(MSc) Sebinomics

Just about six months ago, I wrote a blog post on how Coca Cola Zero was distributing drinks at Zurich station (read here: post 1 and post 2). Yesterday, the company did the same again with a few changes:

1. Cans distributed by promoters got smaller. Yesterday’s promotion included giving away aluminum cans of 0.15 l, when six months ago they were almost twice as big. Most probably, Coca Cola was afraid of pressure from its own customers (Coca Cola sellers) selling Coca Cola Zero in and around Zurich station. I actually like this idea. 0.15 l feels more like a sample than 0.25 l. Nonetheless, I disagree with distributing aluminum cans, since it is not very “green”—a small PET bottle or Tetra pak could be even cooler than a standard aluminum can and more eco-friendly.

2. Coca Cola Zero handed out flyers promoting an online game with the opportunity to winning a Guitar Hero game. I know what a Guitar Hero game is, but do all the others who got that flyer know? This is my wild guess, but most people lining in front of the so-called Coca Cola Zero Swat Team, simply wanted the free 0.15 l sample and couldn’t have cared less for the online game. Many flyers were lying on the ground, which underlines my guess.

3. As mentioned above, a Coca Cola Zero Swat Team was formed and can be met in major Swiss locations—The flyer says, The team is on tour! Unfortunately, I couldn’t really figure out why I should follow the Coca Cola Zero Swat Team on tour. Am I going to get more 0.15 l cans if I meet them again? Or, can I ask for more flyers so that I don’t forget to play online and possibly win a Guitar Hero game?

Wrap-up: The idea of the 0.15 l-sample is okay, but could be better if it was a more eco-friendly container. The flyer promoting the online game should be more specific and catchy. It simply looks like a flyer promoting Coca Cola Zero, not the game. The Coca Cola Zero Swat Team is a good idea as well, but it needs to be clearly branded for customers to understand what it is and what the benefit of following them is.

To be fair, Coca Cola Zero is well positioned and many people drink it. The millions spend on ads and commercials clearly make their point. What I disagree with is that a lot of marketing money is wasted on promotions that make no sense. And handing out a sample after a couple of years of that products introduction will not turn any non-Coca Cola Zero drinker into one.