The Ultimate Decision….Pepsi or Coca-Cola?!

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Which Will You Buy?

There are two different types of people in this world. Those who prefer glasses over contacts, Lyft over Uber, Aquafina water over Fiji, and the list can go on. However, the big question is: Are you a Pepsi or Coca-Cola drinker?

When it comes down to it, both these products are part of huge cooperations that both create delicious products. However, there is a slight difference in the taste of these products.

According to Lubin, “Pepsi is also characterized by a citrusy flavor burst, unlike the more raisiny-vanilla taste of Coca-cola.” Which one will you buy?

Social Media

Pepsi

Pepsi utilizes 3 main social media platforms to sell their product. These platforms are: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Like most big world-wide companies, Pepsi uses each platform slightly different to get different results.

In short, Pepsi uses Facebook mainly to boost their sales. On this platform they are specifically looking to boost their sales and interacts little with their audience. They only interact if deemed necessary, as stated by Pratap.

When it comes to twitter, Pepsi has multiple accounts for their products. According to Pratap, Pepsi does not see the need to tweet multiple times, they simply post once a day in order to say active and keep people engaged on their platforms.

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Coca-Cola

In 2018, Coco-Cola went dark on social media. They did this because they decided to launch a whole new marketing strategy for their social media. Their new goal “is rooted in “optimism, uplift and connection.””, according to Mandel.

According to Mandel, “The refresh is designed to present a more cohesive voice and visual language for the 132-year-old brand, which the company says reaches 500,000 people organically every day across its social platforms.”

When taking a look at each of their platforms, it is clear that their goal is to have a cohesive, well maintained, interactive mindset for each and every one of their platforms.

So What’s the Difference?

Besides that fact that we can all agree that Pepsi and Coke have a VERY different taste, I think its safe to say we can all agree that their social media strategies are different as well. However, this does not surprise me. Why? simply because they are both ran by two different groups of people, with different mindsets of on how to run a successful social media campaign. If I had to pick one of which I agree more with, it would be Coca-Cola.

Coca-Cola believes it is better to have more interaction with your consumers. Engaging them even on the smallest means, instead of only contacting them when they are complaining about something.

Coca-Cola takes into consideration each and everyone of their customers needs rather that Pepsi who only sees it fit to interact when trying to put out a fire.

Although I must say I like Pepsi products better, I do not like their strategy for Social Media, but hey, it works for them so keep it up.

What is the Google app “Orkut” that no one knows about?

Orkut launched their social media platform in 2004. This platform was the Facebook before Facebook was cool. You could do almost anything from finding your long lost relative to rating how attractive your high school crush still looks. According to Mahoney, “Orkut’s interface was clean, simple and sophisticated, making it easy for users to navigate and join communities (192.)”

After ten years of competing with Facebook, they realized that although their app was prominent in Brazil, it was not going to be anywhere comparable to Facebook.

The main reason why Orkut failed to succeed in Brazil was the lack of functionality. According to Mahoney, “In order for brands to be successful in Brazil, they must allow users to blog, engage through social gaming, and incorporate online video into marketing campaigns (Mahoney, 193).”

Orkut struggled with this. They lacked in meeting in the needs of individuals striving to use their app. By restricting the number of friends, issues with the website, and difficulties loading and sharing photos, Orkut was quickly deleted from the Brazilian mindset (193).

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In 2011 Weixin was released to China as the latest app that has it all. Within this app, you are able to: send messages, share news, pictures and even find places to eat, shop or grab a cab.

According to Mahoney and Tang, “Weixin is also easy to use. Its interface al all the functions are designed to be straightforward and convenient to users. For example, Weixin allows its users to record messages by simply holding on one button and talking, which saves the trouble of typing Chinese characters on the phone (92).”

Weixin uses this easy to use interface to attract their audience and fit their needs, tastes and interest. Since the launch of this app in 2011, it has expanded to Southeast Asia, Europe, and America. When making this app, their goal was to make Weixin as “one stop shop” for all other apps. Instead of having to go from app to app to get all your social needs meet, you hop on Weixin and get whatever you want.

“Weixtin is more than a combination of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and eBay. Audiences can do almost anything via Weixin, which makes the platform particularly appealing.”

