Consumer Behavior and Marketing Psychology: A Study on Coca-Cola Survey

This report is a study on consumer behavior and marketing psychology with a focus on Coca-Cola. The survey aims to understand Coca-Cola customers better and identify what motivates customers to buy the brand or what are factors that influence their buying decisions. The report covers topics such as customer perception, emotions associated with the brand, occasions when customers consume Coca-Cola, and factors that influence customer preference. The report also includes key findings and recommendations for the brand to improve customer loyalty and retention.

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Consumer behavior and
marketing psychology
Coca-Cola Survey

Consumer behaviour and marketing psychology 1
Contents
Introduction........................................................................................................................1
Purpose of the survey........................................................................................................1
Development of the survey instrument..............................................................................1
Administration process......................................................................................................1
Data analysis and key findings..........................................................................................2
References.........................................................................................................................8
Appendices........................................................................................................................9

Consumer behaviour and marketing psychology 2
Introduction
“Customer is the king”. This is the well-known rule and philosophy adopted by
successful businesses across the globe. Businesses produce goods and services that
are liked by customer. These offerings are priced effectively by keeping in mind the
affordability of the target market. Post which, these products and services are marketed
and promoted in order to reach out to customers and make a positive first impression.
Even after the business has sold the product or service, consistent efforts are made to
ensure customer retention and satisfaction.
A successful business truly revolves around the customer. Therefore understanding
consumer behaviour and pattern is essential for the growth and development of any
business. A customer’s buying behaviour is influenced by various factors including
culture, social upbringing, needs, influences and external motivations. This report
highlights upon customer’s buying behaviour, patterns, preferences and choices when it
comes to buying Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola is a leading brand in the flavoured soda
industry and is well liked by people across the globe.
Purpose of the survey
The purpose of the survey is to understand Coca-Cola customers better. The questions
are aimed at identifying what motivates customers to buy the brand or what are factors
that influence their buying decisions. Efforts have also been put to understand their
culture and lifestyle better by asking the mood and the emotions they associate with
Coca-Cola.
Development of the survey instrument
The survey has been designed with an online tool known as the Survey Monkey. The
tool is unbiased and offers transparency of results.

Consumer behaviour and marketing psychology 3
Administration process
The first step was to design a questionnaire with 10 questions. The aim of each and
every question was to understand the customer and their attitude towards Coca-Cola in
a better manner. The questionnaire was then distributed via an online link to random
people who have recently purchased or consumed Coca-Cola. The survey has been
filled by 24 people with a 100% answered rate depicting that none of the questions have
been skipped. There was no known bias in terms of age, gender, caste, religion or race
while selecting the participants.
Data analysis and key findings
This part of the report highlights upon the results of the survey. The combined data
received from all participants gives us a deep insight about the buying behaviour and
attitude of Coca-Cola customers. The data has been analyzed in order to understand
customers better. The results of the survey and the key findings associated with it have
been shared as below.
Question 1: What was your first motivation to buy Coca-Cola?
Option Percentage of respondents
Advertisements 54.17%
Brand Ambassador 12.5%
Friends or family members 20.83%
Packaging 12.50%
Price 16.67%
Taste 20.83%
The aim of this question is to understand exactly which factors motivate customers to
buy Coca-Cola. Before making any purchase, customers have several factors that

Consumer behaviour and marketing psychology 4
motivate them to buy a particular product. These motivation factors may stem from
family, friends, advertisements, unique packaging or really low price. Over 54% of the
respondents mentioned that they are motivated by advertisements. Promotional
activities by a firm play a significant role in motivating a customer to buy the product (Hill
% Alexander, 2017). Therefore it can be stated that the brand’s advertising and
promotion strategies are on point. The impact of advertising of any product on a
customer is significant enough to create a positive first impression and encourage initial
purchase. However, post that it is the responsibility of the brand to ensure that the
product lives up to the expectations of customers. Besides advertisements,
recommendations from friends and family members as well as taste of Coca-Cola also
motivates customers to buy the drink.
Question 2: What is your perception of Coca-Cola?
Option Percentage of respondents
Very Positive 41.67%
Positive 37.50%
Neutral 16.67%
Negative 4.17%
Very negative 0%
Customer perception towards a product is an interesting study. It is imperative to
understand the mindset of customers, their attitude and perception towards the product.
This would help the brand in understanding the nature of brand image that the product
has. Customer perceptions are formed by the brand image that has been created
(Lauritsen & Perks, 2015). There are various factors that help customers in establishing
a perception towards a product. This includes the price of the product, promotion
strategies adopted by the brand, the look and feel of the product as well as feedback
from other customers.

