Dive Brief:
- Coca-Cola's Fairlife premium milk will be available nationwide starting next month, roughly a year after Coke bought a stake in the brand's parent company.
- Coke is betting big that consumers will pay more for a high-end milk that is lactose-free and contains more calcium and protein than other milks.
- This is Coke's second foray into dairy. The beverage giant began distributing Core Power, a protein drink made by the same folks who created Fairlife, in 2012.
Dive Insight:
Milk, for better or worse, became a commodity a long time ago. It's hard to imagine that any consumer would have a loyalty to or preference for any particular brand of milk. In recent years, however, it's become clear that consumers will pay more for organic milk. And that the packaging of milk - particularly when it features words like "organic" - can drive sales.
Coke understands that. Thus the most revolutionary thing about Fairlife may well be its packaging and marketing. The premium brand comes in what looks more like a juice bottle than a milk carton. And the ads feature pin-up models dressed in milk images that may sound more provocative than they actually are, but are visually arresting.