Coke as Communicator

Earlier this summer my family and I took off to Japan and spent three glorious weeks experiencing life in six cities on the main island. It was incredible! Every day I experienced the thoughtfulness and attention to detail that seemed to be routine in Japan. Every day we marvelled at sights so fantastic and foreign to our eyes. Every day I came to love and appreciate the unique culture I was in. This post is not about that though.

This post is about one Western brand that ended up in my family photo book of this amazing holiday. No, in case you were wondering, I am not in the habit of taking pictures of brands! How does a brand end up in a personal photo book you ask? When they communicate in a way that one can't help but notice.

Coke showed up twice by skillfully adapting to its environment and being unique and audience-centred while holding true to it's core brand values. They're taking a chance, to be sure. They're applying creativity and having some fun. The polka-dotted bench was located outside the Matsumoto City Art Gallery, home to a permanent exhibit of Yayoi Kusama...hence the red spots! By the way, I don't drink Coke and never have. That fact makes their presence in my photo book that much more remarkable.

You know I am a huge believer in the power of strong communication to drive results. I thought to myself, if there's a non-tech brand still dominating globally, I reckon it would be Coke. I wasn't sure they'd still be up there in the digital age we live in. So I went to Interbrand to find out. Here's what I saw.

Bravo Coke!

What's the lesson for us? Like Coke, let's ensure that when we communicate, we skillfully adapt to our environment by being audience-centred while holding true to our core values.