THE PROCESS OF CREATING Coca-Cola as an Iconic Brand
Advertising brands for commercial products flood the media constantly, vying for the attention of consumers. Some brands have become icons, enduring for decades and requiring little more than the sound of their name or a glance at their logo to bring their product to the mind of their target audience. These include McDonalds, Nike, and Coca-Cola. Far more than just a service or product, these brands have impressed themselves on the consciousness of the public as an icon. Iconic brands are instantly recognizable and illicit an immediate emotional response connected to past relationships with the brand and instantaneous top-of-mind awareness. Identification with an iconic brand evokes feelings beyond the experience of the product itself. As one of the leading icon brands in the world, the question is how did Coca-Cola position itself to be instantly recognized by millions, if not billions, of consumers and does it have the ability to continue to do so?
The soft drink that would eventually become Coca-Cola was created by Dr. John S. Pemberton in 1886 and became a registered trademark for the Coca-Cola Company ("Coca-Cola History │ World Of Coca-Cola" 2016). Initial marketing began with coupons for free samples which in 1887 was considered an innovative method of advertising ("Coca-Cola History │ World Of Coca-Cola" 2016). Associated promotional items and multimedia campaigns and strategies followed ("Coca-Cola History │ World Of Coca-Cola" 2016). By 1902, Coca-Cola became the most famous drink in the United States (Kahn, Jr. 1960). The first advertising campaign for the cola was, "Drink Coca-Cola. Delicious and Refreshing" (Kahn, Jr. 1960). Since those early years, dozens of slogans called to quench their thirst (Kahn, Jr. 1960). In 1922 the slogan was "Thirst Knows No Season of the Year" and in 1929 it was "The Respite that Refreshes")(Kahn, Jr. 1960). Patriotic themes were presented in 1906 with "Great Soft Drink Nation", in 1937 with "Favourite Moment America", in 1943 with "The Universal Symbol of the American Way of Life", and in 1986 with “Red, White, and You” (Kahn, Jr. 1960). Romantic appeal surfaced with "The Light of the Sun with a Cool Ice" in 1922, and "Coca-Cola On the Road Wherever You Go" in 1949 (Kahn, Jr. 1960).
The ways in which Coca-Cola was able to insinuate itself into the awareness of its consumers was a careful process. Coca-Cola was advertised by famous actors and popular athletes. Now the Coca-Cola brand is so successful that they no longer need advertising celebrities because the brand exceeds individuals in recognition (Enrico and Kornbluth 1988). The way in which the successive marketing directors promoted the product reveals the ways in which a brand becomes iconic. First, marketing strategies reach into a population’s collective identification or feeling (Holt 2004). This method establishes the product as more than its function (Holt 2004). For instance, in 1971, the campaign promoted people to accept a beneficent attitude of good will in an attempt to unify a society divided by the Vietnam War (Hymson 2011). The slogan was, “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing” and millions will still hear the lyrics in their minds from the commercials (Hymson 2011). The advertising portrays Coke as a unifying force between cultures and parts of the world (Hymson 2011). The chorus of the song in the commercial showed young people from different countries singing, “I’d like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company . . . I’d like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony” (Hymson 2011). With the “Hilltop” strategy, Coca-Cola incorporated a diverse market of consumers and presented itself as a global product (Hymson 2011).
For over a decade, research into branding strategy have recognised that the value attached
The use of semiotics in creating a signage system involves complicated interplay in context
and structure (Oswald 2011). The material of the Coca-Cola logo is the visual icon (Fig.1). The
material portion is brand name, the colour, and the distinctive font of the letters with the graphic addition of the elongation to the upper-case letters, taking the direction of the eye to the right in a suggestion of movement (Oswald 2011). The red colour was selected in 1931 when the happiness associated with the red Santa Claus suit translated to fun and coming together (Volkmer 2016). The conventional or codified element of the logo is the colour scheme and the signification of the offering of the product and the company (Volkmer 2016). All over the world, the logo indicates uniformity of the product and happiness to the masses (Volkmer 2016). The contextual component is the interpretation of the culture in which it is presented (Volkmer 2016). Finally, the performative element is how the consumer is engaged in the communication through codes (Volkmer 2016). The placement of the logo in the advertising calls the customer to action by encouraging the choice of Coke over other competitors (Volkmer 2016).
