Coke Kills Snow White
According to the Wall Street Journal “the end is near for a white can that has many Coke drinkers seeing red. Coca-Cola Co. is switching back to its time-honored red just one month after rolling out its flagship cola in a snow-white can for the holidays. New seasonal cans in red will start shipping by next week, as white cans—initially expected to be in stores through February—make an exit.”
Say what you will about the design. We certainly do. Around the BAKER offices there have been numerous conversations concerning the white can controversy since its inception. Some of our very own have even admitted to making the not-so-uncommon gaffe of picking up classic Coca-Cola when they had actually intended to reach for it’s silvery diet counterpart. It’s a mistake. It happens.
Perhaps in our haste during the holiday hustle we as shoppers are partially to blame for the misunderstandings, but when it happens we feel deceived and mislead, which leads directly to a reaction of adamant outrage in defense of our flub. It’s not that we are averse to change, after all we as a nation have embraced the perennial campaigns of snow flakes, polar bears and “Jolly Ol’ Saint Nick”, for years including them as a staple of our holiday traditions – but we are definitely passionate about the brands we feel define us, and Coke in anything other than a red can is just not what we have come to know.
Ultimately most discussions around the office tend to boil down to one issue we believe to be a chief branding principle: people shop by color. Coca-Cola is red. Diet Coke is silver. It’s not a trivial matter of color – it’s a core part of their identity and clearly powerful enough to make people care when it varies. On the other hand, had the color space of silver and white not already been occupied by the Diet Coke brand, it’s doubtful anyone would have minded when Coca-Cola inverted their traditional color scheme for the holidays, infringing on Diet Coke’s territory.
Ok, that’s all fine and good. You can feel free to agree or disagree with the decision to go with white cans this holiday season. In the end Coca-Cola has the right to make whatever decision they feel is right for their brand and consumers have the right to let their impromptu sentiments be blared across the social stratosphere ad nauseum. Everyone is entitled to their opinion.
What strikes me however is what sets this dispute apart from the likes of other debatable design missteps of late. Unlike misguided redesigns that have left other consumer bases feeling occasionally abandoned, the white can controversy has brought out passionate brand advocates on both sides of the Classic Coke v. Diet Coke milieu, motivating each side to be vocal on behalf of their brand. Now I’m not saying this was the intention – but it is definitely impressive to have that level of emotional connection with your consumers on any 1 brand, let alone 2.
Articles Cited: WSJ: A Frosty Reception for Coca-Cola’s White Christmas Cans
