How to be as big as Coke: the secret to their success
Everybody knows Coca-Cola. The sweet tasting, brown soft-drink that fills your mouth with bubbles and leaves you with a smile on your face. But how does that happen? How does one company get so much recognition?
Are their products great; yes, and there are plenty of them. Is it because of all the sports teams and events they sponsor; also yes. But one of the main things they do really well is advertising.
Over the course of eight years, Coke has spent roughly 26.5 billion US dollars on advertising alone.
1.9 billion serves of Coke are consumed each day throughout the world. The brand has expanded to over 200 countries. Now that’s success!
One of Coke’s main goals is to get every person to see their logo or have their name on your tongue at least one a day. It may seem counterintuitive, but placing branding over the product itself can be an ingenious idea. Once the idea is planted in someone’s head, everyone will be rushing to buy your product or service on their own accord.
Did you know:
Coca-Cola was the first to popularise
the image of Santa Claus that we all know today, and it was shown through an ad! Drawing inspiration from ‘The night before Christmas’, he was pictured with a pipe
and a big belly, that shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly. However, the red and white suit… well, we know the rest.
You see signs on buses, television ads, ads on social media, their stock is in the refrigerators of most hospitality venues. Anywhere you go, inside or outside, you are bound to run into that familiar red background with white cursive writing sooner or later.
The massive billboard in Kings Cross of the Coca-Cola logo has become a landmark, “The gateway to Kings Cross”. Erected in 1974, the neon sign has lit up every night and will continue to do so for years to come. This has become more than just a regular billboard, it is now so popular that tourists come to visit. That is the dream for any company wanting public recognition.
Advertising is an investment, what may seem like a lot of money now, will pay you back threefold in the future. Without getting your name out there, how will people hear of you? A must for any business, is letting potential customers know that you are out there. That is their secret! Not as complex as you might have thought.
