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Post 12: Promotion

With the importance of social media rising every year, companies increasingly take strides to achieve an online presence. Internet channels are utilized more than ever through blogs, social media, and mobile marketing. Companies make efforts to provide smooth interfaces for mobile commerce.

Coca-Cola’s integrated marketing communications include an emphasis on social media. The brand has a presence on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and even Instagram. Coca-Cola uses these platforms to get customers involved in the brand. Coca-Cola operates differently on different social platforms, catering to its audience to create content they enjoy.

Social media provides an opportunity to directly interact with customers and create a personal vibe. Coca-Cola manages to maintain positive public relations through these tools and navigate bad press. Social media also helps Coca-Cola receive genuine feedback from its customers. Although Coca-Cola uses many communication channels, internet channels prove to be very useful.

Other useful tools include advertisements intended toward a broad audience. For example, Super Bowl often highlights Coca-Cola either during commercial breaks or even during game time through billboards and endorsements. Coca-Cola billboards commonly scatter highways and large spaces. Many movie theaters show the Coca-Cola logo and brand name before showings. Online tools compose a fraction of Coca-Cola’s toolbelt dedicated to raising brand awareness.

Coca-Cola utilizes promotional strategies, including sales promotions, to increase demand for Coca-Cola products. Their advertisements associate with a certain lifestyle and behavior, often one that is socially oriented and happy. As such, the company targets value based advertising. Coca-Cola may use personal selling when negotiating deals between businesses, but not between individual customers.

Sources:

Bhasin, H. (2017, April 15). Marketing mix of Coca Cola. In Marketing 91. Retrieved from http://www.marketing91.com/marketing-mix-coca-cola/

Shively, K. (2014, May 22). Lessons from Coca-Cola’s social media Strategy: Cohesive campaigns and creative content. In Simply Measured. Retrieved from http://simplymeasured.com/blog/lessons-from-coca-colas-social-media-strategy-cohesive-campaigns-and-creative-content/#sm.0001bfphzn16zdds9x0b6ubc6ketc

Post 11: Place (Distribution)

Many entities are involved in Coca-Cola’s marketing, manufacturing, and distribution. Coca-Cola has efficient supply chain management to reach vast areas of many countries. Instead of having distribution centers, each country has its own bottlers that work with Coca-Cola to manufacture, package, and distribute their products to retailers across the country (Berry, 2010).

Coca-Cola uses an indirect marketing channel that includes bottlers and retailers before their products land in customers’ hands. The brand has an intensive distribution strategy that includes many outlets. Customers can expect to find Coca-Cola at nearly any retailer. Food retailers, conventional supermarkets, supercenters, convenience stores, and full-line discount stores are just a few types of the retailers that Coca-Cola works with. Facilitators transport syrup to bottlers to retailers.

Through its intensive distribution and efficient supply chain management, Coca-Cola’s distribution stands out from the crowd. Nearly all parts of the world have access to this brand both mentally and physically.

Sources:

The Coca-Cola Company. (2017). The Coca-Cola system. In Coca-Cola Journey. Retrieved May 7, 2017, from http://www.coca-colacompany.com/our-company/the-coca-cola-system

Berry, S. (2010, December 19). How Coca-Cola’s distribution system works. In colalife. Retrieved May 7, 2017, from http://www.colalife.org/2010/12/19/how-coca-colas-distribution-system-works/

Post 10: Trends/Pricing

The beverage industry has undergone changes in the marketplace that require brands like Coca-Cola to adapt. Recent trends indicate a growing health-conscious population that shuns added sugars and seeks more nutritious options. Beverage companies trend toward water, energy, and sports drinks brands (Taylor, 2016). This poses an opportunity for Coca-Cola to continue efforts to reformulate Coca-Cola and introduce new brands that appeal to a healthier audience.

Price reflects the sacrifice a consumer is willing to make for a product. Coca-Cola’s pricing differs based on geographic location, and sub-brands follow different pricing strategies (Bhasin, 2017). Coca-Cola considers its competitors’ pricing when determining its own and somewhat has a competitor orientation. The company also evaluates its customers’ perceptions of value for Coca-Cola before formulating prices and is customer oriented.

