Running Head: ADVERTISING IN THE DIGITAL AGE 1

Advertising in the Digital Age

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Abstract

This paper is an examination of the effectiveness of the digital marketing strategies of

Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which are major competitors in the soft drink industry. The Coca-Cola

advert "One Coke Away from each other" is first of all analyzed in terms of its messaging, goals,

and the effectiveness of the ad. What follows is a discussion on how this advert plays out on

social media, what the company gets right, what it gets wrong, and areas that need improvement.

The Doja Cat Pepsi ad is then analyzed using the same lenses.
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Coca-Cola's "One Coke away from each other campaign."

Coca-Cola's most recent ad campaign, "One Coke away from each other," attempts to

appeal to the gaming community with the goal of attracting Gen-Z consumers. The ad features

popular gamers and is in partnership with streaming platform Twitch which attracts millions of

game enthusiasts who are mostly Gen-Z's. The campaign attempts to blend the real and virtual

world to show that what unites people is greater than what separates them. The campaign is

therefore meant to be a celebration of humanity, with Coca-Cola acting as a symbol of

togetherness that has the capability to bridge through universes and create real magic. Another

exciting feature of the campaign is the fact that there is a code hunt integrated into the ad that

allows people to win prizes (Coca-Cola, 2021). There are 25 codes to be discovered from the ad,

and an additional ten can be unlocked through gamers on Twitch during their live streams;

winners can henceforth redeem these codes on a designated website. This thereby makes the ad

very interactive. Additionally, the ad launches a new perspective of the Coca-Cola logo to

include a Hug logo.

This ad campaign is Coca-Cola's attempt to refresh the brand to align with the current

state of the world. It also draws from lessons during the pandemic that have shown that it is

possible to create magic all around us even when faced with extraordinary circumstances. More

importantly, the ad appeals to young audiences who often experience contradictions as they

attempt to find meaning and human connection in both the real and the virtual world. A lot of

divisiveness exists in both these spaces, and Coca-Cola hopes to tap into these sentiments and

hence appeal to this market. The ad campaign is therefore supposed to communicate to audiences

that dichotomies make the world a more exciting place full of endless possibilities, extraordinary

people, and memorable moments while at the same time highlighting how the taste of Coca-Cola
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captures this essence. By collaborating with various artists, photographers, and illustrators, Coca-

Cola aims to bring the concept of real magic to life through the Hug logo. This will occur

through a distinct and unfiltered outlook celebrating everyday moments that make life magical in

an inclusive and collective manner while still highlighting individuality and uniqueness. The real

magic tagline is meant to become the long-term brand philosophy of the company that will be

referenced in both marketing and communication related to the brand (Coca-Cola, 2021).

Through the real magic campaign, Coca-Cola aims to engage people through an entirely different

eco-system characterized by unique and individualized experiences.

Coca-Cola definitely needed to refresh its brand, and this campaign was deliberately

meant to appeal to the Gen-Z market. Most brands make the mistake of confusing millennials

with Gen-Z. Gen-Z’s are, for instance, more tech-savvy since they grew up with technology

their entire life. Using gamers and a streaming concept is, therefore, a wise decision since Gen-Z

are avid watchers of Twitch streamers and gaming content. More so, while millennials are

getting older, the Gen-Z population is growing fast (currently makes up abbot 20% of the

population) and thereby possesses great spending power accounting for over $140 billion. In

2020, Gen Z became the new majority of the US population (Besa, 2021). Research also

indicates that Gen-Z’s have more influence over their parents' purchasing habits compared to

millennials since they are more likely to challenge their parents' buying habits. In this advert,

