A new campaign from the beverage giant that starts bubbling Tuesday emphasizes its broad portfolio of drinks, not just a single product such as Fanta, Diet Coke or Dasani as has been the company’s typical marketing strategy over the years. The TV commercial, which will appear in both 30- and 90-second versions, is believed to be the first in which Coca-Cola has put a spotlight on its wider product line, rather than on a single drink.
For the second consecutive year, Coca-Cola has decided not to play in this year’s Super Bowl, as the beverage brand focuses on existing sports marketing plans. The move leaves rival Pepsi’s Super Bowl 56 presence without a major challenger during the broadcast. Pepsi previewed its “cinematic, supersized, five-headliner” Halftime Show lineup earlier this week. The brand spent about $10 million on ads during the 2020 Super Bowl. To put that number in context, Coca-Cola spent $2.78 billion on advertising in 2020, down from $4.25 billion in 2019 and $4.11 billion in 2018, according to its annual reports.
Black, Hispanic and Asian-American and Pacific Islander-owned media companies and partners will account for 8% of the company’s total annual media budget in North America by 2024.
The Super Bowl has long served as a prominent front for the long-running soda war between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. This year, the beverage giants will fight that battle somewhere else. Coca-Cola said Friday it would not run ads in CBS’s broadcast of Super Bowl LV, citing a “difficult choice” made to “ensure we are investing in the right resources during these unprecedented times.” Coke’s announcement follows a similar one made by rival Pepsi, which has opted to focus on its annual halftime show rather than run commercials for its flagship drink.
After sitting on the sidelines for a year, Coca-Cola is getting back into the Super Bowl ad game. The beverage giant has purchased a 60-second spot slated to run in Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, 2020, a spokeswoman for the Atlanta company said Tuesday. The creative execution and concept for the ad, she said, have yet to be determined.
Coca-Cola is pulling back from the Super Bowl after an 11-year run, opting to run a commercial just before kickoff of the CBS broadcast of the game on Feb. 3, but not in the event itself.
Exclusives
The Supreme Court has given Pom Wonderful the go-ahead to sue Coca-Cola in a case expected to have significant ramifications for the food and beverage industry, in terms of how foods are named and marketed via labeling.
Demand for Coca-Cola’s soft drinks is shrinking in North America, while growth in emerging markets shows signs of slowing. CEO Muhtar Kent believes increased marketing and media investment is the answer.
