Coke’s White Holiday Cans Get a Chilly Reception
Is red the new white? Or is white the new Coke? Or is it really Diet Coke, but in disguise? Well, if you’re thoroughly confused, no need to worry, so too are die-hard Coke fans who made such a fuss over the cola-brand rolling out snow-white Coke cans for the holidays that it will add new seasonal red cans at retail so consumers can figure out what they’re drinking.
In trying to do a good deed, and for the first time, it had turned its iconic red cans white as part of a cause-marketing promotion to help conservation efforts for polar bears Arctic home. The white cans still carried the Coca-Cola script printed in red, but also showed a mother bear and her two cubs making their way through an all-white panorama. The goal was to donate portions of the sales to the World Wildlife Fund up to $3 million.
But customers started complaining. “The Wall Street Journal” reported that people said they were confused, grabbing the white cans believing they were buying silver-colored cans of Diet Coke, which I guess could be mistaken for the promotional cans if you’re not paying attention. Some even thought there was something more sinister afoot, that the recipe had been tinkered with, that there was just something different about the way Coke tasted in the white cans. Others simply wondered how the brand could be so disrespectful to itself.
In year’s past, Coca-Cola has traditionally debuted holiday packaging featuring polar bears or snowflakes and will now do the same this year. The white cans, which had been scheduled to be on shelf until February will likely disappear before then.
Despite the fact that Coke has taken a bit of a beating over this on twitter and other social media, the effort to build charitable contributions to help polar bears is solid. The cans are distinctly different and Coke should stay the course with its original marketing plan.
December 8th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
I think the white cans are very cool. I really cannot see how someone would think they are silver containing diet coke. The white cans are super white.
I just think people don’t like change. I say the white cans with the polar bears are
super! Also, I must add that cokes Christmas and every day commericals are great. Who ever does your advertizing keep up the good work!