A long-lived brand creates an association between itself and a certain color. When that color gets changed, the result is a huge potential shock to regular consumers, but also a great deal of attention. Coke and Pepsi have both incorporated the color red into their logos for decades now, but this fall, these famously dueling sodas will both put out products in green cans.
There’s a reason for these drinks to have a different shade: Both of them are prepared with stevia and a reduced amount of sugar, and are being marketed as lower-calorie versions of the more famous sodas in red cans. The two drinks even have special names to go along with their healthier image, “Pepsi True” and “Coca-Cola Life.”
While Coca-Cola Life has been sold in other countries, predominantly in South America, CNET’s Amanda Kooser reports that Pepsi True will be only available in the US through Amazon, possibly because the cult sugary drink Surge recently did something similar. In that case, the soda experienced a bit of a comeback.
“The sugar and stevia combination is a bit of a mixed message, but Pepsi is taking very little risk by launching the product on Amazon only,” she writes. “It doesn’t have to foot the bill for wide distribution to physical stores across the country or a traditional advertising campaign.”
Because of this trend, other beverage companies should consider the brand value of making a recognizable drink available through specific channels like this. Distinctive color is the key, so a color label printer should be used to distinguish these different products while still giving them a uniform look throughout the different brands that keeps customers interested.
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