How the ‘real’ real thing could become the choice of a 'new' new generation in Québec.
Some may argue the exact numbers but Pepsi is well ahead of Coke in Québec.
Coke dominates the global market with 51 per cent of the total sales compared with Pepsi’s 22 per cent, according to John Sicher, editor of Beverage Digest. But in Québec, the Pepsi stable of soft drinks owns 61 per cent of the market to Coke’s 20, said Manon Lavallée, market development manager for PepsiCo Canada. It’s dominance unseen anywhere else in North America, although Pepsi does nudge out Coke by a slight margin in the Atlantic Provinces and a few states. Coke officials told The Globe and Mail recently the gap is not that large in Québec when restaurant, hotel and sporting events sales are factored in, but did not give specific numbers. (Source: The Montreal Gazette, July 10, 2009)
Much has been written about what drove Quebeckers’ attachment to Pepsi over the years. The 1993 CASSIES case still tells a great story. Also, this article in the NYT offers a more recent perspective on the brand’s latest marketing efforts in Quebec.
Coke has also at times tailored its message specifically to reach Quebeckers. And it is apparently planning to feature Québec athletes in its upcoming Vancouver 2010 advertising – according to Coca-Cola’s David Moran quoted in the NYT article.
Perhaps Coke needs a more fundamental signal of its ‘difference’ to appeal to Quebeckers.
What if Quebeckers were allowed to discover a different kind of Coke? One that is only available in Québec, in Mexico and in some parts of the U.S.? Could this tap into the same sense of belonging to a distinct market that helped fuel Pepsi’s success in Québec? Could Coke also exploit a sense of pride associated with a need to stand out from the rest that, in some cases, reward the brands that reinforce this feeling?
This might sound crazy or naïve. It also goes against the idea that there is only one Coke - the ‘real’ thing – around the world. After all, messing with it resulted in one of the biggest marketing blunders in history.
A piece by Rob Walker last weekend in his brilliant column in the NYT Magazine suggests it might not be that crazy or naïve after all.
It seems there isn’t just one ‘real’ thing called Coke. There’s a different Coke in Mexico. One with a cult following there and in the U.S. So much so, that Mexican Coke has crossed the border and is now sold at Kroger, Costco and various independent grocers. Mexican Coke connoisseurs will even pay more for Coke that’s Hencho en Mexico. And there’s a real cult following online with loyalists extolling the virtues of Mexican Coke.
What’s so special about Mexican Coke?
Here’s Rob Walker’s explanation: “Coca-Cola bottled in
Mexico is sweetened with sugar, while the U.S. version is (almost) always made
with high-fructose corn syrup. That is so. And it’s surprising, given the
degree to which uniformity defines the Coke idea. Who knew the “secret formula”
could accommodate ingredient variation?”
It apparently makes a significant and discernable difference in taste. Even if it doesn’t, perception is probably reality in this case.
This brings me back to Québec.
Coca-Cola should consider making the real cane sugar Coke available to Quebecers only. Chances are they'll prefer the taste. Even if they don't in blind tests, they'll be buying into a perceived different taste from Coke, one that only Mexicans and Quebecers from the new, new generation enjoy.
No need to go big and risk alienating loyal Coke drinkers in Québec. Let the ‘real, real’ Coke enter Québec with select distribution. And go viral to tell its story. If there ever was a story that can engage people online via social networks, it's the notion that Coke is different in Québec than in the rest of Canada. What does Coke have to lose?
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