Americans first heard of Coca-Cola Blāk during the March 2006 Academy Awards pre-show. A 15-second televised teaser depicted Blāk as a glamorous movie star ducking from the glare of the paparazzi, juxtaposed with a soothing, sexy voice spreading Blāk's mystique.
According to Scott Williamson, director of brand and business communication at Coca-Cola Company North America, the product's moniker is expected to evoke sleek, sexy feelings. "Yes, it is pronounced 'black.' As for the thinking behind the name, our research indicated 'Blāk' ... describes the color of the product and has a sophisticated and modern tone."
Its web presence expands on this sensibility with an upscale soundtrack of chill-out music, and a certain after-hours chocolate-colored "hipness" that will undoubtedly encourage consumers to, as the site states, "enliven your senses and welcome new possibilities."
Williamson says it was high time for Coke to offer a new beverage option.
"As with all innovations that launch, it all starts with consumer interest," says Williamson. "We felt there was an opportunity to create something different that crossed over a lot of beverage categories. We tested a variety of brand concepts and early on, Coca-Cola Blāk is the one that resonated most strongly with consumers."
This reaction confirmed that Blāk was a worthwhile risk. After all, who could forget the wrath of consumers during the Old Coke vs. New Coke branding fiasco of the mid-80s? Ever mindful of that situation, the folks at Coca-Cola had to come up with an innovative way to introduce a new product that didn't impinge on the loyalty of Coke drinkers.
The approach with Blāk appears to be to create a specialty beverage focused on a niche market segment, as opposed to a new version of Coke that would try — and likely fail — to compete with the old.
"Blāk was designed for adults in their 20s and 30s looking for something different ... something new," confirms Williamson. "It's definitely a niche beverage for consumers with a sophisticated palate. We don't anticipate that it will have as broad an appeal as Coke Classic. It wasn't created to. Our brands have a very loyal following. But we do think that, with Blāk, certain consumers might be curious about another way to enjoy a Coke beverage."
The recent boon of highly-caffeinated "energy drinks," like Red Bull and Tab Energy, has created a new soda sub-market — one that didn't include traditional Coke. Surprisingly, Blāk is not out for that segment either.
"This is not considered an energy drink at all," clarifies Williamson. "An eight-ounce serving of Blāk has less caffeine than coffee or an energy drink. We created Blāk with more of an interest in offering consumers a unique flavor."
Blāk doesn't only taste different from other beverages, it actually looks different too. "We've created a brand that is unique as a whole — all the way down to the packaging," says Williamson. "The eight-ounce bottle is shrink-wrapped and in a resealable glass bottle, which are firsts for Coca-Cola."
Blāk, which is available in individual bottles and four-packs, also features its own distinct logo and brand icon. "The oval brand icon is evocative of the Coca-Cola dynamic ribbon which runs [horizontally in the case of other Coca-Cola products like Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Classic, and Coca-Cola Zero] through the Coca-Cola trademark," says Williamson.
Such sophisticated packaging and marketing efforts should interest the curious among Coke's target demographic. "We wanted to offer consumers with a sophisticated palate a beverage that crosses over into a lot of beverage categories," comments Williamson. "Blāk is really unique. It defies categorization."
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