When discussing ideology, myth, and semiotics in advertising, the images presented are considered to be mythic and stereotyped rather than real. In truth, the ads themselves have the ability to represent a type of reality. Advertising creates an interpretation of cultural artifacts and semiotics asks how they acquire the meaning attached to them (Kelly, Lawlor and Donohoe 2005). The ad functions on the basis of the internal organisation of the signs within it and in the relationship to current cultures (Kelly, Lawlor and Donohoe 2005). The ideologies of a culture are interpreted and encoded in the advertising process and the presentation is based on the goals of the corporation’s strategy (Kelly, Lawlor and Donohoe 2005). The advertising of Coca-Cola co-exists with creativity based on the interplay between culture and capitalism (Kelly, Lawlor and Donohoe 2005). The ideology of the culture within which the advertising operates defines the message received (Kelly, Lawlor and Donohoe 2005). Coca-Cola sells not only the taste of the product and its ability to slake thirst, but make the soft drink mean something intrinsic to the consumer (Kelly, Lawlor and Donohoe 2005). An important aspect of the advertising campaigns of Coke is that cultures perceive them to represent strong ideological forces within society (Elliott and Ritson 1997; Ewen 2001; Hackley 2002; Jhally 1987; Wernick 1991; Williamson 1978). The relationship of the themes of the campaigns and current values in the family, music, and arts (Cook 1992; Tharp and Scott 1990) helps to mold the sense of societal truth within the culture (Sherry 1987).
Semiotics is crucial in establishing brand identity, product “personality”, and consumer associations in relation to the history of the environment. Marketing strategists must ascertain the meaning of the presentation of the Coke logo, packaging, and advertising message to a diverse population of consumers. Semiotic analysis allows advertising specialists for Coca-Cola the ability to create a connection between a brand and an evolving cultural environment through the use of marketing strategies. The use of semiotics is also important in the power of a marketing professional to create identity myths through the use of slogans in auditory and visual commercials.
Iconic brands create identity myths to eliminate anxieties and promote desires in the consumer (Holt 2004). The identity myths Coke insinuates is that a person has the ability to make himself into a new individual, change attitudes, and become more desirable (Holt, 2004). While the consumer does not consciously believe these changes will occur from drinking a soft drink, the association remains in his mind. He can escape from everyday reality, being more than he currently is. Commercial mythmaking is the result of advertisers to position their products and services in stories that resolves discrepancies in their lives (Holt, 2004). After a time, the myth is incorporated into the product (Holt, 2004). Commercial myths have the ability to update current myths of the culture, but may also combine elements of imagination and narrative to create new ideals (Holt, 2004).
Research related to mythmaking shows that customers do not simply passive receive the
creations of advertisers, but participate in the meanings by their selections and interpretations
(Grayson and Martinec 2004; Maclaran and Brown 2005). The personal history of each consumer shapes the message of the advertisement and in some mythmakers. Maurice Halbwachs’ theory of collective memory states that tightly knit social groups maintain a sense of bonding by sharing history (Halbwachs and Coser 1992). The theory has been expanded into the
role of collective memories in sustaining a group identity (Fowler 2005). The competition
between Pepsi soft drinks and those of Coca-Cola is demonstrated as they participate in the same type of “mass-mediated myth market” (Holt 2004, 56) in efforts to create value in their
identities. As such, past advertising campaigns influence future strategies (Holt, 2004).
While Coca-Cola branding began in the early 1900s, the associations with the product have exceeded the original goals. It was able to do this not only through wide appeal to the masses, but because marketing strategists have used semiotics and commercial myth building to other nations, bringing together values of numerous diverse cultures. Some national changes were necessary; for instance, the Chinese version of the logo is still red and white, but the English letters are replaced with Chinese character that translate loosely to “make mouth happy”, the universal theme of Coke of happiness (Brown 2016).
In order for a brand to become iconic, it must adapt to changes over time in order to remain
contemporary. This can be seen in the successful campaign with “The Coke Side of Life”. For
Coca-Cola to continue to separate itself from competitors, it must continue to stay in touch with the values of society, maintain feature that symbolically keep them at top-of-mind awareness,
shortcut in making product selection. Coca-Cola has demonstrated success in this arena in the past and by staying in touch with changing cultural values and promoting way to resolve
tensions, the brand will continue to rise above the function of the soft drink and remain part of
contemporary culture. The answer to the question of how Coke has become an iconic brand is long, involved, and demonstrates the advertising acuity of the company’s marketing. As to whether it will remain at the most profitable corporation in soft drink sales will be determined by the continuing success of Coca-Cola’s campaigns.
Bibliography
Aaker, David A. 1991. Managing Brand Equity. New York: Free Press.
_____________ 1996. Building Strong Brands. New York: Free Press.
Brown, Millward. 2016. "What Makes an Iconic Brand?". Millard Brown's POV. http://file:///C:/Users/Customer/Downloads/MillwardBrown_IconicBrands_Sep07.pdf.Butler, David and Linda Tischler. Design To Grow.
