Coca-Cola

Less is more seems to be the watchword for Coca-Cola, still the Top 100 number one brand and steadily on its way to becoming a £1bn brand.

Kenny Chisholm, Coke's shopper marketing manager, is clearly delighted with the way things have gone.

“In the UK the soft drinks market in its entirety is worth just over £6bn, and we're the largest distributor in that category with a 39% share. That share grew by 7% in a category that expanded by 4%.”

Part of this expansion can be ascribed to the 2006-launched Coke Zero, which quickly established itself. “According to Nielsen it's the most successful food and beverage launch of the last three years,” says Chisholm of a drink that now commands a £59m brand value.

The company has given some serious thought to Coke Zero's primary market, and in 2007 invested £10m in its football-themed 'Win a Real Saturday' promotion, with ticket and other related offers for Football League matches. This on-pack marketing push was also extended to regular Coca-Cola.

The rationale was straightforward. There is reckoned to be some 30m fans of football in the UK, many male and in the 16-34 year old age bracket. The competition, which ran from August to December, was particularly aimed at them, with a 1m ticket giveaway, together with the chance to win a year's salary for a new Football League player – worth some £25,000.

“This engaged with football's grass routes,” reckons Chisholm.

Despite the apparent omnipresence of Coke Zero, Chisholm maintains the market for Diet Coke is being sustained, with the brand worth £398m and continuing to outsell its rivals.

Its makers also expanded the range last year with two Diet Coke Plus variants that contained added vitamins and antioxidants. “We launched them with a £2m media spend,” says Chisholm.

2007 £959.9m
2006 £938.5m
yoy change 2.3%