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I never thought I’d take a lesson from Coca Cola, but this great graphic at Thinkingalaud on the history of Coca Cola and Pepsi logos is a great example of the importance of consistency in branding, whether for a small crafting business or a multinational behemouth (via Swiss Miss). [Note: apparently this is a fairly simplified timeline; for a discussion of the brand evolution and a more accurate timeline, go here. I still like the idea, though, so I thought I’d share it anyway.]
14 thoughts on “On the Importance of Consistency”
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Claiming that the current logo is also the very first logo from 1885 isn’t simplification. Why not just use the correct timeline?
the important thing is that diet pepsi tastes better!
I think it’s more interesting that Coke only got its foothold through using addictive amounts of cocaine in the original recipe, hooking millions of customers before dropping the drug. Also, if you research the history, Pepsi was the first drink to advertise as a “refreshment” beverage, whereas Coke was founded as one of the many nonsensical medical remedies of the day. And – lest we forget the Pepsi Challenge – well, I’m sure you know where I stand.
“fairly simplified”? Coca Cola had many variations too, with the difference that they almost alway kept their font, but changing the logo widely, and also the name when they went “Coke”, like if they wanted a short name like Pepsi had.
I’m sorry sir, but posting about the “simplified timeline” as an example of logo consistency differences between coke and pepsy, when you already know it isn’t so simple at all, is plain stupid.
Sorry, but this timeline is not 100% correct. Coca-cola logo had many variations from the beginning…
What’s the point of giving wrong information on a post?
Actually, for the Pepsi Challenge, Pepsi only won when people took a sip of the product, because of the sweeter taste. But if they had to drink to whole can, they preferred Coca-Cola, because it was less a “possibility for blood sugar overkill”. Which is why Coca-Cola had a bigger part of the market than Pepsi did.You can read that in Buy.ology, the book of Martin Lindstrom, p.25…very good book by the way.
One could argue that yet Pepsi has changed their identity over the years… their logo is still just as consistent as Coca-Cola’s. Yes they made more visible changes but what’s important to notice about their changes is that they still maintained their elements from change to change. In the end their new logo looks just as Pepsi-esque as the first one. The never lost sight of who their company is and what it looks like even throughout the changes.