While the Cola wars raged between Coca-Cola and Pepsi, Peru was an entirely different battlefield for many years. Inca Kola, a lemon verbena-infused yellow-hued fizzy drink created by a British immigrant, was the clear king of the market
So strong was Inka Kola's reign that Coca-Cola gave up fighting and bought a stake in the brand in the late '90s. It still owns the global trademark outside of Peru and has a 50% of the brand's domestic operations.
But that deal was a bone to competitors. Rival blue-and-yellow-branded beverages can now claim to be more genuinely Peruvian than the original. And, of course, it wouldn't be a cola war without Pepsi also on the scene. Its Triple Kola also uses the same colours.
That competition has led to the latest Inca Kola rebrand, but some people think it's taken the wrong direction if it wants to reassert its position as the original national treasure of the Peruvian beverage market..
On the face of it, the new Inca Kola logo is relatively subtle tweak, but it's proven to be pretty controversial. The design reduces the previous identity to its core elements, stripping away the white borders around the type, along with the shape of Peru behind the text and the 'since 1935' legend below.
It's simpler, clearer and more readable. More visible on the shelf? Maybe. It also feels younger and more modern. But some customers have taken offence at the decision to remove the outline of the country from the logo.
"It went from being a brand with an identity to being a bland brand with no visual appeal," one person writes on Facebook. "They've decided to globalise the design", someone else thinks. "They might as well put a gringo flag on it," another critic suggests.
So is the Inca Kola logo just another victim of the trend towards minimalism? Removing the country outline and the established date might seem like a counterproductive move if the aim is to reassert the brand's historical status as a source of national pride.
But the design agency Epoch says there was a need to make the brand stand out more. Also, perhaps the Peru-ness on its own is now longer the asset it was now the brand's largely owned by Coca-Cola.
Instead, the rebrand leans into the feeling of belonging, with the work being done by other assets. The simplification of the logo draws more attention to its shape. This now becomes an asset in its own right, serving as a framing device for brand visuals that present Inca Kola at social gatherings or paired with food, depicting it as the drink that brings Peruvians together.
One of the most interesting parts of the rebrand is the sonic logo created with Echoic Audio. The four-note mnemonic was created by tapping on traditional glass cola bottles – a sound already associated with the brand.
"Our creative exploration centred on honouring the brand’s iconic colours, shapes and patterns," Epoch says of the rebrand. "We modernised these elements, bringing them to life through an uplifting visual identity, sonic branding and brand world. Visuals put an emphasis on how the brand brings people together and its importance with food."
