Web Watch - Sep07

At first glance, I didn't expect much from this site and personally, I'm a Coke fan. But as I explored further, I found myself spending quite a fair bit of time interacting with the many microsites within it. From ‘Yawn-A-Thon' to ‘Black-In-Style', it's great to see how a brand like Pepsi understands what the online youth audience wants.

With this website, Pepsi has truly embraced the term ‘content is king'. Fashion, music, sports, contests, downloads, may be a little expected but what's great about this site is how it brings the content to life. Every part of the site is different in its presentation and approach but is always entertaining to go through.

The site architecture is a little obvious but it definitely helps users get through the site quicker. The presentation of the homepage can be a lot more dynamic like the hidden treasures within the site, but all in all, it is still a great online brand experience.

Rating: 4/5

NOT: http://www.coca-cola.com/

Sadly, a brand that's so big in the world just doesn't seem to be creating as big a wave online. The site feels very shallow, it does not help that the homepage design makes this very apparent. Maybe it's just my expectation from a brand that's so rich in heritage and character to do equally well online as they have in their TVCs.

What's really disappointing and frustrating is that Coke has such a wonderful brand platform that can do so much more on the web to connect with youths today. While there are a few bright sparks on the site such as ‘Virtual Thirst' - a design contest partnering with one of the newest online buzz Second Life- unfortunately, these microsites don't seem to belong to any part of the site's architecture. They simply appear as one-off spontaneous ideas and collectively represent nothing more than separate creative vehicles for the brand. Is that all there is to Coke?

Rating: 2/5

Valerie Cheng

Creative Director

Arc Worldwide