Analysis Of Coca-Cola’s Marketing Strategy And Campaigns

Analysis Of Coca-Cola’s Marketing Strategy And Campaigns
Everyone knows Coca-Cola, it is one of the most popular & beloved brand in the world. Coca Cola is
an international company & the world largest manufacturer, licensor & distributor of 3,500
nonalcoholic beverages with more than 500 brands & selling 17 billion servings per day in more than
200 countries. The global behemoth is known for marketing strategy of creating & maintaining its
identity of bringing people happiness & unity. The Coca-Cola owns four out of the five biggest soft
drinks which are Coca Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite & Fanta.
The Coca-Cola was invented in the late 19thcentury & has continues to be in the top position in the
beverage industry. In its long history, the company has been able to come up with unique &
innovative marketing campaigns that have been extremely successful. Coca Cola generates 60% of
its revenue & about 80% of its operations profit from outside America, which goes to show that coca
cola has a strong brand recognition across the globe.
The mission of the company is to refresh, inspire optimism & bring about happy moments in
consumers lives, while the framework of the company is to address various elements of its business
which are customers, partners, productivity, brands portfolio & communities. According to Business
Insider, approximately 94% of the world population is aware of the red & white logo of coca cola,
pointing out the fact it has been successful in implementing its mission. The competitors of Coca-
Cola is Pepsi Co and Dr. Pepper Snapple.
A Brief History of Coca Cola
The Target Audience of Coca-Cola
The Marketing Strategy of Coca-Cola
Well known marketing campaigns of Coca Cola
Conclusion
A Brief History of Coca Cola
Coca-Cola has evolved a lot from when it first started, the company went from selling one products
to more than 3,500 beverages, having affiliations with 500 brands selling 17 billion serving in a single
day to more than 200 countries. Coca-Cola is the leading company in the beverage industry & first
started out by being a soda fountain drink in Atlanta, Georgia in 1986, where it first sold in a
pharmacy. The soft drink was first discovered by Dr John Pemberton at Jacob’s pharmacy in 1986,
that year he only had managed to sell 9 drinks in total.
When the product was first produced by Dr. Pemberton in the form of a syrup & sold for 5 cents a
glass as a soda fountain drink. The carbonated drink was then changed to a syrup to a drink that was
said to be refreshing & delicious. Dr Pemberton then went on to partner with a book keeper Frank M
Robinson who suggested the name to be changed to Coca-Cola. The company was incorporated in

1892 & its drink were first sold in bottles in 1894 and then first established internationally in 1904 in
countries like Canada, Cuba & Panama.
Dr Pemberton never realized the true potential of the soft drink he had created. Over the years he
gradually sold portions of his business to various partners &, just prior to his death in 1888, sold his
remaining interest in Coca-Cola to Asa G. Candler. Mr Candler who was a businessman from Atlanta,
went on to buy additional rights & acquire complete control.
The Target Audience of Coca-Cola
The company brands range from sparkling soft drinks to juice & beverages while its customers
comprises of the general population which is divided according to their tastes & preferences. When
it comes to flagship brands like Diet Coke the target audience falls in age range of under 30 years as
they are identified as the youth. On other side the regular Coca-Cola is said to have a more mature
target audience of 30 years & above.
Also since the company has been around for more than 125 years it provides a nostalgic feel to the
older generation 31 years & up. The vast range of different beverage have a minimum target
audience of 12 years & older as the company is reducing the amount of advertising that targets
children younger than 12. The company also does geographical segmentation depending on regional
tastes & preferences.
The Marketing Strategy of Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is the world third most valuable brand in the world, because it has one of the most
successful marketing strategy. Coca-Cola is often associated with happiness, in fact the words Coca-
Cola in mandarin means "Delicious Happiness". This is exactly what the brand stands for bringing
together people & creating happy moments in their lives. The company’s products are now available
in every country including North Korea & Cuba. A uniquely designed marketing strategy has been the
reason behind the company’s reach internationally.
In India, Coca-Cola first took over Parle Foods & acquired local brands like Thumps Up, Limca, Mazaa,
etc. The combination of Indian & Western brands enabled Coca Cola to extend its global branding. In
India, where people are price sensitive & prefer beverages like nimbu paani and tea over soft drinks,
Coca-Cola managed get a huge audience by following an intensive brand building program. Coca-
Cola has grown exponentially at the rate of 40% from 2002 by following the Affordability strategy &
continues to grow in double digits since then. The consumer base has also grown from 162 million in
2006 to a whopping 233 million in 2004.
The factors of Coca-Colas marketing strategy are:
The shape of the bottle - One of the reasons Coca-Cola has been successful is its consistency and fact
that everyone no matter from age or country can recognize the product. In 1915, when the brand
was losing market share to hundreds of competitors, a national contest for a new bottle design was
launched. This helped the customers to identify the original bottle & also made the product look
premium.