In October we blogged about the Coca-Cola company’s partnership with the World Wildlife Fund to help get the word out about the depleting polar bear population and the melting of Arctic Sea ice. Coca-Cola turned their classic red cans white to raise awareness at the consumer level and the cans hit store shelves on November 1st and instead of awareness there was just confusion.

Diet soda drinkers grabbed the white cans thinking they were Diet Coke only to pop the top and realize they were drinking regular. This really only happened when customers were buying single cans of Coke like at a deli or weren’t paying attention when pulling from the fridge in their own homes. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) spoke with a sympathetic deli owner in Atlanta who was letting customers exchange the opened cans for unopened ones. The packs of regular Coke sold in stores were still packaged in red cardboard so a customer couldn’t tell the cans were white until opening the box.

It seemed like such a simple idea especially since Coca-Cola has been advertising with polar bears for years. But the brand recognition and loyalty that the company has worked so hard to cultivate through the highly-visible red can has appeared to have backfired on them.  Angry consumers have to taken to the Internet to complain about the company as if they purposely set out to bamboozle its customers through a bait and switch type scheme. The WSJ highlighted a You Tube video with a customer taking taste tests wherein they could supposedly tell the difference between Coke from a red can versus Coke from the white can. It’s too bad they aren’t protesting the company’s use of unhealthy high fructose corn syrup in their drinks no matter the color of the can.

The media has been quick to imply that consumers can’t handle such a campaign. To a certain extent Coca-Cola agrees and they are phasing out the white cans even though they were suppose to be on shelves until February. They will start the roll out of a red can with polar bears for Arctic Home Phase II to celebrate the holiday season and continue the discussion the white cans started. The awareness discussion not the confused, angry one.

There are still ways for consumers to donate through the Arctic Home website or by texting 375375 to make a $1 donation.  There is no indication that the donation information won’t be included on the Phase II cans. With more market research the white cans may have stuck around longer. Maybe the already silvery-white Diet Coke cans would have been a better fit for the campaign? Coca-Cola is still committed to the polar bear by vowing to contribute up to $3 million dollars for conservation efforts.