Introducing of the New Temporary Coke Assignment

Introducing of the New Temporary Coke - Assignment Example This paper tells that the danger of extinction of polar bears has grabbed the attention of the public worldwide and people resonate with the idea of contributing to saving the species. With its new design with the polar bear on the can the company not only tried spread awareness and raise funds WWF’s polar bear initiative but also tried to use this an emotional strategy to drive sales and increase customer involvement. By this initiative, Coca Cola tried to appeal to the hedonic needs of the consumers. The company expected the consumers to identify themselves with the cause and buy more of these cans. The consequences were not on the expected lines. Consumers confused the new white Coca Cola can with diet coke and this lead to a backlash from the consumers. Consumers were not happy with the move and even protested the change in color by calling it blasphemy. The sales of the product also declined and forced the company to bring back the red cans.   The truly great brands are those which develop a loyal customer base and are able to develop a relationship with the consumer. Consumers identify with brands and products. Loyal customers are satisfied with a brand and buy it continuously over time. Satisfying the customers and establishing a loyal customer base is at the heart of all marketing strategies. Coca Cola is one such brand whose consumers have developed a relationship with its products and it has established a loyal customer base. To consumers a red can means a Coca Cola and a silver can (not red) means a diet coke. Over the years, this has been the distinction that consumers have adopted to identify the 2 different products of the company. Consumers have mainly identified the brand with its traditional Red color. By changing the color of the can the company had completely messed with the brand. This did not go down well with many loyal consumers. Such was the brand identity of Coca Cola that the change of the color was even termed as blasphemy by some consumers. The consumer’s perception of a product depends on the sensation. The immediate response we have to basic stimuli through our sensory receptors are known as sensation. The selecting, organizing and interpreting of these sensations lead to perception about a product. The first sensation of any product that we have is through our eyes. Light and color are the most basic stimuli. By changing the color of the can Coca Cola had changed the first perception that the consumer would have about the product. As soon as a consumer saw a Coca Cola can that was not red, their immediate perception was that it is diet coke. Another factor that leads to this perception is the basic stimuli i.e. color. By changing the color to white, Coca Cola had chosen a color that was very similar to the silver color of their diet coke cans. As the new white can was very similar to the old diet coke can, the change or stimuli was not enough to make the consumers differentiate the two. The c hange or the difference between the two is â€Å"just noticeable difference† wherein it had to be â€Å"just meaningful difference†. Just noticeable difference is the minimum difference between two stimuli and just meaningful difference is the minimum difference needed to influence consumer behavior.