Alexa Helps Energize a New Kind of Coke

Coca-Cola Co. entered the U.S. energy drink market with its Jan. 20 launch of Coke Energy, for the first time giving its flagship brand name to a beverage that is not a soft drink.Boasting some three times as much caffeine as traditional Coke plus guarana extracts and B-vitamins, Coke Energy rolled out in regular and cherry flavors plus zero sugar varieties of both. It is sold in skinny, 12-ounce cans depicting black waves on Coke’s approachable red (or purple, for cherry SKUs) background.Coke enlisted Amazon and its Alexa voice assistant to help energize the launch, first at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas and then with its largest single-day sampling program ever the morning after the Super Bowl. At CES, which ran Jan. 7-10, Coke made an interactive splash with an “Energy Wall” powered by Alexa, at which attendees could say “Alexa, order Coca-Cola Energy” to get the assistant to dispense a free can of the energy drink and maybe crack a joke between vending.The Monday after the Super Bowl — during which Coke ran a 60-second spot titled “Show Up” that had Martin Scorsese texting Jonah Hill from a costume party asking him not to stand him up, and Hill picking up a Coke Energy to give him the stamina to attend — the brand brought the Alexa-powered energy wall to Grand Central Terminal in New York while Amazon Treasure Trucks dispensed Coke Energy across 29 additional cities.For a very limited time, Alexa users at home could also reportedly get up to two free sample cans shipped to them by using the same voice command that works with the wall. In emails to registered members, Coca-Cola additionally plugs an instant-win game awarding 9,864 $2 amazon.com gift cards (fulfilled as a digital code). The giveaway runs from Jan. 7 to March 3 on the brand’s website. Southfield, MI-based HelloWorld handles.Even if the only current purchase option on Amazon appears to be a 24-pack priced at $49.94 that is not eligible for free Prime shipping and unlikely to facilitate personal sampling, Coke’s experiential efforts and Alexa integration serve to not only support the launch but provide a call to action that gets the brand on shoppers’ voice-powered lists.In the AislesThe manufacturer is also targeting physical shopping carts, securing secondary merchandising space across retail channels via a variety of temporary displays, all reflecting the brand creative and employing a unified slogan: “The New Taste of Energy.”Walmart stocks the cans in Action Alley on a custom, half-pallet dump bin that builds on the brand slogan to boldly introduce the drink as “The energy you want. The taste you love.” Price header cards support. The SKUs are also stocked in-line in Walmart’s beverage aisle and in coolers at checkout. Additional activity is expected when the mass merchant conducts its modular reset in the spring.At Target, the cans sit on a power wing in the grocery department. Midwestern mass merchant Meijer and supermarkets such as Ahold Delhaize’s Giant-Carlisle and Stop & Shop as well as Albertsons Cos.’s Vons make room for tall red floorstands outfitted with bold can-cutout header cards to stock the beverage near store entrances as well in the aisles. Some locations position case stacks near checkout registers. Regional grocer ShopRite also stocks cases on its Coca-Cola beverage endcap alongside other SKUs from the manufacturer.Walgreens merchandises the new SKUs on a shorter floorstand positioned near checkout that employs a darker version of the brand creative and a modest header card, while rival drugstore chain CVS Pharmacy positions them on the power wing of a Coca-Cola endcap.Coca-Cola has additionally leveraged social media to amplify the launch nationally with a #ShowUp hashtag encouraging conversations around the theme. Social support from retailers has included a Jan. 26 Facebook update from Jewel-Osco announcing Coke Energy as new at the chain.The beverage manufacturer is also pursuing other innovation to broaden its portfolio as consumer preferences, lifestyles and tastes splinter. Last fall, the brand launched a limited-time cinnamon Coke flavor and this year is preparing to debut cherry vanilla and its zero-calorie version. In March, the company's new caffeinated flavored seltzer water brand AHA also hits shelves.

P2PI MEMBERS

JOIN P2PI

You May Also Like

Coke Elevates Black-Owned Brands at Target

Activation Gallery: QR Codes at Retail