"Coca-Cola History │ World of Coca-Cola". 2016. World of Coca-Cola.
Cook, Guy. 1992. The Discourse of Advertising. London: Routledge.
Dreamstime.com. 2016. "Coca Cola Stock Photos, Images, & Pictures – (3,233 Images) - Page 3". Dreamstime.Com. http://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/p3/coca-cola.html.
Elliott, Richard and Mark Ritson. 1997. "Post-Structuralism and the Dialectics of Advertising: Discourse, Ideology, Resistance". In Consumer Research: Postcards from the Edge, 1st ed., 190-219. New York: Routledge.
Enrico, Roger and Jesse Kornbluth. 1988. The Other Guy Blinked, and Other Dispatches from the Cola Wars. Toronto: Bantam Books.
Floch, Jean-Marie. 2005. Semiotics, Marketing and Communication: Beneath the Signs, the Strategies. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Fowler, B. 2005. "Collective Memory and Forgetting: Components for a Study of Obituaries". Theory, Culture & Society 22 (6): 53-72. doi:10.1177/0263276405059414.
Grayson, Kent and Radan Martinec. 2004. "Consumer Perceptions of Iconicity and Indexicality and their Influence on Assessments of Authentic Market Offerings". Journal of Consumer Research 31 (2): 296-312. doi:10.1086/422109.
Hackley, Chris. 2000. "Silent Running: Tacit, Discursive and Psychological Aspects of Management in a Top UK Advertising Agency". British Journal of Management 11 (3): 239-254. doi:10.1111/1467-8551.00164.
Halbwachs, Maurice and Lewis A Coser. 1992. On Collective Memory. University of Chicago Press.Hays, Constance L. 2004. The Real Thing. New York: Random House.
Holt, Douglas B. 2004. How Brands Become Icons. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press.
Hymson, Laura A. 2011. "The Company That Taught The World To Sing: Coca-Cola, Globalization, And The Cultural Politics Of Branding In The Twentieth Century". PhD., University of Michigan.
Jhally, Sut. 1987. The Codes of Advertising. New York: St. Martin's Press.
Kahn, E.J. Jr. 1960. The Big Drink, The Story of Coca-Cola. Random House.
Kelly, Aidan, Katrina Lawlor, and Stephanie Donohoe. 2005. "Advertising Ideology and the Encoding of Advertising Meaning: An Ethnographic and Discursive Approach". In Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 32, 1st ed., 645-646. Duluth, MN: Association for Consumer Research. http://www.acrwebsite.org/volumes/9171/volumes/v32/NA-32.
Maclaran, Pauline and Stephen Brown. 2005. "The Center Cannot Hold: Consuming the Utopian Marketplace: Figure 1". Journal of Consumer Research 32 (2): 311-323. doi:10.1086/432240.
Mick, David Glen and Laura Oswald. 2007. "The Semiotic Paradigm on Meaning in the Marketplace". In Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Marketing, 1st ed. Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing
Oswald, Laura R. 2011. Marketing Semiotics. Oxford: OUP Oxford.
Ries, Al and Jack Trout. 2000. Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. McGraw-Hill.
Sherry, John F. Jr. 1987. "Advertising as a Cultural System". In Marketing and Semiotics: New
Directions in the Study of Signs for Sale, 1st ed., 441-461. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Sherry, Jr., John F. and Eduardo G. Camargo. 1987. ""May Your Life Be Marvelous:" English
Language Labelling and the Semiotics of Japanese Promotion". Journal of Consumer
Research 14 (2): 174. doi:10.1086/209104.
Stuart, Ewen. 2001. Captains of Consciousness: Advertising and the Social Roots of the Consumer Culture. 25th ed. New York: Basic Books.
Tharp, M. and L. M. Scott. 1990. "The Role Of Marketing Processes In Creating Cultural
Meaning". Journal Of Macromarketing 10 (2): 47-60. doi:10.1177/027614679001000204.
Umiker-Sebeok, Jean. 1987. Marketing And Semiotics: Selected Papers From The Copenhagen
Symposium. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
Volkmer, Katharina. 2016. "What Makes Coca-Cola An Iconic Brand? And How Do I Build One? |
The Makegood". The-Makegood.Com. http://www.the-makegood.com/2013/07/17/what-
makes-coca-cola-an-iconic-brand-and-how-do-i-build-one-end-may/.
Wernick, Andrew. 1991. Promotional Culture. London: Sage Publications.
Williamson, Judith. 1978. Decoding Advertisements. London: Boyars.
