It’s fascinating how certain themes emerge in the marketing world. One that has been impossible to ignore in recent years is the massive growth of the luxury sector which, if we believe everything we read, has been fuelled by ‘greedy bankers’ and ‘emerging global economies’ (China, India et al). While the rest of the economy went through a credit crunch, the richest in society got richer, their numbers grew and of course, brands followed.

The recent news that Coca-Cola is planning to streamline its brands into a cohesive whole makes for interesting reading. Consumers are used to seeing four separate Coca-Cola products on the shelves and attaching different attributes to each. If you want no sugar you go for Coca-Cola Zero, or if you want the authentic experience then you plump for the original red can. With such instant recognition for its products, some would question why Coca-Cola is bothering to do this at all.