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Over 71% of the customer have a positive or a very positive perception about Coca-
Cola signifying the positive brand image that Coca-Cola holds in the eyes of its
customers. Perceptions formed before consuming the product and after consuming the
product can be different. A positive perception of the brand is a result of effective
advertising that set high expectations and the brand’s competency to fulfil those
expectations in an effective manner.
Question 3: What is the primary emotion that you relate with Coca-Cola?
Option Percentage of respondents
Energetic 29.17%
Happy 16.67%
Celebratory 37.50%
Sharing 8.33%
Negative emotions 8.33%
No emotions 0.00%
Every brand has certain emotions associated with it. The emotion that a customer
associates with a brand may be different from the emotion that another customer
associates with the same brand (Keller, 2016). It is essential for brands to understand
and identify the emotions customers are associating with the brand. If the emotions
associated with a brand are positive then the likelihood of purchasing the product also
increases. Customers rarely purchase products that they do not feel positively about
(Hudson et. al., 2015). Besides personal experiences, these emotions are developed
among customers through advertising, promotions and characteristics of brand
ambassadors.
Over 91% of the respondents associate positive emotions with Coca-Cola. These
positive emotions include those of sharing, happiness, joy, celebration and energy. This

Consumer behaviour and marketing psychology 6
is a sign of a largely positive brand image of Coca-Cola. It must be noticed that Coca-
Cola ads are very creatively curated which touch upon important things like social
issues, family values and friendships. It is because of such advertisements that the
emotions associated with Coca-Cola as a brand are highly positive.
Question 4: To what extent do you relate with the brand personality of Coca-
Cola?
Option Percentage of respondents
Very highly 29.17%
Highly 45.83%
Average 25.00%
Low 0.00%
Very low 0.00%
There are several human characteristic and attributes associated with every brand.
These human elements in a brand combine together to form a brand’s personality
(Peretz & Supphellen, 2015). For a brand to be successful for customers and attract a
large number of customers, it is important the customers relate with the brand
personality of the product. 75% of the respondents believe that they relate with the
brand personality of Coca-Cola.
Association with a brand’s personality ensures high levels of customer retention and
loyalty (Das, 2014). A brand’s personality attributes can be infused with the brand
through effective advertising and promotion strategies.
Question 5: On what occasions do you consume Coca-Cola?
Option Percentage of respondents
Happy occasions 54.17%

Consumer behaviour and marketing psychology 7
Sad occasions 4.17%
Daily 20.83%
After a tiring day 20.83%
Can be used to cheer someone up 29.17%
The aim of this question was to understand the social values that customer associate
with the brand. Understanding the occasions on which customers consume Coca-Cola
helps us understand how customers perceive the social value of the brand. Some
beverages can be consumed with family while some are consumed while a work out.
Either way it is important to understand when customer consume the product and their
behaviour associated with Coca-Cola. This would help the brand in formulating
advertisements and promotions that would encourage the behaviour further.
The survey results depict that over 54% of the people prefer having Coca-Cola in happy
occasions. Therefore the brand can encourage the same attitude further by advertising
and promoting the beverage as something that is consumed when people are happy.
Besides this, close to 30% people have mentioned that Coca-Cola can be effectively
used to cheer someone up.
Question 6: Why do you prefer Coca-Cola over other brands?
Option Percentage of respondents
Price 25.00%
Packaging 8.33%
Taste 33.33%
Advertisements 20.83%
Brand Ambassador 4.17%

Consumer behaviour and marketing psychology 8
I do not prefer Coca-Cola over other
brands
8.33%
Like every other industry, this industry is also facing severe competition. In the presence
of such a cut throat competition, it is important to differentiate products from those of
other brands (Gopaldas, 2015). In order to understand what truly differentiates Coca-
Cola, it is essential to identify why customer prefer Coca-Cola over other brands.
The survey results demonstrate that close to 33% of respondents prefer Coca-Cola
because of the great taste that the brand offers. 25% of the people prefer Coca-Cola
because of its price. Besides these, the product’s packaging, advertising and brand
ambassador also have an impact in dictating consumer preference in the flavoured
soda industry. Only 8% of the people mentioned that they do not prefer Coca-Cola over
other brands. This reflects positively on the brand as over 91% of the population
continues to prefer Coca-Cola owing several reasons.
Question 7: Are you a loyal Coca-Cola customer?
Option Percentage of respondents
Yes. I do not buy any other brand. 45.83%
No. I keep trying products from different
brands.
45.83%
Usually. But if it is not available then I buy
other brands.
8.33%
In the process of understanding consumer behaviour, it is important to identify if
customers are loyal to the brand or not. A loyal customer can bring in more customers
by effective word of mouth publicity and other forms of influence. Brands consistently
work towards ensuring high levels of customer loyalty. It is difficult to ensure high brand
loyalty from customers in this industry owing to the low price and frequent usage of the

