Branding Experts Say Coca-Cola and Pepsi Brands Are No Good

I found an article on Digg from AOL Small Business News about the best and worst brands around today. According to a panel of branding experts, the world famous Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola brands aren't as great as we thought they were. Rob Frankle, a self-proclaimed branding expert of Frankel&Anderson, Inc. explains that:

(the following excerpt contains quotes from Frankle and the writings of the article's author, Lauren Drell)

--while Coca-Cola may be a successful brand, it is not a good brand. The true test, he says, is that if you go to a diner and request a Coke and are met with, "Pepsi okay?" 99 percent of people will say, "Yes." A good brand would be irreplaceable. The same goes for Pepsi, because it works both ways. Both are iconic companies with great advertising, but both brands are watered down when you look at the actual product -- the soda.--

Frankle has a point. Whenever I go out to eat or order takeout, my friends and family are very quick to purchase whichever cola is available. The only real place where people can actually stare at both bottles and make a choice seems to be at the grocery store. I wouldn't say that the Coca-Cola Co. and Pepsi Co. should be shaking in their boots about this... at least not until store brands start outselling them.

Did I forget to mention that Frankel&Anderson's website is absolutely disgusting?! It's right here. Just wanted to throw that in there.

The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding

I just finished reading The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding on my kindle. The authors, Al Ries and Laura Ries delivered some very important points and warnings about self-destructive business trends. "Becoming all things to all people" and the basic loss of focus on what made your company so prosperous in the first place, is a common theme throughout the book. The concepts of narrowing your brand's focus, creating a new product category and the benefits/limitations of selling online were unlike anything I've read so far. Interesting to note the book was published in 2004, but I still found much of the information valuable for today. It gave me a more clear perspective on what it really means for a business to "dare to be different" or "stand out in the crowd". You may find yourself skimming certain chapters later on in the book, but it's still a good read.

What are Flower Essences?

Balance, a brand of bottled water, got their packaging redone recently. If you google "balance water" and go to images you'll see the improvements made to look of the label. But what the heck are Flower Essences? The water is tasteless and has zero calories - like most water. Drinkbalance.com states that Flower Essences serve as homeopathic remedies to everyday stresses. I remember when it was funny to sell bottled water in the grocery store. Is this really where it's evolved to? It's a liquid placebo. I understand that you need to give your customers an emotional experience to stand out and get repeat purchases. But really? Water placebos? I'm happy with my Brita filter. But that's just me. Here are the links to the story in Package Design Magazine and the Balance water site: http://www.packagedesignmag.com/content/blue-marlin-creates-refreshing-new-packaging-balance-water, http://www.drinkbalance.com/#