Iconic visuals boost Coca-Cola's brand recognition to 90%

Coca-Cola launched an outdoor advertising campaign with iconic, typically Dutch visuals. Under the heading "Choose Coca-Cola," the soft drink producer emphasized Coca-Cola's wide range of products by incorporating the familiar bottles in recognizable Dutch images: tulips, a kissing couple in traditional costume and the "Amsterdammertje. Validators examined the extent to which these iconic expressions contribute to brand recognition (brand recall) and a powerful 'Brand DNA' during brief contact.

The approach

Online survey (N=300)

Three outdoor Coca-Cola advertisements were each shown separately in a reel of different outdoor advertisements, allowing respondents to evaluate the advertisements in a natural OOH-umfeld. This involved testing whether participants spontaneously and helpfully recognized the sender.

Brand DNA testing (N=300)

In a parallel online survey, a so-called "peripheral filter" was used. Thus, respondents saw the advertising as it might be perceived (in the periphery of the field of vision) in real life. This method was used to assess the extent to which the expression contains a clear and distinctive Brand DNA that sticks even on fleeting contact.

The result

High brand recognition

All expressions scored above the benchmark (75%) on helped brand recall. The expressions with the Amsterdammertje (90% recognition) and the tulips (88%) did particularly well. The kissing couple lagged slightly behind at 76%, but still scored above the benchmark.

Strong Brand DNA at two out of three expressions

From the periphery, the Amsterdammertje (77% recognition) and the tulips (91%) were directly linked to Coca-Cola by a large majority of respondents. These expressions thus fall into the "Comfort Zone," which means that brand recognition is high even with brief contact.

Visibility Issues in the Kissing Couple

For the third expression, only 30% of respondents recognized Coca-Cola from the periphery. This puts the campaign with the kissing couple in the Visibility Issues category. It is possible that the iconic bottle is not immediately visible, making the brand less noticeable at a quick glance.

Concrete outcomes and follow-up

By emphasizing the iconic Coca-Cola bottles in the visuals, brand recognition can be structurally increased in all the expressions. Especially with the kissing couple, it is important that the bottles are clearly present, so that the campaign is also immediately recognized as Coca-Cola in one or two seconds. This research confirms that the combination of iconic symbols and a strong visually recognizable brand element (the Coca-Cola bottle) is essential to secure the Brand DNA at brief contact.