Target consumers
Coca-Cola Blak is a product of the Coca-Cola Company that was unveiled in 2006. It was first introduced in France before expanding its market scope to the United States and other markets. The drink is made up of coke effervescence and coffee essence. The drink was sold in an 8-oz bottle and the flavors differed depending on where it was manufactured. In the US, the drink was manufactured without sugar and instead components like acesulfame potassium, aspartame and corn syrup with high fructose were used (Babin & Harris, 2010).
According to Coca-Cola’s vice president, the target consumer for this drink in America are the adults, it is simply an adult beverage. He further noted that the drink is suitable for any time of the day whenever people want their energy renewed or when they want to sit back and relax. The main reason as to why it as an adult product is because it contains aspartame which makes it to have a disgusting hollow taste as well as leaving a displeasing aftertaste and sensation in the mouth, this makes it unfit for small children. Still in the adult population, the drink is not fit for diabetics since it contains a lot of sugar hence it is high in calories.
Appealing advertisement messages
An important quality of soft drinks that consumers look for is refreshment. According to Ranchold, Guazente, & Tinson (2004) advertisement messages for soft drinks should include the idea of refreshment when trying to persuade the public to buy the drink. The advertisement should persuade the consumer to buy the drink with a promise that their thirst will be quenched. Advertisement messages like ‘New and improved Coca-Cola Blak’ tell the consumer that unlike the old Coca-Cola Blak, the new one is improved.
This is a tactic used by many advertisers but the only improvements made could be only the packaging. ‘Coca-Cola Blak the people’s choice’ this message intends to persuade and attract more consumers by making them believe that others have tried the drink and they have found it good, ‘Coca-Cola blak, quench your thirst’ this message is also intended to inform and persuade the public that the product quenches thirst hence they should opt for it, ‘ Simply the best’ this message attempts to tell the public and the consumers that the drink is the best as compared to others of its kind, ‘Readily available and cheap’ this is a marketing strategy that is aimed at showing that the drink is affordable and it can be readily found in the nearest stores near the consumers (Babin & Harris, 2004).
Advertisement messages can also be in form of pictures. The advertiser can for instance use a member of the public to express how refreshed he feels after taking the drink. It is also possible to have someone express how he had tried other drinks and his thirst could not be quenched, after trying Coca-Cola Blak, his thirst was quenched hence he is glad that he discovered this drink.
The main aim of having attractive advertising messages is to try and attain competitive advantage over other companies that are producing a product of the same type. By stating that the drink is simply the best, the producers attempt to emphasize on an added quality in their product that is not found in other products of the same category. Ranchold, Guazente, & Tinson, (2004) define advertisement messages as the ‘meat’ of advertising where words or pictures are used to convey the intended message by the advertiser.
Positioning Coca-Cola Blak
Comparing the ordinary Coca-Cola with Coca-Cola Blak, the latter is expensive. The latter should be positioned in a way that shows that it is different from the former hence the differences in prices. This is due to the fact that the company produces both products hence it is not possible for it to advertise one of its product at the expense of the other. The two drinks should be put in different categories so that they can both remain marketable. The mode in which the two products are manufactured is notable from the shape and sizes of the bottles. The table below shows the differences of the two products in as far as their composition is concerned hence their ability to meet different needs. This is the US version of the drink.
Using Brand Name to attract customers
The drink’s trade name can be used as an identification of a product produced by the Coca-Cola Company. This is a good marketing strategy since it makes it easy for the consumers to identify with and remember the producers of the product. Those who have faith in the company’s ability to produce quality products will be easily persuaded to try the new product. The use of this trade name is important since it becomes hard for other competitors to gain control over trade names that are not protected. To ensure that it attracts its customers and at the same time maximize profits the use of a brand name that is similar to that of the company name is important (Ranchold, Guazente, & Tinson, 2004).
References
Babin, B., and Harris, E. (2010). Consumer Behavior: 2010 Custom Edition (2nd Ed.). Mason: OH: Centage Learning.
Ranchold, A., Guazente, C., and Tinson, J. (2004). Marketing strategies: a twenty-first century approach. GA: FT/ Prentice Hall.