Coca-Cola understood its audience since there was the use of eye-catching visual content,

especially when it comes to the CGI used to create the virtual experience. The advert was more

so interactive, specifically through the code hunt and using twitch streamers to give codes to

winners. Gen-Zers also have very high standards, and they are not easy to reach through

traditional media such as TV and radio. The partnership with Twitch was thereby strategic on the
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part of Coca-Cola since streaming content mainly attracts this population segment as they are

constantly online. More so, in the Gen-Z era, influencers seem to have more appeal than

traditional celebrities, and with this knowledge, Coca-Cola used famous twitch streamers,

namely DJ Alan Walker and Average Jonas. These kinds of influencers are considered relatable

and thereby appeal immensely to Gen-Z audiences. The era of the mysterious and out-of-reach

celebrity seems to be slowly but surely coming to an end. Using influencers is more trusted

among Gen-Z since it is comparable to getting recommendations from a trusted friend. This

method is preferred by the Gen-Z market, which is not as drawn to aspirational marketing

characterized with unrealistic messages of perfection (Bekimbetova, Erkinov & Rakhimov,

2021). The use of digital natives in the ad campaign was, therefore, a smart choice since they

reflect their audience.

Consistency of Brand in All Media

When it comes to digital strategies, Coca-Cola understands what it's doing. In all its

social media platforms, the company has stayed true to its message of real magic and ways in

which Coca-Cola can be infused into people's lives to make it more magical. Coca-Cola also has

an understanding of the customs and traditions of each social media platform. On Instagram, for

instance, there is more emphasis on making the page visually appealing, and hence the signature

red of Coca-Cola is beautifully curated on the company's instream page. Products are also

presented in creative and fun ways, which keeps the consumers interested. Going through the

page, it is also possible to see that real effort has been put into the campaign and media and has

been designed for each particular social platform. On Twitter, the company engages more with

gamers ad streamers who are critical to maintaining the attention of Gen-Z while still promoting

the real magic campaign. A lot of streamers are featured on the company's Twitter page
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especially referring to the code hunt. Due to this campaign, engagement of the company on

social media has increased. Coca-Cola has thereby curated content not only for TV but for each

social media platform. The company clearly understands that just because some ads are popular

through one channel does not necessarily mean that they will replicate the same success on social

media platforms.

Something new I learned about Coca-Cola is the fact that the company is incredibly

devoted to supporting social causes such as "Stop Asian Hate." The company is also incredibly

devoted to sending positive messages to its audiences and consistently promotes love and unity.

However, looking through the various media, I do question the brand's authenticity. In some of

these social causes, it seems like there is a lot of performative activism, and the company does

not really take a stand as it perhaps fears dividing the market; it is therefore not clear what the

company really stands for. This is thereby an area the company can improve on.

The company also needs to understand the gaming community and Gen-Z's better since the ad

campaign was characterized with some flaws. After the player took a swig of Coca-Cola, the

characters in the game immediately stopped fighting and came together. This seemingly suggests

that gamers promote or enjoy conflict while their real goal is fun and building a community of

similar interests. In this case, Coca-Cola comes across as tone-deaf, and this campaign can hence

be considered a marketing ploy since the company does not understand its audience. For the

brand to do much better, more effort needs to be put into understanding the Gen-Z market much

better since they are the fastest-growing population and spenders (Besa, 2021). If Coca-Cola

wants to gain this market, there is the need for the company to be more authentic and relatable as

well as find ways to humanize the brand. If the company fails to move with the times, it can
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quickly become obsolete especially considering the fact that Gen-Zs are not particularly brand

loyal.

Doja Cat’s Pepsi Ad

Pepsi, in one recent campaign, taps into nostalgia by referencing the iconic film "Grease"

on its 50th anniversary. In true Pepsi fashion, a pop star is involved, rising star Doja cat is

involved in this campaign which is a recreation of the famous song "You're the one that I want"

from “Grease,” which is meant to promote two new Pepsi flavors that are reminiscent of the 50s

and 60s. The Pepsi-Cola soda shop is available in two flavors, cream soda, and black cherry. The

goal of the campaign is to bridge the new and old when it comes to pop culture. In recent years'

nostalgia has become widespread, and as such, there have been multiple revivals of old TV

shows. Marketing strategists have come to the realization that consumers are increasingly

looking for ways through which they can escape from the stress of modern times and go back to

happier times before the pandemic. While in “Grease,” the song refers to the longing for a

romantic partner, in this campaign, Doja cat is on the hunt for the new Pepsi flavors (MC King,

2021).

