Since ancient times, "red and blue out of CP", but Xiaohong and Xiaolan, as the two giants of the Coke industry, have been entangled in many grudges for hundreds of years, which can really be called "you come and go, play well and not lively"!
Let's first talk about the birth of Little Red and Little Blue.
Little Red and Little Blue were born in the United States, invented by pharmacists. Xiaohong was born in 1886 and its original role was to solve the headache of fatigue. Xiaolan was born in 1898 and its original role was to treat indigestion.
Both Little Red and Little Blue were once displayed as potions in the display cabinets of pharmacies, and because of their unique taste, they were finally known as drinks.
Xiaohong appeared 12 years earlier than Xiaolan, and in these 12 years, Xiaohong established her status as the boss of the Coke industry, relying on two unique secret skills.
One is the one that is unique to itself, including the taste and the curved bottle body.
Although after Xiaohong became famous, there were many imitation brands that came after profit, but between the two is the difference between "genuine" and "pirated" imitation that is not in place; and the unique curved bottle body can always make Xiaohong stand out among the opponents.
The other is the "distribution system" pioneered by Xiaohong.
It means that Xiaohong is only responsible for making cola pulp and distributing it to franchisees everywhere, and the franchisees themselves are sold after filling with water according to the proportion. The "distribution system" enables Xiaohong to appear wherever consumers need it.
As soon as the two unique secret skills came out, both the brand and the sales channels of the united States, a large number of imitation brands had not yet turned over the waves and disappeared in the commercial sea.
When Xiaolan appeared 12 years later, Xiaohong did not put the other party in his eyes at all, but this rising star who was not put in his eyes at all gave him a heavy blow.
Speaking of which, compared with the smooth sailing of Xiaohong's development for more than ten years, Xiaolan can be much bumpier.
Mr. Pharmacist who invented Little Blue may indeed be a good pharmacist, but not a good businessman.
He bought a large amount of white sugar during the First World War, believing that he could make a huge profit from it, and he entered in large quantities when the offer was highest, and the price of white sugar fell again and again. At the same time, the wartime economic system of the United States also stipulated a "cola limit sale", which made it worse, and Xiaolan had to declare bankruptcy.
After that, Xiaolan experienced several bankruptcies and was forced to change hands several times.
When the United States entered the Great Depression, Xiaolan ushered in a desperate opportunity.
Because of the difficult life, the vast majority of people can no longer include Xiaohong in daily consumption, but Xiaolan has played out "The same price, Pepsi Can provide double Coke, come and buy it!" The slogan of the advertisement, for a time, the sales far exceeded xiaohong.
After Xiaohong also chose to reduce prices, although Xiaolan's advantages no longer existed, it also gained certain public attention and economic benefits, laying the foundation for the subsequent red-and-blue war.
The good times were gone, World War II began, and the United States still implemented the economic system of cola purchase restrictions. This is a big impact on the development of both red and blue, but Xiaohong, as a symbol of American culture and lifestyle, has found the military as a patron and distributed Coke as a military munition to every American soldier.
Xiaolan of course chose to protest, but the protest was ineffective. In this way, when Xiaolan was bitterly facing the Coke purchase restriction order in China, Xiaohong traveled all over the world with the pace of the US military.
After the end of World War II, the economy gradually recovered, and the United States ushered in a large-scale baby boom. Xiaolan was ready to attack, adjust his strategy, break and stand up, and punched Xiaohong with a beautiful set of combination punches, and under the three-punch combo, he officially gained the status of competing with Xiaohong in the Coke industry.
The first punch: pay attention to the young people of the moment in the advertisement, position the Xiaohong that represents tradition and classics as outdated and old-fashioned, and build itself as a symbol of the pursuit of rebellion and freedom by young people in the United States in the 60s, and the market share continues to increase.
Second Punch: Launched the famous Pepsi Challenge , which had people on the streets taste two Cokes and then pick their favorites , and polls showed that people would be more inclined to choose Little Blue without their knowledge. Xiaolan took this opportunity to hype up, and all kinds of related advertisements were overwhelming.
Xiaohong of course said that the test done by Xiaolan was not credible, and then also carried out a Coke test, but the same result even led Xiaohong to modify her own formula. Then, under the angry resistance of the people who felt betrayed, it took only three months for Xiaohong to retract her decision and regain her position as the boss of the Coke industry.
Third Punch: Spend a fortune to invite international superstar Michael. Jackson shot commercials and also sponsored Michael Jackson. Jackson's tour bound Xiaolan to pop and fashion, and since then Xiaolan has also implemented the marketing strategy of asking pop superstars to shoot advertisements.
In addition to inviting superstars, Xiaolan has also been walking on the road of various black and red advertisements. PepsiCo's brand director once said that "there is no more eye-catching than putting these two brands together".
In the advertising battle between you black me and black back, Xiaohong and Xiaolan have wonderfully reached a win-win result.
Now, after a hundred years of fighting, Xiaohong and Xiaolan are no longer fighting alone in the business sea, and their respective hands are more than one brother one two three four five. Xiaohong's position in the Coke industry is still unshakable, but from the data of the year-end financial statements, Xiaohong's performance is gradually inferior to Thatolan.
One of the reasons is that because of the diversification of beverage products, the public has more choices, and the increasingly loud food and health slogans in recent years have also affected the daily consumption of the people.
One is that Xiaohong, as a so-called "all-category beverage company", has really been concentrating on making beverages, whether it is research and development or acquisition, all of which are swirling around in the beverage circle. Xiaolan, on the other hand, has greatly expanded its product structure, not only with beverages, but also snacks and even cereal brands.
In terms of visually measuring where the cusp of the future market will fall, Xiaolan seems to be ahead of Xiaohong.