Coke Still No. 1, Starbucks Slips in Brand Index†

CoreBrand's Survey Also Finds Pepsi, Microsoft Sliding Down Standings While Apple Gains

Advertising Age, March 19, 2009 — Watch out, Starbucks, Pepsi and Microsoft: Your brand power is waning.

So concludes CoreBrand's Brand Power Index, which ranks 100 corporate brands in terms of market reputation and awareness. The annual ranking is conducted by surveying 400 corporate executives across 1,200 companies and 49 industries, with financial performance, perception of management and investment potential taken into account.

How Two Coke Fans Brought the Brand to Facebook Fame†

Soda Has Most Popular Page After President, in Collaboration Between Creators and Marketer

Advertising Age, March 16, 2009 — Pop quiz: Who has the most popular page on Facebook? Barack Obama. Who's second? Coca-Cola. Yes, sugared water runs second only to the leader of the free world. Who was it again that said people don't want to be friends with brands?

Coke: Buy 1 Rival, Get Our Brand Free†

Soft-Drink Giant's Vault Takes on Mtn Dew With Unusually Aggressive Offer

Advertising Age, March 9, 2009 — In an audacious and quite possibly unprecedented move likely to resonate with recession-weary consumers, Coca-Cola will give away a free sample of its Vault brand to anyone who buys PepsiCo's Mtn Dew.

Pepsi, Coke Bowl Buys Pay Off in Online Buzz†

Heaviest Spender Generated Most Chatter, but Big Bucks Don't Mean Positive Feedback

Advertising Age, February 2, 2009 — Who says you can't buy buzz? In the end, the marketer that bought the most ad time ended up reaping the most chatter among the Twitterers, bloggers and online talkers.

Coca-Cola Deleting ‘Classic’ From Coke Label

New York Times, January 31, 2009 — After 24 years, one of the most famous blunders in marketing history is quietly coming to end. The Coca-Cola Company is dropping the “Classic” from its red labels in some Southeast regions, and the word will be gone from all of its packaging by the summer, the company said Friday.

How Apple, Others Have Cultivated Religious Followings†

Nine Components That Powerfully Engaging Brands Share With Religion

Advertising Age, December 8, 2008 — Having spent years talking with brand fans — from obsessed Harley-Davidson riders to devoted Guinness drinkers to young Hello Kitty admirers (one of whom owns more than 12,000 pieces of Hello Kitty merchandise) — I've been struck by the power brands have over their followers. But can the apparent parallels between brands and religion possibly hold up? Have some brands actually managed to create their own religions by, coincidentally or deliberately, adopting triggers and tactics from the world of religion?

As Water Sales Dry Up, Nestlé Pans Soda†

Wall Street Journal, November 13, 2008 — Concerns that bottled water is a bad choice for the environment have cooled sales of the hot-selling product. But Nestlé, the world's biggest bottled-water producer, is trying to persuade consumers they should worry more about another drink: soda.

Stay-at-Home Trend Feathers Samsung Nest†

Fewer Families Going Out Means More Sales of HDTV, Sound Systems

Advertising Age, November 3, 2008 — Steven Cook came to Samsung Electronics America a little over a year ago, after 13 years at Coca-Cola and another 13 years before that at Procter & Gamble. Mr. Cook said Samsung now sits at No. l or No. 2 in most of its product categories, similar to successful classic consumer-package-goods makers. With the commoditization of electronics — much like package goods — his job is to continue to differentiate Samsung as a premium brand.

Coke's Got Many Digital Pushes, but One Goal: Brand Experience†

Soda Maker's Interactive Chief on How to Deliver Compelling Ideas to Wide Range of Global Markets

Advertising Age, August 27, 2007 — NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — Coca-Cola Co.'s new chief marketing officer, Joe Tripodi, will have a new global interactive chief to turn to when he starts. While her title is new, Carol Kruse knows her way around the beverage giant, having managed Coke's online advertising, customer-relationship marketing, and online and gaming marketing over the past six years.

Coke Goes for a Good Old Cup of Joe†

As CMO, Tripodi Will Go Back to Basics, Focus on In-Store Efforts

Advertising Age, July 30, 2007 — After years of veering among different high-profile marketing executives, each of whom proselytized about a different high-minded marketing concept, Coca-Cola Co. has gone back to fundamentals.