Marketing Is It by Ken Bernhardt Regents' Professor of Marketing and Assistant Dean for Corporate Relations  Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University Atlanta Business Chronicle - May 25, 2007 If the 1.2 million people expected to visit the new World of Coca-Cola over the next year enjoy their experience, they just might walk out the door and buy the world a Coke to keep it company. And maybe, while they're at it, teach everyone to sing in perfect harmony. At least that's what Coca-Cola executives and creators of the new World of Coke would like to see happen following the facility's highly anticipated grand opening May 24. A $100 million, 92,000-square-foot building devoted to all things Coke, the museum is a rebirth -- and a doubling in size -- of the original World of Coke. Touring time for the museum is 90 minutes, double that of the old World of Coke, which means visitors will spend twice the amount of time immersed in the world of Coke. "It's a marketing tool, no question about it," said Petro Kacur, senior manager of marketing communications for The Coca-Cola Co. "But people have an affinity for Coca-Cola and the brand just on their own, and this is a place where they can sort of explore the magic of Coca-Cola, its past, its history and its future, its place in popular culture." The experience begins the instant visitors enter the new facility. Upon walking through the doors, a cool blast of air greets visitors, and entryway walls mimic slabs of ice. This entrance was designed with a specific purpose in mind. "When you walk through those doors, you get that blast of cool air and, in your mind, that refreshing sensory experience about Coca-Cola that is associated with the brand," Kacur said. After walking through the main entryway, groups of visitors enter the Loft. This area contains Coke trademark and advertising memorabilia, including an old advertisement featuring Clark Gable and Joan Crawford, and ads from the company's new campaign, "the Coke side of life." Visitors then are led into a movie theater to watch "Inside the Happiness Factory," an eight-minute, Pixar-type documentary about the "magical life" inside a Coke machine, similar to some of the TV ads Coke runs as part of "the Coke side of life" campaign. At the conclusion of the eight-minute film, visitors continue into the main body of the museum. Unlike the old World of Coke, visitors can explore the new museum in any order they wish. Kacur said this makes the new museum more visitor-friendly and interactive, as opposed to the old museum, which took visitors through in a linear fashion. On the first floor, visitors can tour the Milestones of Refreshment to learn the story of Coca-Cola inventor John Pemberton. Also on the first floor is a bottling facility, where visitors can watch a slowed-down version of the bottling process for an 8-ounce Coke, and the circular open space known as The Hub, a private event space. On the second floor is the 3-D movie theater with an interactive "4-D" experience about Coca-Cola's secret formula that is targeted to families with young children. "We call it 4-D because the seats shake and they spritz water and air at you during various parts of the movie," Kacur said. "We think that is going to be popular with families." The Popular Culture Room displays items associated with the company in recent years, including an Andy Warhol exhibit on New Coke, a piece commissioned by Time magazine in 1985 but never published. An advertising theater plays continuous loops of Coke ads from around the world and years past. Then there's the tasting room -- an area offering 70 Coca-Cola beverages from around the world, including some not available in the United States, such as Sprite Ice and Fanta Kiwi. Though the room targets consumers' taste buds, the idea behind the room, and the museum as a whole, is not to win over consumers based on flavor but to build brand loyalty. Brand loyalty is crucial for a company like Coca-Cola, said Ken Bernhardt, professor and assistant dean of corporate relations for Georgia State University's J. Mack Robinson College of Business. "With soft drinks, brand is everything. Studies have proven that taste is only a minor consideration in the purchase decision for soft drinks, as Coke found out in 1985 with the launch of New Coke. "According to all the taste tests, it tasted better than the previous Coke product but it failed; consumers wanted the previous one because they perceived it was their Coke and shouldn't be messed with." Bernhardt said creating a positive museum experience can increase the emotional connection between consumer and company, and strengthen consumers' commitment to the brand. To exit the museum (which visitors do only after receiving one of the 8-ounce Cokes bottled on the first floor), visitors have to go through the museum store stocked with non-traditional Coke-branded products, such as Cherry Coke-flavored lip gloss. Linda Lewi, chief integration officer at New York-based advertising agency JWT, said the idea behind the concept of museum marketing may lead to increased popularity of such facilities. "The value there is brand engagement, people spending time with your brand," she said. "Right now, [the way] for brands to get your attention and get you to develop a relationship with their brand is changing." Building a strong brand reputation is important to companies because it not only has an impact on sales but on profit and stock price, Lewi added. Coca-Cola was one of the first companies to recognize facility tours as branding opportunities, said Joel Babbit, president and chief creative officer for GCI Group in Atlanta. "We can all remember as kids going to the Coca-Cola bottling plant in your local town," Babbit said. "Even though it was supposed to be educational, it was also a pretty subtle marketing device to get you loyal." Kacur said the biggest difference between the new World of Coca-Cola and the old facility is the interactive, engaging exhibits. "We'll be able to rotate exhibits in and out, so if you come back a year from now, it will be fresh and different." "In the 17 years since the original World of Coke was launched, the expectations of museums have changed dramatically," Bernhardt said. "They've become much more interactive, much more involving of the museum visitor and to stay state-of-the-art, they had to ramp it up considerably."