CXM Coca-Cola vs Pepsi

Andrea Solana Trejo
Customer Experience Management
IMBA 2017

Even though not-cola-fans could say Coca-Cola is the same as Pepsi, is absolutely not such thing.Some people might like Pepsi, while many more like Coca-Cola. In my personal opinion, beyond just the taste, the preference for Coca-Cola around the world is based on how the company defines what is a perfect serve of its product, the exact temperature at which it has to be served (-3 C), the ice, the kind of glass, the bubbles, etc. Every sip (even the sound of opening a bottle or can) is iconic. So, even though the product is very similar, in terms of the experience around the product consumption, Coca-Cola has built a lot more enhancing the customer experience.http://www.businessinsider.com/difference-between-coke-and-pepsi-2017-4http://www.dmnews.com/customer-experience/happiness-bubbles-out-of-coca-colas-customer-experiences/article/402706/http://interbrand.com/best-brands/best-global-brands/2016/sector-overviews/refreshing-experiences-yield-growth-for-beverages/

Doing this analysis of comparing two big transnational companies that are based on transactions (not services), has helped me reinforce the importance on learn and master how to Manage the Customer experience. Be able to identify each of the key touchpoints of your consumers with the brand and work hard to excel at each of those.When I started this course I mentioned I was coming for a very customer centric organizaton, which is The Coca-Cola Company, and I might be biased, but I tried also to cover this analysis in the most objective way and from a consumer pective (because Im also a consumer).From all the concepts learned, I can highlight the importance of Storytelling, be always capable to maintain an emotional link (and it has to be authentic), plan everything, take care of every detail, be consistent, make use of technology and tools like gamification, but never forget the human touch.

Although Pepsi has a specific bottle design for its cola soft drink, Coca-Cola owns the most iconic bottle in the world (there are even songs that mention the Coca-Cola bottle shape). Just by its silhouette you can recognize it..! Therefore, I believe at this level, Coca-Cola wins at making sure the bottle becomes a memorable part of the experience, because it represents the most important touchpoint with consumers (while purchase and consumption). Recently the Coca-Cola iconic bottle ("Contour") became 100 years old, and there were a lot of experiences and content developed around it (watch the video).THIS IS ALSO AN AMAZING EXAMPLE ALSO ABOUT CUSTOMIZATION/PERSONALIZATION, IN MEXICO, THEY CREATED ACTIVATIONS WITH MACHINES TO GO AND ASK FOR WHATEVER NAME YOU WANTED TO BE PRINTED IN A CAN OK COKE! :)!http://www.coca-colajourney.com.au/stories/coca-cola-contour-bottle-100-yearsvshttp://foodravel.com/blog/2015/10/30/history-of-pepsi-packaging/

Both companies have several examples on how to create amazing events and experiences for their customers, and then create good content around them to share through social media and therefore extend the reach of their initiatives.Although I would give both companies the same grade in this experiences aspect, I must mention The World of Coke in Atlanta Georgia, which is an owned venue of Coca-Cola that allows people to experience the story of the brand as in a museum, with many interactive areas, and it has become one of the greatest touristic attractions of Atlanta. World of Coke: "Taste the feeling" campaign:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PF2vbPq0eQ

An amazing campaign that involved the packaging as the protagonist. It was all based on Coca-Cola values, "share love, share happiness, share a Coca-Cola with...". That's how for the first time the company removed the brand from its packages to include regular names of people and allow them to share happiness with others (today there are new versions of the campaign with other kind of names, like places/countries).A good example of customer engagement and extending the experience of the packaging and consumption.http://www.coca-colajourney.com.au/stories/local-idea-goes-global-share-a-cokehttp://www.coca-cola.co.uk/stories/share-a-cokehttps://buy.shareacoke.com/

This Coke Zero Campaign was a 360 effort, including advertising, digital/technology, experiences, gamification, etc. Again, enhancing experience and consumer engagement.http://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/coke-zeros-drinkable-advertising-push-looks-get-millennials-sampling-167064/http://www.coca-colacompany.com/press-center/press-releases/coke-zero-tips-off-drinkable-advertising-campaign-at-ncaa-mens-final-four-in-indianapolisIn the year this campaign was created it really made me feel the WOW FACTOR!!!

This sensorial experience was created to let consumers (using all 5 senses) live, taste and feel what the Pepsi Max Cherry is. The content around the experience was also a very good tool to extend the reach of the experience.http://www.campaignlive.co.uk/pepsi-max-launches-cherry-rooms-sensory-experience/%7Bsubjects%7D/article/1339698

This campaign was a reaction to Coca-Cola "share a coke"."Say it with Pepsi" was also a packaging centered campaign in alliance with "Emoji". It was a very good initiative for Pepsi, in my personal opinion, it was great how the leveraged the insight of consumers' current interactions through Facebook or Whatsapp always using Emojis.. It really engaged its target, mainly millennials.http://www.brandchannel.com/2016/05/03/pepsimoji-050316/

Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been amazing applying gamification as part of their interactions with their customers, making it part of the experience. Now in the digital era, both are implementing amazing techniques to keep on evolving and enhancing the experience achieving more engagement with their targets.

http://yukaichou.com/gamification-examples/top-10-marketing-gamification-cases-remember/"Coca-Cola is known to be at the forefront for developing creative and innovative product promotions.You can see that all their commercials try to turn simple acts of drinking carbonized sugar water into an Epic meaning and Calling (Core Drive #1) experience through magical kingdoms, happiness, and polar bears (but happy ones instead of the ones from Lost).Here is an example of one of their campaigns which integrates old media, smartphones and gamification.How the Coca-Cola’s Shake it WorksIn Hong Kong, teenagers are offered a free and branded app for their phones. A television spot ran during the evening. During this time, fans are asked to run the app and shake their phones to win discounts and prizes from partners like McDonald’s.In the evening, a spot was broadcast on television during which time it was possible to run the application and … begin to shake the smartphone in front of the TV!Why Coca-Cola’s Shake It Is Incredibly Fun and Irresistible The Octalysis element of Unpredictability & Curiosity (Core Drive #7: what gift will I receive) is what makes this game hard to resist.Coca Cola aligns this campaign with its mission. The company succeeds in bringing happiness and optimism in the world, by creating advertisement that allows young people to interact enthusiastically with the brand."

Only a brand with the heritage and recognition that Coca-Cola has, is able to develop social/cultural campaigns to give a point of view, and really engage with people. This kind of messages also transmit the core values of the brands and they might not create more consumption, but help on creating more engagement and interaction with brands.This is something I've never really gotten from Pepsi.

In terms of how to manage and own "seasons", I will also have to give the credits to Coca-Cola. Of course Christmas is the most clear example, but there are also global events like the World Cup and Olympics, which of course being the official sponsor gives them the advantage, but I feel that there's a whole effort behind to really understand the target tensions and needs, so that they can deliver messages and experiences accordingly, and therefore achieve the highest levels of engagement.Talking just about Christmas I can definitely recall how beyond the season, Coca-Cola has owned certain elements that help it be more iconic: Santa Clause, the Polar Bears, the parades with the red truck...

In communication, which is a very important touchpoint of this brands with their targets, I would say (as a customer), that Coca-Cola is the winner... Pepsi has also a high budget for each piece of content they develop, and they use celebrities most of the times to try to engage better, they usually deliver funny and catchy pieces of content, BUT most of them lacking emotion and authentic engagement with people.It's true that Coca-Cola has a more broader target (all family), and Pepsi is more focused on the youth, but again, in my personal opinion, master of storytelling and emotion goes to Coca-Cola.