In the past, Coca-Cola has adopted characteristics of high/low pricing during periods of market hardship. Promotions and temporary price reductions helped the brand compete with threatening competition. Coca-Cola and Pepsi’s pricing is often similar, though not due to price fixing. Rather, the brands constantly regard each other to remain competitive.

For new products, Coca-Cola sometimes uses a market penetration strategy to raise brand awareness and gain a foothold in the market. After successfully earning a place in the market, Coca-Cola then markets itself as a premium product and raises prices.

Sources:

Bhasin, H. (2017, April 15). Marketing mix of Coca Cola. In Marketing 91. Retrieved from http://www.marketing91.com/marketing-mix-coca-cola/

Taylor, K. (2016, January 2). The 4 biggest ways American beverage consumption will change in 2016. In Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/4-big-beverage-industry-trends-in-2016-2015-12

Post 9: Services

Coca-Cola is mostly known for its sparkly beverages, but the company offers some services as well. Services, intangible and perishable offerings, come in many forms. Coca-Cola offers customer service via the company website and via telephone.

The company’s customer service includes staff available to answer questions on the phone and help assist with customer problems. The company website offers a FAQ to answer common questions about products, packaging, business, promotions, and more. Coca-Cola also has a variety of social media channels with which to communicate with customers.

Coca-Cola’s customer service adds some value to the brand by satisfying customer needs. However, the human element of interacting with staff introduces some heterogeneity or variability in service quality. Overall, Coca-Cola provides a small set of services but is mostly associated with its successful products.

Sources:

The Coca-Cola Company. (2017). Contact Us: The Coca-Cola Company. In Coca-Cola Journey. Retrieved May 7, 2017, from http://www.coca-colacompany.com/contact-us

Contact Coca-Cola Customer Service. (2017). In Contact Customer Service Now. Retrieved from http://www.contactcustomerservicenow.com/contact-coca-cola-customer-service/

Brands owned by the Coca-Cola Company

Post 8: Brand

Coca-Cola, a national brand owned and developed by the Coca-Cola Company, is known for its positive brand associations, high brand loyalty, and stellar brand equity. Several factors contribute to Coca-Cola’s national brand awareness and continuing success.

Today the company owns over 3,300 products and has the widest portfolio in the beverage industry (Bhasin, 2017). The company’s product mix includes many product lines such as diet drinks, 100 percent fruit juices, fruit drinks, water, tea, and more. The company’s vast collection leads to both extensive product breadth and depth.

The Coca-Cola Classic brand itself has various off-shoots in its own product line. Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Coca-Cola Life, and Coca-Cola Light name just a few of these options (The Coca-Cola Company, 2017). The Coca-Cola brand is well established with an extensive and successful product mix.

Sources:

Bhasin, H. (2017, April 15). Marketing mix of Coca Cola. In Marketing 91. Retrieved from http://www.marketing91.com/marketing-mix-coca-cola/

The Coca-Cola Company. (2017). Brands. In Coca-Cola Journey. Retrieved May 7, 2017, from http://www.coca-colacompany.com/brands/the-coca-cola-company

#cocacola #brand #productline

Post 7: Packaging

The distinctly familiar color combination of Coca-Cola packaging is instantly recognizable. The classic logo script and red and white themes are visually attractive. The permeance of the icon creates a feeling of comfort with consumers. This deeply ingrained brand image immensely helps the product stand out.

Also, products are packaged in a range of sizes to suit every purpose. In addition to the multi-sized plastic bottles are the iconic glass bottles that reminisce of earlier times. Functionality combined with timeless image make Coca-Cola packaging special and successful. No obvious changes seem to be necessary.

#cocacola #bottle #packaging

Post 6: Competition

The Coca-Cola brand shares the nonalcoholic sparkling beverages segment of the beverage industry with many other brands. This market segment contains some fierce competition. Key competitors primarily consist of the Pepsi brand as well as brands of Nestle and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group. These brands and companies compete over pricing, product innovation, advertising, packaging, brand development, and more.

