Marketing Coca-Cola's Advertising Strategy: Aiming

Marketing Coca-Cola's Advertising Strategy: Aiming for Youth Coca-Cola is one of the most recognized brands in the world. When most people are asked what the brand represents, they describe images related to youth. This occurs because Coca-Cola uses media specifically to attract customers at an early age. This can be seen in the way that advertising campaigns are specifically directed at a young audience, by the types of products that Coca-Cola links itself with, and by the way that youth are represented in Coca-Cola commercials.

The first point to make is that Coca-Cola's advertising campaigns are specifically directed at a young audience. Shawn Tully (92) notes that teens are considered one of Coca-Cola's prime markets. This focus on teens is based on several factors. One of the main factors is financial, where teens have a disposable income that makes them well-placed to provide profits for Coca-Cola. In saying this, it must be noted that adults will generally have higher actual incomes. However, adults also tend to have more financial responsibilities, making their disposable income lower.

At the same time, the financial responsibilities that adults have make them more inclined to choose products based on price. This is not necessarily the case for teens. The other important point is that teens are more willing to pay a premium price based on a brand or a desired image. Matthew Grimm makes this point by describing how teens and young adults are image conscious and are willing to pay more to be seen as having the cool thing.

With this in mind, one of Coca-Cola's latest strategies is based on positioning itself as a cool retro brand. Grimm describes how the price of Coke products will increase, with the emphasis placed on the style of the bottle. This includes that Coke is willing to accept a reduced volume of sales in return for a higher profit since the product will retail higher. The most important point about this new strategy is that it shows that Coca-Cola is willing to alienate the older market in return for the younger.

Grimm notes that Coca-Cola recognize that they may lose older purchasers, but don't mind. Instead, they prefer a strategy where the higher price will make the produce seem more appealing, which will attract the image-conscious teen market. This shows how Coca-Cola's advertising campaigns are specifically directed at a young audience. Coca-Cola also attracts consumers at an early age via the types of products it associates itself with. One source notes that "the most powerful unifying force among teens is television, including TV advertising" (Belch & Belch 631).

Coca-Cola has always recognized the power of television to appeal to its young market and has made continual use of TV advertising. In addition, TV advertising has also been linked to the programs directed at teens. A prime example is American Idol, with a product placement deal made between Coca-Cola and Fox (Friedman). This deal meant that Coca-Cola became specifically linked with the American Idol program. Since the program is aimed at a young audience, the advertising strategy was clearly designed to appeal to a young audience.

The same trend is seen in the placement of Coca-Cola's television advertisements, with advertisements placed based on programs that are targeted at a young audience. As well as television advertising, Coca-Cola also links with popular films. One clear example of this is the Harry Potter films, with Coca-Cola teaming up with the film, both to promote it and to link itself with the film. This is a clear example of an action designed to attract a young audience.

In this case, Coca-Cola knew there would be a young target audience attracted to the film and also knew that the release of the film would be a major event. By linking themselves to the film, Coca-Cola was able to gain the support of young adults and build its consumer base. This is also an important example because the consumer base was actually below the usual teen base. This shows that Coca-Cola is increasingly focusing on younger markets.

Coca-Cola also creates a strong link between itself and both music and sport. As Belch and Belch (631) note, "music and sports are universal languages for teens." By creating this association, Coca-Cola is increasing its appeal to the young market. In saying this, it must be noted that music and sports stars and recognized as idols for many teens. This includes that teens look to these stars or celebrities to determine what is considered cool.

Music and sports celebrities that have featured in advertisements for Coca-Cola include Christina Aguilera, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and singer Mya. By having these celebrities endorse the product, Coca-Cola is communicating to the young audience that the product is considered cool and linked with success. It must be noted that the celebrities that endorse Coca-cola also tend to be young and attractive. This shows that the product is not just being positioned to appeal to all people who consider athletes and celebrities successful.

Instead, it is specifically being positioned to appeal to a young audience. This also reflects the fact that young people are more image conscious and so more likely to make purchase decisions based on issues like perceived appeal of the product. The final point to be made relates to the way that teens are presented in Coca-Cola advertisements. It is seen that in advertisements where celebrities are not used, the people in the advertisements tend to be young, attractive, and fun-loving.

In short, the image presented is of the "perfect" young person. This often includes teens in groups taking part in fun activities. There is also often a male-female element, where males and females are having fun together. In addition, the individuals in the advertisements are always attractive and appealing. This appeals directly to a young audience because it represents what they strive for. Young people want to fit in with their friends, be accepted, be considered attractive, be active and carefree, and possibly most importantly, have fun.

This is the view presented in the advertisements and it appeals directly to a young audience because it links with their needs. This shows how the advertising strategies of Coca-Cola are closely linked with what young people want to achieve for themselves. The other important point is that most Coca-Cola advertisements feature young people in groups. This is important because the other features seen in advertisements can also apply to older individuals. For example, older individuals can still be.