Summer Coke 2011 – Before Irene

This past summer Coca-Cola, released another summer series of can graphics in the USA. I recently went across the border and got my hands on them. Interestingly, the three places I obtained the Coke happen to be areas featured on the news lately, particularly about the tropical storm affecting the east coast. Hopefully, no major damage occurs there but here are some photos from sunnier days:

Baseball –        Location: Boston, Mass.

Stars and Stripes –     Location: Newport, The State of Rhode Island…and Providence Plantations 🙂

Kites –               Location: New York, New York

Surprisingly, Canada got its share of six summer cans. Take a look:

Canada Summer Coke Series 2011 – Is that a campfire above the guitar? or a flower?

The graphics style for the Canada cans differ from the ones from the United States series. Noticeably, the art for the U.S. cans seem simple and minimalistic using basic designs such as a circle (ball) and diamond (kite) creating a slightly elegant appearance for their summer packaging. The six Coke cans from Canada, however, involve more detailed diagrams such as mountain and sky, barbeque grill, and guitar. Here, a somewhat more fun approach is used.

Another, and perhaps more subtle difference in design is the colouring scheme. The Canada cans’ graphics are white while the U.S.A. series use silver/metal. The choices for both are appropriate. For the Canadian set, the white allows the detailed designs to stand out and appear bold. For the American cans, the metal colour compliments the neat and tidy art, giving it a more modern appearance.

One added feature for the Canadian summer series is the ‘Summer Ready’ indicator located on each can, which turns from white to red when the can is cold!

This bottle silhouette should turn red when cold. As you can see, the can is warm.

BevWire does a great job explaining the element of the Coke package.

Which summer series do you prefer?

Good Night (Tropical Storm) Irene.

rft

Far East Movement # 3 – Scan the Can!

An interesting feature seen on some Coca-Cola cans from Asia are the UPC bar codes. This Coke Zero can was recently acquired from Taipei, Taiwan. Take a look at the barcode:

This can was $10 NT or approximately $0.33 CAD

It resembles the ever-popular Coca-Cola bottle silhouette! It’s such a subtle detail but at the same time, a nice little touch to the package. Similarly, here is a Coke can from China available a few years back. The UPC is very interesting:

I bought a new camera, but it’s currently being fixed. Therefore, picture quality – not so great.

It appears to be Chinese architecture, including the trademark pagoda. The use of creative design elements and attention to such small details of a pop can are admirable. The little things count!

– rft3

Far East Movement # 2 – Ice Ice Baby

An interesting product offered in Asia is a plastic Coke bottle that actually forms ice inside.  It is available from vending machines where the front reads: Twist Open For a Blast of Real Ice

How it works…

To get the ice to form, the drinker must first open the bottle (probably to allow oxygen to enter for the crazy chemical formula to work) and then close it. The bottle must then be turned upside-down and immediately flipped right-side up again. Once this happens, small ice pebbles form inside the bottle taking up about the top 1/4 of the liquid.

One bottle is $11 HK or approximatley $1.40 CAD

It’s a pretty interesting concept. The beverage already comes cold, however, the whole “blast of real ice” thing is really just to add some fun and interest into buying a bottle of Coke. Whether a person is thirsty or not, the idea of this bottle may be enough for someone to purchase one anyways.

It would probably be OK to have these machines in North America in certain places like amusement parks, select shopping centres, tourist attractions etc. to make them somewhat special. Since the concept is pretty much a small, fun gimmick added to a national consumer product, if these bottles were offered everywhere, the idea could get old quickly. Nonetheless, pretty cool stuff.

– rft3

Far East Movement # 1 – Taste of Asia

Over the past five weeks, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Asia and experience the culture. Throughout the trip, I discovered some interesting (soda) pop flavours, distributed by Coca-Cola and Pepsi that are not available in North America. Check some of them out!

Sprite “Cool Mint”

I was only able to find this in Taipei, Taiwan. Apparently, the Mandarin characters translate to ‘cool mint’. Upon trying the beverage, it truly did have a minty flavour. In fact, it was probably stronger than the actual lemon and lime taste that is expected from Sprite. This drink can be similar to the short-lived ‘Sprite Ice’, which was available in Canada in 2003.

Sprite – Cool as Ice

In terms of can design, the bright shades of blue create a very ‘cool’ and refreshing appearance; like splashing into a pool of water. The frost design behind the familiar Sprite logo adds to this effect. The overall packaging seems very appealing, especially in the summer.

7up Bite

This was acquired from a 7-Eleven in Hong Kong. (Side note: there seems to be a 7-E;even at every corner in HK). Upon trying this, the first thing that is noticed is the strong sour lemon taste. It is similar to eating a mouthful of those ‘sour key’ candies from the bulk barn store. It’s not exactly a pleasant feeling and I probably could not drink this on a regular basis if it ever available in North America.

When life hands you lemons…you make 7up Bite!

The label does not directly describe the flavour. It merely says ‘7up Bite’ leaving the consumer to assume what ‘bite’ means. Well, now I know it means that it tastes like taking a giant ‘bite’ into a very sour lemon.  The graphics and logo are not impressive, as they don’t match the current 7up branding in Asia. Instead, they appear outdated, from an early 90s cartoon.

Sprite “Green Tea”

This was found in Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China. Upon pouring it into a clear glass, the drink noticeably looks and even smells like tea! The taste still has the lemon and lime but includes a slight tea-like aftertaste.

Tea Time – Sprite Style!

The design fits the current Sprite branding well. The familiar logo appears prominent with the name ‘Sprite’ outlined in dark blue to make it stand out. The surrounding green leaf graphics elegantly communicate the flavour. The ‘splash’ art behind the logo also help show that, although it is flavoured like tea, the drink is still a refreshing soda beverage.

Which of these 3 drinks sound most appealing to you? Minty freshness, super sour stuff, or a touch of green tea?

-RFT