yes, they have that secondary “Coke” logo, etc.) there is no change. None. You know what you’re getting. It’s stable. It has the “everyone loves us” market tied up.

Likewise, Coca-Cola shrewdly positions itself ahead of the game, dictating trends rather than following them.

Which leaves Pepsi no choice but to try to play catch-up.

It looks a little desperate, if you ask me.

(For more thoughts on the new Pepsi re-logo-ization and, more specifically, the “blogger outreach marketing plan” that Pepsi attempted, check out my more random and harsh thoughts over at Make the Logo Bigger.)

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