Coca-Cola Files Character Trademarks as It Reinforces Foodservice Dominance with New Campaign

Apr/20/2026

The Coca-Cola Company is blending creative brand-building with commercial scale. A new wave of figurative trademark filings introduces distinctive characters tied to its soft drink portfolio, while a coordinated US marketing campaign brings together leading restaurant chains to reaffirm Coca-Cola’s dominance in foodservice.

At the end of March, Coca-Cola submitted a series of unusual US figurative trademark applications built around stylized characters rather than traditional logos. Names such as Howlie, Catrina, Frnx, Drayk, and Haystacks correspond to visually distinctive personas—from a wolf-like figure in headphones to a skeletal, fashion-forward character and a pumpkin-headed farmhand. Each design is linked to soft drinks, signaling a shift toward narrative-driven branding that borrows from gaming, street culture, and animation aesthetics. By embedding personality into trademarks, Coca-Cola appears to be expanding its intellectual property into storytelling territory, potentially laying the groundwork for future digital content, merchandise, or experiential marketing. Following visualisation shows figurative patterns of new trademark.

In parallel, Coca-Cola is reinforcing its core business with a broad-based "And a Coke" campaign that unites more than a dozen foodservice partners, including Domino’s, Wendy’s, and Popeyes. The campaign’s central message is simple yet strategic: regardless of the meal—pizza, burgers, or fried chicken—the default beverage remains Coca-Cola. Through a series of 30-second spots featuring diverse consumer groups, the brand underscores its ubiquity across American dining occasions. The initiative also responds directly to Pepsi’s long-running "Better with Pepsi" positioning, reasserting Coke’s dominance at more than 500,000 foodservice locations. As quick-service restaurants navigate slower growth and shifting consumer behavior, Coca-Cola is leveraging both cultural storytelling and commercial partnerships to maintain its edge at the point of sale.