Inspired brains never sleep
July
20
Mildenhall argued that "in 2003, when Neville Isdelljoined as ceo, he remarked that Coke was creatively bankrupt. That got us thinking, and in 2004 we set up the creative excellence discipline."
As part of the process, the Atlanta-based firm aimed to move beyond simple advertising and design, and to make sure that each of its brands had a clear cultural meaning and defined purpose.
Similarly, it has focused on delivering communications that are effective across a range of touchpoints, from PR to digital channels such as social networks.
Pursuing this initiative has resulted in the development of platforms such as "Open Happiness", which has recently been rolled out worldwide, and its predecessor, the "Coke Side of Life".
In terms of crafting successful campaigns, Mildenhall argued that creative excellence "sits" at the point where the roles of agencies and clients overlap.
As part of this process, he is "constantly" involved in "reconciling the dynamic forces" at Coca-Cola, which range from bottlers and retailers to the resources available for marketing, and "integrating them into the purist perspective."
The company has also established an in-house team with "expertise in strategic planning, mobile communications and digital to name a few, who bring credibility on the table from the clients' side."
One brand which has benefited from this approach is Sprite, which was "huge in China, but in North America volumes were dipping."
Mildenhall stated that it was an "in-house planner who helped us unlock the creativity in Sprite. Today, the brand is a spark of fresh thinking."
However, while Coca-Cola is taking an increasingly involved approach in forging strategy, agencies still have a key role both in formulating ideas, and in applying them to specific countries.
"In markets like India, what we are now witnessing is really the emergence of engaging brand stories," Mildenhall said.
"A positioning like 'Open Happiness' is an offensive move from Coca-Cola to entrench the brand further in these markets," he added.
Overall, Mildenhall, who previously worked for McCann Erickson, BBH and TBWA, argued that there is one major difference on the client-side.
"As a client, one makes a lot of purchases, takes decisions on marketing and communication, whereas in an agency, it was only my recommendation that mattered," he said.