Using Doja cat for this campaign is very strategic due to the fact that ha star has risen

mainly due to social media, specifically Tiktok, where her songs have gone viral. She, therefore,

has tremendous appeal to the young market. Doja Cat has become the quintessential Gen-Z pop

star mainly due to her relatability and authentic interactions with fans on the internet. Part of her

charm is the fact that she understands Gen Z's humor and is no stranger to self-deprecating jokes,

as well as an intricate knowledge of inside jokes popular among Gen-Zs. She understands how to

blend old school and new school celebrity, which makes her ideal for the Pepsi campaign. The

musical Grease, on the other hand, is a certified classic and is beloved by older consumers,
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which makes this mix ideal for marketing purposes since Pepsi is able to attract new consumers

while still maintaining older clientele.

Consistency of the Brand in all Media

Pepsi, on its social media, has tried to create context-native content, although not very

successfully due to the fact that engagement on almost all social media platforms is quite low.

The brand clearly understands that each social media platform has its own customs and

traditions, but it has not quite understood how to best employ appropriate strategies to appeal to a

much larger audience when compared to a company like Wendy's. On Instagram and Tiktok,

short videos are the preferred method of choice to promote the new Pepsi flavors, heavily relying

on Doja Cat's image as well as the song "you're the one that I want." On Twitter, witty

comments accompanied by GIFs are the strategy the company has gone for. There is, however, a

lot more football content specifically referencing the Super Bowl halftime show, which holds no

particular appeal to young consumers. The company, therefore, has a lot of work to do when it

comes to gaining the Gen-Z market share. The brand also fails to show authenticity in these

platforms. After looking at Pepsi's social media platforms, it is not possible to determine what

the company stands for; even with the use of recognizable faces in sports and pop culture, Pepsi

still comes across as a faceless corporation with no brand personality. The brand, however,

succeeds in using influencer marketing and highlighting flavor profiles. Pepsis, therefore,

understands how to market through traditional markets such as TV with greater success;

however, when it comes to digital strategies, there is still a lot to be done especially considering

that their accounts have millions of followers yet very little engagement.

Going through Pepsi's social media, I got the sense that the company was perhaps stuck

in another era. It has not yet figured how to appeal to the young market, and this is dangerous
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since they are perhaps the biggest spenders in America. The perception of the brand is, however,

still positive, and the company can easily appeal to the youth by developing better social media

strategies. The company's brand messaging can be improved by avoiding tone-deaf adverts such

as the Kendall Jenner ad, which suggested that Pepsi can fix police harassment and

discrimination towards people of color. This kind of brand messaging is very dangerous,

especially at the peak of cancel culture.

References

Bekimbetova, G. M., Erkinov, S. B., & Rakhimov, U. F. (2021). CULTURE AND ITS

INFLUENCE ON CONSUMER BEHAVIOR IN THE CONTEXT OF MARKETING

(in case of “Coca-Cola” company). Deutsche Internationale Zeitschrift für

zeitgenössische Wissenschaft, (7-2).

Besa, M. A. (2021). Gen Z Takeover: How the newest generation is impacting the economy.

MC King. (2021, September 10). Doja Cat Pepsi Commercial 2021 [Video].

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nIYTZxx6P8

Coca-Cola. (2021, September 29). Coca-Cola Launches ‘Real Magic’ Brand Platform, Including

Refreshed Visual Identity and Global Campaign. The Coca-Cola Company.

https://www.coca-colacompany.com/news/coca-cola-launches-real-magic-brand

platform-including-refreshed-visual-identity-and-global-campaign

Coca-Cola. (2021, September 30). One Coke Away From Each Other - Real Magic (Extended

Version) [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BqjFOXuCpU