MAKING A DIET COKE BREAK RELEVANT TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF DRINKERS
What we loved
Unpacking what made Diet Coke so culturally relevant in the past and reapplying that winning formula with a relevant, modern twist to win over the new generation.
How we got there
Diet Coke was tanking amongst young people. We were tasked with making it relevant again. We looked back to when they had the most relevance: the iconic 90s Diet Coke Break. What made it so powerful was that it created relevance for the product (as a much needed pick me up), relevance for an occasion (11am, daily), and relevance for the brand (a break from gender stereotypes).
One little break, three big relevance builders.
So our strategy was to revive the idea of a break, but to change what we were giving a break from to give it relevance today. Our research uncovered an inverse correlation with happiness and perfectionism. It showed perfectionism was skyrocketing in the youth while happiness was tanking. In old age, it is the opposite: happiness up, perfectionism down.
Society was heaping unprecedented pressure on young kids to act a certain way, to believe certain things, to be unattainable versions of themselves. It was making them sad.
Our idea was to drive relevance by positioning Diet Coke as a break from the daily pressures of being perfect (and pressures to drink what they think they should vs what they actually want).
The resulting campaign – Put Perfect on Ice – is a lighthearted play on having a break from perfectionism AND pouring our perfect drink over ice.
WHAT IT CHANGED
We can’t tell you here. But if you want to find out more, give us a call.
