RCL Blogging #8

Soft Drinks in Action

When we think of soft drinks, there is a certain number of images that come in mind. Sweet, fresh, cool... Of course there are differences in the particular beverages that people prefer, but the overall image of these kind of drinks are limited.

This can also be seen in soft drink advertisements. Despite the difference in the way they initially look, they all eventually are sending the same message through similar strategies. Let's look at the few ads below.

1. Cover up the ad with the main color of product

     Notice the four ads that I have put up. They are all different colors and structures. However, they are all demonstrating through one huge aspect: color. Each product line has their own distinctive color. Coca-cola is red, Sprite is light green, Pepsi to blue, and Mountain Dew to lime green. Even just by looking at these ads from afar, one can pretty much notice from the color what product it is. What is more interesting is that, except for Coca-cola, the products are bright, "refreshing" colors. The reason Coca-cola is not in the trend is probably because that color has become more of an identity, therefore it would be more effective to keep the color than changing it to a different refreshing color.

2. Use water

     All four have water. It is not just there, but it is the one thing that covers up or surrounds the product in the advertisement. This use of water around the bottle or the glass cup indicates the temperature of the product. It looks like the product just came out of a clod refrigerator, refreshing and cold, just how a soft drink should be like. This kind of effect will reach its peak during the summer, when it is extremely hot and sweaty. You can actually see this in other drink ads such as beer. However, don't forget that it is not still, motionless water; it is active, splashing water that does the trick.