Its a common strategy among many brands to release a different holiday packaging reflecting the spirit. Coke followed suit and released a white can with red Coca Cola lettering. The can also had polar bears and snow flakes on it. The original plan was to keep this on shelves till Feb. But, here’s what happened - 

Why did they do it?

Coke executives wanted a disruptive shift and the white cans were unique enough to Coke’s usual red. They wanted it to be bold and attention-grabbing. Also, it fits in with their effort to raise awareness about global warming being a threat to polar bears. Coke has pledged $3 million toward this cause.

What really happened?

1. Consumers are so ingrained to associate red with Coke that it created a psychological impact on taste. Many people thought it tasted “funny.”

2. Also diet Coke had diet written in black on the cans. Usually, diet Coke comes in a white can. Many people confused the normal Coke for Diet and returned half empty cans to the stores demanding a refund.

It got so disruptive that Coke had to remove the cans in a month from the shelves. Here are some golden words from a victim directly -

“Coke = red.

Diet Coke = gray/silver/white.

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Fiat Linea Punto releases its new TVC shot underwater. Here’s their list of reasons why and what they were trying to communicate -

1. The TVC shows two cars being assembled against all odds in a challenging environment.

 : Actually the serene blue sea makes me feel more comfortable and relaxed. Gives no indication of ‘against all odds.’ I am sure the production would have had a challenging time shooting this, but that is not translated in the TVC. #fail

2. The upgraded four features to communicate were powerful ground clearance, automatic rain sensing wipers, brighter dual-tone interiors and automatic headlamps.

: First two times I saw the TVC, the features did not really catch my eye. VO was more powerful. Post reading an article on the upgraded version, I saw the TVC again which then made more sense.

3.  The underwater rendition has a multi-fold purpose. Firstly, it is a literal as well as figurative manifestation of the brand’s ability to dive deep into core consumer wants and needs.

: What? How? I don’t get that one bit. I did check with few other people in case my myopic vision is messing around. They didn’t get it either.#FAIL

4. Secondly, the depth of the ocean is symbolic of the depth of passion needed to achieve something special, and this drive to achieve against the odds was something that was found to resonate with the personality of the brand’s TG (target group). This is reflected in the phrase used at the end of the film — ‘Got Heart!’.

: Well, no. More than the depth of the ocean, I get the passion quotient with the Voice over.

5. Additionally, it conveys the availability of the two cars in a new colour — oceanic blue.

: Seriously, come on. Now you are just being ridiculous. More like everything remotely connected with the underwater concept is being force fit as a reason why.

Now see it for yourself -

Establish the brand + Build a huge community + Move the community to do something together = Create brand evangelists and fans

Sound similar? This is the social media dictum laid down for us to follow. Brands are today stepping on each other to get the consumer’s attention, let alone engagement. The holiday season has just gone past and you saw every brand trying to outdo each other in being more festive and generous with their freebies.

But here’ s a different technique altogether. This brand has managed to attract 300,000 people (and still counting) to not just “Like” them, but move the community to do something together. All in 72 hours!! 

Meet Codecademy. Their idea was to leave Christmas and New Year to those with humongous budgets.  They took the next ritual – New Year resolution. In 2012 they have taken up the task of assisting the growth of many code monkeys around. 300,000 people took this up as a resolution and codecademy will send lessons once a week to our (yes, Im learning too) inbox. Options to learn coding was always available, but knowing that there are so many people out there who are taking the same lessons at the same time makes people more comfortable.

The possibilities for doing great things with a community like this is endless. Think about sharing lessons and tips on fb, freelance jobs to code websites, maybe even begin a business together online. Got more to add to this list?

I used to read a lot. A wide variety too. In the pre-GPRS and smart phones and the swanky gadget days, I read to keep me going and learn about new things. And then, something happened. Its been two years and I must have bought max 5 books. This habit is now completely replaced by a whole new world of online distractions.  Lately,  I have been riddled with this strong feeling of not knowing enough, almost illiterate.

So, to get back quickly into the golden habits of reading, and being truly inspired by a brilliant post, I am going to read one book a week for this year.  That makes it 51 (since

I slacked through the first week). Now this, I am sure is one kick ass New Year resolution.

The book for this week is “The Success Gurus: 17 lessons in greatness from the best minds in Business.” Reviews will be posted here too.

So, share with me. What are you reading today?

Gone shopping lately?

Notice the shopping lists replaced by a smartphone? Note people switching on the bluetooth for deals when they enter a supermarket? Well, there’s a lot more to the list. Shopping habits have completely changed with all the gadgets available. The swanky retail display units apparently aren’t enough to get consumer’s attention. Here are some trends observed and some in store for future -

Almost 85% of men and women between the ages of 25 to 45 use smartphones to store their shopping lists.

More women than men are deal hungry at supermarkets. The percentage of women who stop to hear about a new collect-points-for-discount is atleast 70% more than men.

A complicated digital strategy like take a pic of the QR code, download the app, go to fb page and like, post to twitter for a free can of soft drink does not work. To all the brands following this retail strategy, here’s one advice – Make it simple. If in 10 secs, they don’t get the reward, you’ve lost their interest.

95% of electronic product shoppers check reviews on the spot before purchase.  So if your electronic product has good reviews, maybe you could find a way to save people the trouble of checking different sites. Give it to them in hand.

If you are a salesman at an automobile / electronic shop, don’t focus on just the man. Odds are that the sale will not be made if you hurt her ego.

The research conducted is purely observational. The %s mentioned are backed by 15 days of visiting different outlets and being thrown out many times on account of suspicious behavior (buying nothing and taking notes). 

Burberry wins the most prestigious award in Luxury marketing. They have just been named Luxury marketer of the year 2011. Following Burberry is Ralph Lauren and BMW.

Its holiday season!!! While all brands are talking about the goodness of holidays

and how they can it make it better for you, Harvey Nichols has cut away the clutter by taking one important unspeakable aspect and creating a campaign around it – the walk of shame.

Ever heard of a high fashion brand wanting to be more reachable? Here’s one.

Heard about the “small business saturday” campaign? This was a highly successful campaign held by American Express where they awarded a $25 credit to every cardholder who shopped at small and local stores. The entire campaign was held via foursquare.