Guest Blogger Drew!

I've made my guest blogging debut! Check out my contribution to the UW CBPM blog!

Coke vs. Coke Zero

It seems to me that Coke Zero and Pepsi Max are experiencing a bit of an identity crisis. Granted, they are in a difficult spot to begin with. A quick glance on Max's and Zero's Facebook pages revealed to me that there is a lot of confusion surrounding what the brands really offer.

Are they equivalent to the diet versions of the product, a straightway replacement for the marquee brand, or a new drink all together? I'm sure that if you asked the brand managers at Pepsi and Coke, they would try to convince you that it was the latter. But I'm unconvinced.

Of the two brands, Zero appears to be most confused. Max at least properly identifies Zero as its competition, whereas Zero practically begs to cannibalize its own sales of Coke Classic.





The Zero campaign, though funny at times, places a target on itself rather than focusing on its true competition. It will be interesting to see whether they stick with this strategy.