Mahoney and Tang, 2017

One of the goals with this app was to reduce “search costs”. According to Mahoney and Tang, “If audiences can get all they want from one platform, why bother with find other options. This helps to explain the success of Weixin (92).” Weixin made it possible that when you click on a link to view a newstory, it does not redirect you to a different site, you are forced to stay within their app which makes it easier to not only go back to what you were looking at before, but also does not open another tab or browser. It also makes it more visually appealing.

“Weixin makes everything so easy to do and significantly enhance its users’ self-efficacy, it has gradually become the norm for Chinese people’s media use.”

Mahoney and Tang, 2017

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References: Mahoney, L. M., & Tang, T. (2017). Strategic social media: From marketing to social change. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell.

Breast Cancer Awareness month is every October. However, for survivors it is every. single. day. Spreading knowledge on a specific cause or charity via the internet is called: Cyberactivism. Every individual has a certain cause or charity that is close to their heart. Some may chose to share this through the use of social media. According to Mahoney and Tang, “Calls for cybeactivism can spread quickly, but make little difference in the world because they are not linked to any real-life mobilization. Social media practitioners want to be sure that their media messages encourage behavior change (72).”

In 2017, Facebook users started a new campaign through private messages to females. These messages varied in what they asked females to do in order to promote breast cancer awareness. One example was “the message asked females to choose a color that was the same as the bra that they were wearing. The status simply read: NAME, COLOR, (i.e. Melissa, black”) (72). The message behind this was to confuse men on why women were posting their name and a random color. Somehow this message was designed to raise awareness.

As a Social Media practitioner myself, it shocks me that individuals supporting this cause can see how this will promote it. Don’t get me wrong, I fully support breast cancer awareness and believe it is a very, very important topic we need to discuss and help find a cure. I just believe there are more impactful ways to help spread awareness. Like Mahoney and Tang said, instead of posting a status on Facebook that has no leads, why not go volunteer for an entire afternoon in a chemotherapy treatment center (73)?

Many more organizations would benefit if we were to donate time, money or resources instead of changing our status on Facebook. This falls under real-life Mobilization. According to Mahoney and Tang, mobilization is defined as the process by which candidates, parties, activists, and groups induce other people to participate.

With all this being said, instead of simply changing your Facebook status or inviting your friends to like multiple pages on Facebook in order to help raise awareness, consider getting out and being more active in the cause. Raise funds, volunteer, donate money yourself, visit a chemo treatment center, write a letter to someone who has a great impact in your certain cause.

“Warby Parker is not like other eyeglass retailers”

Warby Parker Case Study

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Doctors. No one likes going to them, but we all have to. One of the doctors I dread going to most, is the ophthalmologist. Every time, my prescription has changed and I need new glasses. And of course, all the cute frames are out of my price range! Unfortunately, we will all through it at some point in our life. This is the moment in which you realize that the options available for consumers who need prescription eyeglasses could be better. The prices at the office vary so much, it is impossible to find a decently priced, solid pair of glasses that will make it through your every day life. That’s when students at University of Pennsylvania came together to create Warby Parker.

Classmates: Neil Blumenthal, Andrew Hunt, David Gilboa, and Jeffrey Raider have found the solution to all the prescription eye glass problems. All of these students discovered the crazy cost of lenses, all the additional costs by the eye doctor, all the appointments required just to get the eye exam and the glasses, so they created a different solution to bypass all these hoops.

Warby Parker focuses on an online distribution as an alternative to going to showrooms and trying on hundreds of frames, that will probably be out of your price range. The first challenge that this group face was the fact that consumers believed that eyeglasses were too important to purchase online and had to be tried on prior to purchasing. Consumers also thought that low price, meant low quality. In order to prove that their product would meet high standards for their low price, they went to social media.

Social media marketing was such a big step in the right direction for Warby Parker. Here is a screen shot of Warby Parker’s first Instagram post.

A big factor that helped their business was the Home Try-On Campaign. This allowed consumers to order up to five pairs of glasses online and try them on at home with no charge. The consumer would choose the pair they liked best and send the rest back with no charge. This was the first campaign that really let the business communicate with their consumers. As a potential customer, I would feel more inclined to purchase items online if I was able to try on multiple options prior to paying money for items I am unsure of how they will fit or feel.