Coke releases Coke SoundZ

Did Coca-Cola just waste a bunch of money to seem cool?  

Yes, they did.  

Marketing girlies across the globe are united by one thing and one thing only. A zesty can of Coke no-sugar as a little 3 pm treat. It’s pervasive and undeniable.  

And now we can enjoy that sexy little can with a side of AI. That's because Coca-Cola just dropped Coke SoundZ.

What's that, you ask?

Well, it's a nifty little gadget that jams out to the "uplifting sounds" of its Zero Sugar soda using fancy AI tech. 

So what's Coke SoundZ?

Think white noise machine meets Pavlov’s Dog. You can now treat yourself to signature sounds like “phst,” “fizz,” “clink,” “glug,” and “ahh.”

Why you’d need this, I don’t know.

But SoundZ represents a continued commitment from Coca-Cola's marketing team to engage with AI. The brand just entered a five-year strategic partnership with Microsoft to grow its generative AI capabilities. It's obviously preparing itself for some real futuristic fizz. 

This sound library is aimed at fans and musicians worldwide. And it's meant to generate increased attention while positioning Coca-Cola at the forefront of technology.

Coca-Cola has created a digital app to access these sounds. They've also sent physical bottle-shaped versions to DJs and producers around the world.  

What can we learn from this campaign? 

You don’t have to do an idea just because it sounds "cool" to your boss.  

I’ll be honest, this campaign is weird to me.  

Like, why do this? Is this another piece of plastic junk they’re going to send to influencers that never gets used again? Probably!

Is it another random app that will garner a couple of downloads and then get deleted from the app store? Most definitely!  

But hey, there is a huge trend of marketing people making campaigns just to get the attention of other marketing people. These campaigns never shift the needle but do help keep people like me in business. So, slay, I guess?  

Maybe I’m just a hater, but this campaign really didn’t need to happen. Who calls the sound of Coke optimistic? That is just more PR drivel some people came up with to fill their 9 to 5. 

I feel like Coca-Cola would generate more brand love and gain more social coverage by donating to a cause that people actually care about. But I guess that doesn’t create a catchy headline featuring AI. Their loss, I guess.

-Sam, Account Manager