Coca-Cola stays competitive with strong brand awareness and consumer acceptance through marketing. High brand equity and positive brand associations are some of the brand’s largest assets.The company also maintains a solid network of bottlers and distributors. However, strong competition exists worldwide.

Focusing on the Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi cola war, Coca-Cola seems to be the innovation leader. For example, the Diet Coke and Coke Zero offshoots prompted Pepsi’s Pepsi One product. Coca-Cola’s seniority and trend of innovations make it the leader in most cases.

In 2014, Coca-Cola clearly dominated the carbonated soft drink market with a market share of 42 percent versus Pepsi’s 30 percent. The company’s strategy of long-term brand development and product development strategy work in its favor.

Sources:

Coca-Cola Company (KO). (2010, February 26). Competition for Coca-Cola. In wikinvest. Retrieved from http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Coca-Cola_Company_(KO)/Competition

Gray, L. (2013, August 5). Coca-Cola's maniacal focus on brand equity trumps the competition. In Seeking Alpha. Retrieved from http://seekingalpha.com/article/1603272-coca-colas-maniacal-focus-on-brand-equity-trumps-the-competition

Post 5: Target Market

Coca-Cola beverages appeal to many different types of people. Through market segmentation, some groups are targeted more than others. Although the brand does not seem to specifically target any demographic segment, Coca-Cola usually targets a more youthful age group. Gender, income, and education do not seem to be relevant factors in the brand’s overall marketing strategy. Similarly, the target markets are not particular geographic segments as Coca-Cola is enjoyed in many different regions and countries.

Coca-Cola targets several psychographic segments. The brand gears its advertisements towards individuals with certain self-values. These values include the desire to have social bonds and interactions. A cornerstone of Coca-Cola ads is an emphasis on friends and family. The brand targets those with lifestyles that are busy, on-the-go, and family oriented. Targeted segments have self-concepts of being happy, hip, and fun-loving.

Behavioral segmentation does not play a major role since Coca-Cola can be enjoyed in a vast variety of occasions. Differentiated target strategies are mostly seen with Coca-Cola’s attention toward health-conscious consumers. Coke Zero, Diet Coke, and Coca-Cola Life all aim to target consumers who would otherwise shun high sugar content. The core psychographic segments, however, remain the same.

Sources:

Investor's Business Daily. (2014, June 20). New Coca-Cola Life targets health-conscious crowd. In Nasdaq. Retrieved from http://www.nasdaq.com/article/new-coca-cola-life-to-target-more-health-conscious-crowd-cm363756

Kasi. (2011). Coca Cola marketing plan. In Marketing Mixx. Retrieved from http://marketingmixx.com/marketing-plan-2/165-coca-cola-marketing-plan.html

Post 4: SWOT

SWOT Analysis

The best opportunity to pursue, in my analysis, is greater marketing for less well-known Coca-Cola offshoots. Coca-Cola already has multiple derivative products, such as Coca-Cola Cherry. Rather than creating entirely new product lines that may have little in common with consumers’ image of the brand, increasing marketing for the existing product line may be beneficial.

In addition, I recommend that management spends some advertising efforts on mitigating negative images on environmental issues. The modern consumer has a greater concern for environmental welfare. Management should focus attention on decreasing waste of water during production and on informing the public of these changes.

Sources:

Bhasin, H. (2017, March 7). SWOT of Coca Cola. In Marketing 91. Retrieved from http://www.marketing91.com/swot-coca-cola/

Jurevicius, O. (2017, January 8). Coca Cola SWOT analysis 2017. In Strategic Management Insight. Retrieved from https://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/swot-analyses/coca-cola-swot-analysis.html

Post 3: Strategy

The Coca-Cola Company has made strategic decisions to maintain the Coca-Cola brand’s sustainable competitive advantage for over a century. The brand is still remarkably strong, well-recognized, and profitable today. The brand’s long-term dominance prevents other brands from encroaching on its market share.

