Always Coca-Cola Essay, Research Paper

Always Coca-Cola

It is the sparkling, bubbly, and refreshing drink that has crossed the lips of millions and millions of people throughout the entire world. So many people have enjoyed its unique taste and that cool refreshing drink is all that is needed to satisfy on a hot summer day. It?s Coke and its brand image is recognized throughout 90% of the entire world today (Astro). A Coke can or Coca-Cola logo can be seen anywhere you look whether it is on commercials, in magazines or newspapers, on billboards and even in movies. It has been the key in the advertisement of the Coca-Cola Company and has generated one of the most successful businesses in the world. So what is behind this image that makes it such a success? It is an image that instantly represents Coke to consumers in the same way that the famous shot of Hollywood Hills represents movies. This image has directed its focus on the emotions and feelings of people. The Coca-Cola image has intertwined itself within cultures and has become ingrained with social values and attitudes throughout the world.

Coke has established its brand name image through a number of techniques and strategies that have completely engulfed the cultures of the world within the advertisements of its product. Take for example an advertisement found on a commercial that has aired throughout the entire country. It suggested that Coke belongs to everybody and that it ties people together no matter who he or she is or where he or she comes from. It contains a chorus of children from dozens of nations that unite together, each with a Coke in their hand, and sing, ? I?d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony/ I?d like to buy the world a Coke to keep it company? (Eserver). Coke?s brand image is being implied that if every person in the world drank Coke, we would all live in peace and brotherly love. This approach in selling the brand image promotes a sense of togetherness and unity between people when the economic and political conditions in the world today are very threatening and hostile. The brand image uses these values in order to identify itself within the cultures of the world and to find a common theme with its product and the people.

Coca-Cola?s image can be seen through such a wide variety of sources. The merchandise and collectibles that the company has produced are advertisements themselves as they are found in homes, on shelves and in the places where we go everyday. The American culture has been targeted with the image more than any other culture in the world and the strategies they use are key with the promotion of their image. Coke has recently turned to the advertisements that pleasure the senses by showing a Coke with thick foam, sparkling bubbles and cool water dripping down the side of the glass. These types of images appear on billboards, in magazines and even in movie theaters. It is these types of advertisements that make your eyes wide and your mouth water and these images surround the American culture day in and day out. Coke has also turned to the approach by which it is placed in a perfect environment with a perfect family having the times of their lives. This reaches out to the attitudes of people and how Coke will make everything fun and enjoyable in their lives.

Even a more substantial theme in the brand image of Coke is the feelings people get when they see it. Coke has implied heartwarming and emotional advertisements in order to touch people and make them feel good inside. If the image is making them feel good than they will receive the sense that the product will do the same. Take for example the commercial with the polar bears. The papa bear would take his son sledding in the snow and they would be shown cuddling and having the times of their lives and then both would enjoy a refreshing Coke at the end of their adventure. This type of image that Coke has produced goes deep inside a person and is very emotional. Coke has developed itself through so many different aspects in cultures that it has become part of the these cultures. The brand image has focused on the attitudes and values of people that are common no matter where they are from.

Coke?s image has become universal as people everywhere crave for that sweet, carbonated beverage to absorb into their taste buds. The power that this image has gained is incredible and it may become to powerful if the image takes over the product. The drink itself may be threatened to disappear behind the Coca-Cola image. The social values and attitudes that have been engraved within the image are the reason why the drink has been so successful. It makes a person feel good about themselves which is a feeling that a soft drink is not supposed to generate. The image has become a symbol in the American culture and identifies itself with the cultures of the world. A young family with a black lab having a Sunday afternoon barbecue with a cooler full of ice cold Coke?s or a little Chinese boy going to a Coke machine, counting his money and waiting eagerly for that taste that he loves are the images that Coke has produced behind its product. This is what represents the Coca-Cola image throughout the world and has grown with the social values and attitudes of society.

1. Coca-Cola. www.astro.temple.edu

2. The World of Coca-Cola. www.eserver.org