Coca-Cola Cup

Hello!! Today my blog posting will deal with the subject of demographics.  As you already know from my first posting, I am currently employed at the Carmike Cinemas in Cullman, and during work, I have noticed an interesting advertisement.  I work at the concession stand, and sometimes we get special cups in to promote certain movies.  However one of our new cups is sponsored by NASCAR,  and the cup is decked out with graphics featuring the drivers Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman, and Danica Patrick.  The cup is produced by Coca-Cola, and so the drivers are pictured holding Coca-Cola products.  Danica Patrick is however, the only one pictured holding Coke-Zero.  The other two male drivers are pictured with plain old Coke.  My first impression of this was one of speculation.  It seemed sexist to portray the only woman present as holding a "diet" drink.  Yet the more I pondered the subject, the more I began to understand Coca-Cola's reasoning.  Advertising relates to the type of buyer you are seeking.  You wouldn't try and sell boats where there is no water, just as you wouldn't try and sell winter clothing on a tropical island.  This is the same advertising principal that Coca-Cola follows, more women drink diet drinks than men do.  So it is pointless to market the diet drink to men, and foolishness to refrain it from its core market, women.  Women are in reality the least likely to be offended by this technique.  The image of Danica Patrick represents the goal for the health minded woman, and reinforces the drinks health potential.   Little things like this often go unnoticed by those not being marketed too, but make all the difference to the buyer, and show how much planning and detail that go into the ad.