One of Coca-Cola’s perhaps most important determinant attributes is the brand’s distinctly classic design. The logo and color combination of red and white can be instantly recognized by consumers worldwide. High exposure to the brand name and image help secure sales and recognition.

The strong brand image yields high product excellence; such effective positioning makes Coca-Cola a household name. The sight of the logo connects with an image of high quality and traditional values. Moreover, the brand maintains customer excellence by cultivating loyalty to the product. Individuals who favor Coca-Cola over Pepsi are much more likely to automatically choose Coca-Cola if given the choice.

A huge element of Coca-Cola’s sustainable competitive advantage is its operational excellence. The company manages to master sophisticated product distribution to vendors and manufacturers all over the world. Coca-Cola utilized efficient operations and keeps prices reasonable.

Locational excellence is indirectly advantageous. The company itself does not have extensive locations and internet presence, but its vendors and distributors ensure that the product is available in most restaurant and store environments. These are some of the reasons that Coca-Cola has stayed competitive throughout many years.

#marketing #marketing strategy #competitive advantage

A classic Coca-Cola transportation vehicle.

#cocacola #truck #transport

Post 2: Brand

The Coca-Cola company sells a variety of products totaling over 500 brands, ranging from carbonated and sugary beverages to bottled water. The initial Coca-Cola beverage is the oldest and most valuable brand among them. Coca-Cola is typically B to B, meaning that the manufactured product, syrup, is sold to bottlers and fountain retailers to be sold to customers (”Coca-Cola Company”, 2010).

The Coca-Cola corporate headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia. Coca-Cola is a publicly traded company. The company defines its mission statement in terms of three principles. Coca-Cola aims to "refresh the world in mind, body and spirit", to inspire joy, and to "create value and make a difference" ("Mission, Vision, and Values").

Coca-Cola works with over 700,000 employees, including their bottling partners (The Coca-Cola Company, 2016). The Company also features 20 brands that earn over $1 billion annually in sales. Coca-Cola is a well-established brand in a dominating company that relies on consistent and excellent marketing to keep up with changing times for over a century.

Sources:

Coca-Cola Company (KO): Description of business. (2010, February 26). In wikinvest. Retrieved from http://www.wikinvest.com/stock/Coca-Cola_Company_(KO)/Description_Business

The Coca-Cola Company. (2016). Who we are. In coca-colacompany. Retrieved from http://www.coca-colacompany.com/careers/who-we-are-infographic

Mission, vision, and values. (n.d.). In Coca-Cola. Retrieved from http://www.coca-cola.ie/about-us/mission-vision-and-values

#cocacolacompany #cocacolabrand #sales #missionstatement

Post 1: Start

Coca-Cola was first formulated in 1886 by Dr. John S. Pemberton. The world would come to love his flavored syrup and carbonated water combination.

Despite Coke’s wild popularity in contemporary times, only nine servings were sold each day of its first year. Today, the daily global sales count is estimated at 1.9 billion servings.

The eventual leadership of Asa G. Candler led to Coca-Cola’s widespread recognition and success. The company developed the Coca-Cola worldwide bottling system that allowed it to transport its goods near and far.

Coca-Cola was one of the pioneers in marketing tactics, namely offering coupons and distributing promotional items. In the 1970s, Coca-Cola started developing a brand image strongly linked to happiness, family and friends, and enjoyment.

Many successful marking factors designated Coca-Cola as the largest beverage company in the world. From maintaining a timeless font and sleek design to upholding quality and image, Coca-Cola has been on the top of its game for over a century.

Sources:

Coca-Cola History. (n.d.). In World of Coca-Cola. Retrieved from http://www.worldofcoca-cola.com/about-us/coca-cola-history/

Feloni, R. (2015, June 12). 7 brilliant strategies Coca-Cola used to become one of the world's most recognizable brands. In Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/strategies-coca-cola-used-to-become-a-famous-brand-2015-6

#history #marketing #cocacola

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