Metrics

There are a few key metrics that can be used to evaluate the success of Diet Coke’s collaboration with the Heart Truth campaign. The most obvious metric that will be used is tracking sales. If sales of Diet Coke increase, Coca-Cola will know they have been successful in entering the healthy sports drink beverage sector. The company will also need to track sales of Powerade, to ensure they haven’t dropped as it is a Coca-Cola brand and they want to ensure its success. Finally, they will need to track the beverage sales of Gatorade, to see if there is a dip and they have successfully taken on the category leader.

Another key metric that Coca-Cola will use to evaluate their success of their new healthy image positioning through partnership with the Heart Truth campaign is through surveys to assess consumers’ attitudes towards Diet Coke. Survey questions will assess consumers’ feelings about the image enhancing qualities of Diet Coke. Furthermore, it will be beneficial to include metrics to establish if consumers’ perception of Diet Coke has changed since their repositioning and partnership with the Heart Truth campaign.

It would also be beneficial to establish of awareness of the Heart Truth campaign and its key messages have increased. This could be measured through surveys to assess knowledge, tracking the number of heart screenings that have been done, and through tracking visits to the Heart Truth website. Additionally, long term analysis could demonstrate whether early detection of heart disease has increased in women, or if there has been an overall decrease in the number of female deaths from heart disease.

Execution

Communications plan:
Communication Objective: Attitudinal change. Establish Diet Coke as a healthy beverage whose cool image is consistent with their health benefits
Media & Execution: partner with the Heart Truth campaign and launch an aggressive marketing campaign including:
- National commercial campaign
- Advertisements on Diet Coke packaging
- Sponsorship of a "red dress" fashion show
- Dedicate portion of Diet Coke website to heart health tips

Product: Diet Coke, the no calorie, sweetened version of Coca Cola classic. Diet Coke is available in six flavors: regular, caffeine free, coke, cherry, lime, and sweetened with splenda. The product is available in a variety of packages and sizes, and is sold all over the world. Diet Coke aims to position itself as a healthy beverage and compete against Gatorade and Powerade. The product relies on it's unique taste and "cool" image to attract customers. Diet Coke has an "experinece" product attribute, and it can be evaluated only after consumption, although it is hoped that there will be some "search" aspects to the product with its image based emphasis.

Collaborators:
- channel length is indirect, there are intermediaries in the process (manufacturer --> wholesaler --> retailer --> consumer)
- channel breadth is mainstream distribution meaning the number of outlets where the product is sold is as high as possible to minimize travel/search costs for consumer
- channel depth is less integrated, because Coca Cola does not control all aspects of the channel

STP

Key Competitors: Gatorade, Powerade

Main Variable: health benefit (or just that beverage is not bad for you)

Dynamic Variable: image/cool factor
- Cool factor today encompasses many things, including a health benefit. Diet Coke's existing image and reputation gives them an edge in the health drink category

Target Audience: health (calorie) conscious women between the ages of 20 and 60

5 Box Positioning Statement:
Current belief: Gatorade is the best tasting and coolest health beverage
Currently do: When I want a cool healthy beverage, I drink Gatorade
Consumer Proposition: Diet Coke is a cool, healthy, iconic beverage
Desired belief: Diet Coke is a cool and healthy beverage
Desired do: When I want a healthy and cool beverage I drink Diet Coke, not Gatorade

Path to Purchase: brand awareness (advertisements) -->product discovery (grocery store, restaurant, etc) --> consideration of beverage --> product consumption

Strategic Quadrant

The category Coca Cola is trying to enter is the health drink category. Although Powerade, which is in this category, is a Coca Cola product, they are attempting to leverage their brand equity and garner more soda sales by pushing Diet Coke into direct competition with this and other sports drinks. The category leader is Gatorade. Drinks in this category are supposedly more nutritious for you then high calorie drinks (although some beverages in this category do have a high calorie count). Many drinks have electrolytes and other health benefits.

The customer is anyone who drinks Diet Coke at least one time a month. About 51% of Diet Coke drinkers are female.
- Aim for high purchase frequency, high purchase quantity, and brand loyalty (ie won't drink Diet Pepsi over Diet Coke)

The marketing objective is acquisition. Soda sales are down, and Coca Cola wants to acquire new customers by pushing their soda into the healthy beverage category. Their calorie free beverage and partnership with the Heart Truth campaign will help them reach this goal and convince customers to purchase Diet Coke instead of their competitor's drinks.

The source of volume is steal share from Gatorade and other health drinks. Gatorade is the category leader, and Diet Coke would like to inspire customers to purchase their beverage instead.

4 B's:
Bodies: female, health conscious beverage consumers
Beliefs:
(before) Diet Coke is a soda, it is not healthy. I drink Gatorade when I want a healthy beverage.
(after) Diet Coke is a healthy beverage that is more refreshing than Gatorade
Behaviors: drink Diet Coke (before purchase Gatorade, now purchase Diet Coke)
Bucks: TBD