Coca-Cola recently launched a new type of drink, sharing an extremely similar design with PewDiePie’s art.
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Coca-Cola is a company that needs no introduction, being behind the very popular beverage, but also owners of other brands of drinks such as Dasani, Fanta, Minute Maid or Sprite. Around the end of March, the company launched in Europe a new energy drink, simply named “Coca-Cola Energy”, a drink that “features caffeine from naturally-derived sources, guarana extracts, B vitamins and no taurine – all with a great Coca-Cola taste and feeling that people know and love.”, as per the company’s press release.
The drink launched in a few European countries, and quickly reached the rest of Europe, with a lot of advertising to push consumers to buy the new product. We recently came across one of these advertisements here in Brussels, and were shocked by the similarities between Coca-Cola’s newest design and a well-known and familiar look:
Coca-Cola’s advertisement 
PewDiePie’s G Fuel collaboration 
But can you do this? 
PewDiePie’s Razer headphones
It is hard to deny both designs have some similarities. While looking through social media, it would seem we were not the only ones to assume this. A further look at Coca-Cola’s press release raises even more questions, as the company markets the drink to the 18 to 35 age bracket, which happens to be the main demographic following PewDiePie’s channel, as it can seen in the various times the creator showed his statistics, and whenever he mentions it randomly in a video. Other energy drinks are also targeted at this age bracket, such as Monster Energy, or the Swedish YouTuber’s own sponsor, G Fuel.
The design remains curious due to the multiple similarities and coincidences between the creator and the age demographic targeted, but neither Coca-Cola nor PewDiePie seem to have mentioned anything about the subject. Seeing the amount of people who already retweeted/brought this matter to his attention, he’s probably already aware of this, and most likely will not do much against it, seeing how humble he’s appeared in other situations. Of course, an army of Coca-Cola lawyers is also likely a very strong reason to not mention the matter. On top of this, it is hard to deny that, legally, there might not be enough content as to file a proper lawsuit. Sure, both designs are extremely similar, but it undeniable that Coca-Cola heavily relies on reds and blacks for its branding. Additionally, the pattern is rather random and slightly different, and might not even be eligible for registration as a patent for legal protection. For instance, many years ago, French train operator SNCF tried to register their well-known fuchsia-red logo, with the request being denied, due to how easily this colour scheme could be produced and thus not being “unique” enough.
In any case, not much else can be said on the subject. Sure, both designs are extremely similar, but that’s where it stops. Concerning the drink, we haven’t tried it, but from the comments of people on social media, some seem to really like it, while others say it’s essentially Coca-Cola with coffee and tasting horribly.
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