Brand Identity Lessons You Can Learn From Coca-Cola and Pepsi

Coca-Cola and Pepsi are two brands that have been at the top of the beverage industry for over a century now. And believe me, they didn’t make it that far with just luck. There are a lot of things they are doing right to keep their brand relevant to date. 

So, let’s look at the brand Identity lessons you can learn from these two heavyweight soda companies: 

• Have A Consistent Brand Identity 

From the very beginning, Coca-Cola has stuck with its red and white brand colours, while Pepsi has maintained its blue colour with a combination of red and white. 

Coca-Cola has a logo of its name written in a script form, while Pepsi has a logo of the globe sign with its 3 primary colours on it.

Plus, ads with the “pssshh” sound are Coca-Cola’s theme, even if there are similarities in the way they bottle their drinks. 

Because of the consistency in their brand identity, people now know them with these attributes and can recognize them anywhere, even if the brand’s name is not specified.

So, as a brand, you need to have a specific tagline, colour, or set of colours that you should be known for and stick to it consistently till your brand is well-known for it. 

Ensure that whenever someone who has come across your brand sees that colour or tagline somewhere, your brand is the first thing that comes to their mind.

• Don’t Compromise On Your Quality 

The identity that brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi have built over the years is beyond just colours and taglines. It has to do with quality as well. 

There have been a million and one soft drink companies that have emerged since Coca-Cola and Pepsi entered the business, but customers have still stuck with their products because of their quality. 

They have built a reputation for delivering top-quality products at all times. 

So, as a brand, you should ensure that you consistently deliver top-quality results. 

This will keep you in people’s good books and boost customer retention, no matter how many new brands will emerge in your industry.

• Sell Emotions Not Just Products 

When a brand like Coca-Cola markets its products, it doesn’t focus on what the product is about. Instead, it tries to sell you how you will feel when you use the product. 

That’s why its advertisements focus on the good feelings you and your loved ones can have if you drink it together when you gather.

No wonder it is the drink that is used the most in Nigerian weddings, birthdays, Christmas celebrations, and naming ceremonies. 

You can adopt this strategy and use it in your marketing campaigns. For example, if you are a real estate brand,  focus more on showing people the joy that comes with being a house owner and less on what the house contains.

• Stick To Your Marketing Style

As we said earlier, Coca-Cola centers its marketing on the emotions and connections that its customers will feel when they consume their products.

Meanwhile, Pepsi focuses on using popular celebrities and influencers in its advertisements to directly appeal to the younger audience.

That is why you will most likely see Pepsi sponsoring and hosting music and youth-centred events like Pepsi Rhythm Unplugged, street concerts, etc.

Their marketing strategy is always loud and contains celebrities and famous people that the youth love.

The point is, although their marketing approaches differ, they have both found a way to make it work for them. None of them has copied the other to keep selling or stay relevant.

So, your brand doesn’t need to copy your competitor’s marketing style or try everything just to get customers. Find a marketing style that works for you, take full charge of it, and go all in.  Be consistent in it and own it so much that people can recognize you in it at just a glance.

Final Thoughts 

What we have noticed from big brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi is that they have been able to stay relevant all this time because they understand that being easily recognizable and trusted is the way to go. And what matters is consistency and not complexity. So, apply these rules in building your brand identity and stay consistent till you see results.