Do you remember mixing soda fountain flavors as a kid? You’d
scamper over to the self-serve machine, determined to fill your cup with equal
parts Coke, Sprite, Root Beer, and, if you were feeling really adventurous,
Pink Lemonade.
Oh, you still do that as an adult? I’m not the only one? Phew!
You’ll be happy to know that Coca-Cola has made
soda-mixology a whole lot easier (all the
while maintaining perceptions of our maturity).
Introduced back in 2009, the Coca-Cola freestyle
machines are finally beginning to surface in select fast-food chains and
drugstores.
 |
| Yay! |
How can the machines offer
so much variety?
Instead of drawing its ingredients from bulky 5-gallon boxes
of syrup, Freestyle breaks tradition
and employs compact flavor cartridges. The machine builds beverage selections using
micro-dispensing and PurePour
technologies originally developed to deliver extremely precise doses of drugs.
The process blends the highly-concentrated ingredients with water and sweetener
at the point where the beverage is dispensed. Genius.
What’s Available?
 |
| What isn't!? |
As you can see, all colors of soda, energy and fruit drinks,
waters, and seltzers. If you want it and Coke owns it, it’s here.
Pros:
For users – Freestyle offers novelty and a break
from the mundane.
Tired of regular Diet Coke? How about infusing it with lime,
vanilla or orange? By all means, get creative – pair original diet with varying
parts of raspberry and vanilla.
For Coke – Freestyle offers real-time data and
field reporting.
The machines are RFID enabled. Chips detect when ingredients
are low and radio suppliers to refill. Freestyle also transmits daily reports
including brands/flavor combinations sold, foot-traffic trends, troubleshooting
information and service data.
Cons:
Ooh, a long line! Try
again later. Like any new technology, there is a learning curve to get
through before efficiency can be achieved. The machine, albeit intuitive, can
be intimidating to first-time users. The selection process can be time-consuming as new users combat
information overload.
More than Just a Pretty Face…
 |
| Seriously, I love this thing... |
Sure, the machines are sexy and fun to use. And yeah, they
are more efficient and easier to maintain than traditional soda fountains. But
what Coke is really banking on is their ability to see into the future; crystal
balls for the beverage industry, if you will.
With so many choices
and combinations, Freestyle is field
research!
Its ability to log and report consumption trends back to corporate
serves as an R&D primer to product development. Data trends may help
identify the rising popularity of certain flavor pairings or totally new genres
(coconut water, anyone?). And so, rather
than strict product distribution, Freestyle
is a vital tool in Coke’s ability to sustain its competitive advantage.
What will your favorite flavor combo be?
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