When the grand old man of consumer brands, Coke, found it had lost a little of its shimmer, it turned to the latest brand sensation - iPod - for inspiration.
The world's biggest soft drink company, Coca-Cola Co, is set to launch its new "Welcome to the Coke side of life" advertising blitz this weekend, but only after studying a new icon, Apple Computer Inc's popular iPod digital music player.
Analysts said the company that taught the world to sing with "The Real Thing" in the 1970s and struck a chord with "Have a Coke and a Smile" in the early 1980s is still struggling to find a new catchphrase and imagery that will stick.
Apart from a series of television ads, Coke will emphasise outdoor advertising more than it has in the past with a range of colourful wallscapes - some as high as 200 feet - depicting myriad colours and images splashing out of a Coke bottle.
Katie Bayne, senior vice president of Coca-Cola brands, told reporters during a presentation this week that Coke studied Apple's print and outdoor communication, noting that it had a lot of clarity.
Apple's "Silhouettes" campaign, with its graphic imagery of shadowy figures dancing while listening to music on their iPods, served as a reminder about the product to consumers on the move, advertising experts said.