Coca-Cola Life: Same taste, more natural

Of course everyone of us knows what is Coca-Cola. We drink it a lot when feeling thirsty, or even with meals. It is a globally well-known brand for carbonated soft drinks. There are a lot of Coca-Cola products in the market, but the one that I find interesting is the one called “Coca-Cola Life.” It was introduced in 2013, and is said to be a lower-calorie version of the original Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola Life uses stevia leaf extract as the main sweeteners. Stevia has zero calorie, but is 200 times sweeter than sugar. The sugar in Coca-Cola Life is only 1/3 of the traditional Coca-Cola. Moreover, it has only 27 kilocalories per 100 mL. In terms of the packaging, Coca-Cola Life comes in glass bottles, plastic bottles, as well as aluminium cans. The plastic bottle is fully recyclable, and 30% plant-based, with fossil-fuel plastic accounting for the remaining 70 percent of the bottle.

In 2014, a research was made by students from the Westminster Business School to understand consumers’ behavior through the use of consumer psychology theories. The problem that led to this research was because between 2011 to 2013, it was reported that there was a 1.5 billion decline in the consumption of Coca-Cola. Therefore, they wanted to better understand consumers’ attitudes and behaviors about carbonated soft drinks, especially the newly launched Coca-Cola Life.

The qualitative approach showed that consumers think that Coca-Cola launched this new product because they want to change the way the brand is perceived, as well as trying to relate the brand with the ideas of health and nature. The participants also agreed that the color of the packaing support the ideas about nature and well-being. Coca-Cola Life was said to be a healthier alternative to higher calorie products.
The research also applied the concept of self-concept theory, or the theory that people want their actual self to reflect their ideal self. It was found that many participants reported that they feel guilty when drinking sodas with high calories. This is because the ideal self wants to he healthy, but the actual self is consuming unhealthy products. The Fishbein Model was also applied to differentiate the consumers’ perceptions between the different type of Coca-Cola’s Coke products. It was found that taste was the most important attributes than sugar content. The final results showed that Coca-Cola Life received the most score over original Coke and Coke Zero.
According to the findings, the research assumed that Coca-Cola Life can be well-accepted. It is also suggested that the brand should focus on highlighting the product offerings such as natural, no artificial sweeteners. Coca-Cola Life should clearly distinguish itself for consumers who are looking for a healthier alternative of carbonated soft drinks to fulfil their ideal self and actual self.
I personally think that this research is quite interesting just like the product itself. Have anyone of you tried this healthy coke? Let me know what you think of it!

References
Westminister Marketing Management. (2014, November 24). Using consumer psychology to understand buyer behaviour – Coca-Cola Life. Retrieved form https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGfdubLAtY8