Introduction
Over the last 30 years, marketing and advertisements have had to change and adapt to the ever changing social and cultural environments; what may have been seen as funny in the past could now be seen as offensive. With the development of digital technology over the years the production of adverts has changed considerably along with the media used to view them. I have selected the following topic to discuss as advertisements are now seen thousands of times every day, having a huge impact on whether a company is successful or not. Initially, adverts where only watched on TV or at the cinema. Nowadays, there are thousands of platforms showing adverts that can be watched at home or on the go using media such as mobile phones, laptops, and tablets.
Throughout this selection I will explore how the advertising of Coca-Cola has changed over the years in response to how times have changed and how certain forms of advertisement are no longer appropriate.
Advert 1 – Holidays are Coming
This advert for Coca-Cola, was originally published in 1995 with this version being used in 2010. As it a Christmas advert Coca-Cola have displayed the image of Santa drinking a bottle Coca-Cola whilst delivering presents. The lorries are the bright red associated with Coca-Cola, illuminated with fairy lights, and shown against a snowy background to make them stand out. They also used typography and have the Coca-Cola branded writing with the famous strapline of ‘enjoy Coca-Cola.’ Over the years the ‘Holidays are coming’ theme has become a firm favourite and associated with the build-up to Christmas. Historically, it is also believed that Santa who once was depicted wearing green now wears red wherever he is seen due to the original advertisement from Coca-Cola. I believe that the message behind this advert for Coca-Cola is that even Santa drinks Coca-Cola so you should enjoy it over the Christmas period too. Encouraging families and children alike to buy Coke as they have seen Santa drinking it.
To create this advert, a green screen has been put on the sides of the lorries so a video can be played to make it look like the Santa is moving. One of the main techniques that is used in this advert is composition from pulling the viewer’s eye to one specific point or creating a visual flow from top to bottom. This is important because as a viewer your eyes are directed to the lorries then switch to the people watching the delivery arrive, then back to lorries with all the Coca-Cola on board. Another important technique that has been used is focus point, this is because when watching this advert, your eyes are constantly swapping between the lorries and the people. Your eyes are drawn to the lorries as the main focus point of the advert as they are the famous red of Coca-Cola and covered in fairy lights shown against a dark snow-capped scene at night.
The biggest strength of this advert is that as it is a Christmas advert, and they are able to use Santa to promote their product at a time where people are preparing to spend time with their friends and family. Another strength is the catchy theme song ‘holidays are coming’ which everyone now associates with the Christmas holidays. To be culturally acceptable Coca-Cola do not use the word Christmas but instead say the ‘holidays are coming’ by doing this it means the advert is more widely acceptable. However, this does mean that the adverts one weakness is that it cannot be used all year round.
Advert 2 – Diet Coke/ Coca-Cola Light
This advert is for Diet Coke also known as Coca-Cola light in Europe. The Diet Coke adverts first appeared in 1997 this version is from 2014. To promote Diet Coke/Coca-Cola Light they have decided to use sex appeal. Throughout the series of adverts there is always a muscular man usually doing some chore or task like gardening with his top off. The intention is for the subject to attract the viewer and to make them think that if you drink Diet Coke you will become very muscular have lots of women attracted to you. It also encourages those who are conscious about their calorie intake to drink Diet Coke as at the end of the advert it tells you that there are no calories or sugar in the drink therefore meaning you will not put on weight from drinking it. The adverts are always hot sunny days and emphasis is made on the condensation running down the can to show how refreshing the drink is. Again, Coca-Cola use typography to depict the brand name in its familiar style.
One of the main techniques that is used in this advert is body language, this is important as none of the people in the advert speak to each other, but they sometimes use hand gestures to let the audience know what they are trying to say. Another important technique that has been used is focus point, this is because when watching this advert, you would think the main focus point is the man but actually it is the cold can of Diet Coke. Repetition is used to show the ice cold can throughout the advert. Also, by using the same theme throughout the series of adverts it is easily recognised as a Diet Coke advert. To create this advert, they have used HD cameras to get the full effect of how cold and refreshing their product is on a hot summer day by focusing on the condensation running down the can.
Originally when this advert was made its main strength was the image of the muscular man drinking the Diet Coke however, this has now become one its biggest weaknesses as using sex appeal to advertise is no longer appropriate or socially acceptable. The advert does still have many strengths, for example, using the same theme throughout the series of adverts made it easily recognisable as a Diet Coke advert. The ‘Diet’ part of the brand attracts those who are trying to achieve a healthy lifestyle. By showing the Coke can in every shot it ensures that it is firmly planted in the viewer’s mind.
Advert 3 – Coca-Cola Mini
This advert is for Coca-Cola Mini, it was originally published in 2016 and created by the Marvel producers Anthony and Joe Russo, to promote Coke Mini they have used well known superheroes from the Marvel movies. By using the Hulk and Ant-Man not only are they very well known all over the world, but the sizes of the characters also really sell the fact that this is a ‘mini’ version of the famous drink. Hulk can be seen holding the tiny can between his thumb and forefinger whereas Ant-Man quenches his thirst with a just a drop. All different ways of showing this is Coca-Cola Mini. This is also shown at the end of the advert when it reads ‘Sometimes You Just Want a Little.’
To create this advert, they have used CGI and motion tracking technology in order to make the characters appear abnormally large in the case of the Hulk and extremely small for Ant-man. This can be seen in the opening scene when Ant-Man is inside Bruce Banner’s fridge. One of the main techniques used in this advert is body language, this is important especially when using the Hulk as he does not speak very often and yet you can tell he is angry. This advert also uses the focus point technique, even though the advert contains famous characters it is the can of Coca-Cola Mini that remains the focal point of the advert. A technique that is used in all Coca-Cola’s adverts.
Using Marvel superheroes to advertise Coca-Cola Mini is one of the main strengths of the advert as it will attract fans of all ages and encourage them to buy Coke Mini. If children see their beloved superheroes drinking Mini Coke, they will want to try it as well. At the time of its release Marvel was very topical as the film Captain America Civil War was in the cinemas. Whilst using Marvel characters is a big selling point it could also prove to be a weakness as not everyone is a fan of the franchise.
Conclusion
When reflecting upon the change in Coca-Cola advertising over the past 30 years, you can see that the quality of the production and the content has improved as the years go on. The advertisement of Coca-Cola has changed to reflect the changes in society, and to include more cultures. They have also used the wider market to help promote the product, such as characters from well-known films, new music and newer technology.
It is important that companies like Coca-Cola change their advertising to reflect the current environment as they have a powerful medium that not only promotes their company but also influences the way people identify with the company. For example, if they kept promoting ‘sex appeal’ in their adverts people would not buy the product as this form of advertising is not acceptable anymore.
Overall, I believe that the newer adverts that Coca-Cola are using to promote their drink are better than the older ones. This is because they are simply more enjoyable to watch, especially when they include a well-known character or a song that you enjoy listening to and they reflect the society of today better. With one exception, the Holidays Are Coming advert as this is timeless.
