Coca-Cola focuses on personalization with latest Freestyle offering

Marketers aiming for mobile-friendly and personalized efforts should take a lesson from Coca-Cola.

The soft-drink company recently unveiled its latest Freestyle dispenser design, which will enable consumers to use their smartphones to craft a drink from its 200 beverage choices.

The new machine, which is available next year, provides upgraded technology including Bluetooth. It will stand alongside (or replace) its thousands of current machines.

In a jargon-heavy press release, Coca-Cola said:

More than 50,000 Coca-Cola Freestyle units pour 14 million drinks per day in restaurants, cinemas, convenience stores, amusement parks and other locations across the United States and a handful of other countries. Beverage servings are up 8% in Freestyle outlets, and calories-per-serving in these locations are down nearly 10%.

“When we introduced Freestyle, it was truly a disruptive innovation,” said Hellmann, vice president general manager, Coca-Cola Freestyle. “Today it’s a billion-dollar business.”

USA Today reported:

The previous iteration customized drinks using QR codes, but that required a more cumbersome process on a phone app.

… Coca-Cola also uses information from the fountain machines to gain insight into what consumers want, Hellmann said. For example, the idea for Sprite Cherry and Sprite Cherry Zero, introduced in packaged form last year, came from that data.

Marketers should take note of Coke’s effort to cater to the more mobile consumer, as well as the focus on customized products. The move makes the drinks more friendly, especially as consumers are buying less sugary soft drinks.

USA Today reported:

Bottled water has bumped soda to become Americans' favorite drink. In 2016, Americans bought 12.8 billion gallons of H2O versus 12.4 billion gallons of carbonated soft drinks, according to Beverage Marketing, a research and consulting company.

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However, marketing pros don’t have to come up with a machine that enables consumers to create their own drinks to take a nod from Coke.

You should regularly review digital media analytics for insights into consumers’ behavior, and then tailor your articles, videos and products to what your consumers seek. Savvy brand managers can also use data to help inform product tweaks and distribution strategies.

USA Today reported:

"A greater level of customization really allows companies to connect with consumers, especially when it's what they're looking for and making them feel special," said Charles Lindsey, an associate professor of marketing at the University at Buffalo.

“Choice and variety and customization—they’re not just fads,” said Chris Hellman, Coca-Cola Freestyle’s vice president general manager.

You can learn more about the company’s new Freestyle machine below:

(Image via)

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