How Coca-Cola Is Copying McDonald’s
With the reveal of it's latest flavor, Coca-Cola has decided to take a page out fast good giant's McDonald's playbook.
Coca-Cola has announced the third new flavor in its Creations line. And this time it’s collaborating with Grammy-nominated artist Marshmello to bring fans something amazing. The limited-edition drink is the brand’s first-ever beverage created with an artist and captures the feeling of mixing chart-topping beats. The new flavor, which also comes in a zero-sugar variety, will be available from July 11th in the United States. It also will be offered in other countries later this year.
The idea of partnering with popular artists on products featuring their favorite flavors is not new. In the world of fast food, McDonald’s has had incredible success with its celebrity meals. These limited-edition menu items include versions of the artists’ preferred orders. So far, the burger chain has worked with Travis Scott, BTS, Saweetie, and more. Burger King has also followed the trend with its own celebrity deals. And Coca-Cola is probably hoping for a similar level of success with its Marshmello collaboration.
Coca-Cola says the newest Creations drink is a fusion of the electronic music producer’s favorite flavors. But it doesn’t include any marshmallow undertones. Instead, the new soda fuses strawberry and watermelon flavors with a great Coke taste. “I wanted to do something different,” Marshmello told Billboard while shooting footage for the soda campaign in Los Angeles. “I had a different flavor in mind originally and then we started messing around with other crazy flavors”
As a fan of Cherry Coke, Marshmello wanted to choose intriguing flavors that blend well with Coca-Cola’s signature taste. So he went with strawberry and watermelon just because it would be an unexpected choice for him. The collaboration took several months of remote and in-person meetings. The DJ and his manager even spent two days at the soft drink giant’s headquarters where they “crafted the whole plan. This included everything from flavor options to designing the limited-edition cans.
According to Coco-Cola’s press release, the collectible cans ditch the brand’s signature red color for a sleek white. It also includes striking visuals and Spencerian script that pay homage to Marshmello’s signature aesthetic. During the design process, the artist doodled on whiteboards with Coke creatives, experimented with tastes crafted by R&D flavor scientists sipped through a custom-created straw to fit Marshmello’s trademark helmet, and brainstormed experiential concepts with brand and marketing teams.
The brand new flavor is also getting the full Coca-Cola Creations digital treatment. A few days ahead of the launch (on July 9th), the drink will appear on Marshmello’s Twitch channel. And starting July 25th, those who managed to get their hands on a can will be able to scan the QR code on the packaging to reach Coca-Cola Creation’s site. There, AI technology will transform their emotions while listening to Marshmello’s latest track into a personalized piece of digital art, according to CNN Business.
The limited-edition drink’s marketing campaign is very similar to its predecessor’s releases. For Coco-Cola Starlight, there was a holographic concert by Ava Max. And Byte was introduced to consumers in Fortnite, a nod to the importance of gamers to food and beverage companies.
