The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Coca-Cola targets foodies as more people leave sodas
In ads, star beverage accompanies range of food, not just fast food.
NEW YORK — What beverage goes best with lobster rolls, a bagel sandwich stuffed with whitefish, or a bowl of ramen? Coke wants you to think of soda.
Coca-Cola is trying to sell more of its flagship beverage by suggesting the cola can accompany a wide range of meals, rather than just the fast food and pizza with which it’s a mainstay. It’s why a recent TV ad featured a young couple grabbling mini Cokes while making paella, and why food bloggers were paid to post photos on Instagram of various dishes, paired specifically with glass bottles of Coke that might appeal to the aesthetic of “foodie” culture. One photo showed a bowl of chicken chili with the soda.
“The ultimate combination of two of my very favorites!” wrote the blogger, who has more than 53,000 followers. The caption disclosed that the post, which got about 430 “likes,” was a sponsored ad.
Although Coke has often been marketed as a good companion for food, the company is trying to make sure it isn’t left behind as American tastes evolve and people move away from traditional sodas. The world’s biggest beverage maker is particularly trying to update the drink’s image among people in their 20s and 30s who may associate soda mainly with places like McDonald’s and Domino’s.
“It’s an Amateur Move to Limit Coca-Cola to Fast-Food,” stated an online ad paid for by Coke on Vox Media sites. The post, which was designed to read like a news story, talked about famous food pairings and how tastes like Coca-Cola “go with everything.” A digital video series with Univision also showed people enjoying Cokes with a variety of meals, including sushi.
An internal briefing about the campaign with Vox obtained by The Associated Press said Coke “has long been associated with hamburgers, hot dogs and other classic American dishes,” but that the focus of the push was “sharing Coca-Cola with family over a healthy home-cooked meal.”
The briefing said the paid “influencers” who posted on social media should show dishes that are not “grossly unhealthy or over-indulgent.” Influencers submitted ideas for recipes and photos for approval.
Among the pictures with Coke that made the cut: a poppyseed and chicken salad, steak with salsa verde and an herb-roasted chicken.
The push comes as Coke faces growing competition in the beverage aisle, as well as criticism over its marketing of sugary drinks. U.S. sales volume for regular Coke is down 14 percent over the past decade, according to the industry tracker Beverage Digest, while Diet Coke’s volume is down 29 percent.