Consumer behaviour and marketing psychology 9
product. 54% of the respondents accept that they are loyal to Coca-Cola as a brand
while the remaining 45% mentioned that they prefer to try new brands. In order to
ensure higher levels of customer loyalty, Coca-Cola can improve its distribution strategy
and make sure that the beverage is largely available. The shelf space occupied by
Coca-Cola should also be monitored. Besides this, certain offers and discounts must be
given to customers in the form of loyalty points in order to encourage repeat purchase
and brand loyalty.
Question 8: What has been your biggest influence to buy Coca-Cola?
Option Percentage of respondents
Social media 45.83%
Friends 25.00%
Unique taste 16.67%
Price 0.00%
Packaging 12.50%
Customer behaviour is largely guided by the influencing factors in the customer’s lives.
Social media largely influences customer’s buying preferences and priorities (Felix et.
al., 2017). Influencer marketing strategies are adopted by brands in order to increase
sales. Over 45% of the respondents believe that social media plays a significant role in
influencing their attitude and behaviour towards the brand. Besides social media, 25%
of the respondents have been influenced by their friends to buy Coca-Cola which goes
to show that the customers of the brand are also actively promoting the brand through
word of mouth. The taste and packaging of Coca-Cola also has a positive influence on
the brand’s customer’s behaviour.
Question 9: The price of Coca-Cola is?
Option Percentage of respondents

Consumer behaviour and marketing psychology 10
Expensive 4.17%
Value for money 83.33%
Inexpensive 12.50%
The pricing strategies adopted by any brand play a significant role in guiding the
customer’s behaviour towards the brand (Nagle & Muller, 2017). Over 83% of the
people believe that the brand offers significant value for their money and over 12%
people believe that Coca-Cola is inexpensive. This throws light on the effective pricing
policies adopted by the brand. In the face of increasing competition, effectively pricing a
product is very important in order to ensure long term market sustainability.
Question 10: How likely are you to recommend Coca-Cola to others?
Option Percentage of respondents
Very likely 37.50%
Likely 41.67%
Neither likely nor unlikely 16.67%
Unlikely 0.00%
Very unlikely 4.17%
The most important contribution of a brand’s customer in the growth of the brand is the
word of mouth marketing attempted by customers. Profitable customers for a brand are
those that will not only buy the product themselves but will also encourage others to buy
the product. This is important for brands to understand. Effective branding and brand
positioning strategy will encourage customers to recommend the brand to others
(Groeger & Buttle, 2014).

Consumer behaviour and marketing psychology 11
Over 78% of the people are either likely or very likely to recommend Coca-Cola to
others. Only close to 4% people are unlikely to recommend Coca-Cola others which is a
relatively small number. This goes to show that the brand has been able to acquire a
strong base of loyal and profitable customers. Especially with the advent of social
media, every customer has a reach and the opinions of customers can significantly
impact the behaviour of other customers (Jain, 2015). After customers infuse word of
mouth marketing, it becomes an even bigger responsibility of the brand to live up to the
expectations of customers.

Consumer behaviour and marketing psychology 12
References
Das, G., 2014. Impacts of retail brand personality and self-congruity on store loyalty:
The moderating role of gender. Journal of Retailing and Consumer services, 21(2),
pp.130-138.
Felix, R., Rauschnabel, P.A. and Hinsch, C., 2017. Elements of strategic social media
marketing: A holistic framework. Journal of Business Research, 70, pp.118-126.
Gopaldas, A., 2015. Creating firm, customer, and societal value: Toward a theory of
positive marketing. Journal of Business Research, 68(12), pp.2446-2451.
Groeger, L. and Buttle, F., 2014. Word-of-mouth marketing influence on offline and
online communications: Evidence from case study research. Journal of Marketing
Communications, 20(1-2), pp.21-41.
Hill, N. and Alexander, J., 2017. The handbook of customer satisfaction and loyalty
measurement. Routledge. United Kingdom.
Hudson, S., Roth, M.S., Madden, T.J. and Hudson, R., 2015. The effects of social
media on emotions, brand relationship quality, and word of mouth: An empirical study of
music festival attendees. Tourism Management, 47, pp.68-76.
Jain, S., 2015. Electronic word of mouth: antecedents and consequences. South Asian
Journal of Marketing & Management Research, 5(4), pp.22-33.
Keller, K.L., 2016. Reflections on customer-based brand equity: perspectives, progress,
and priorities. AMS review, 6(1-2), pp.1-16.
Lauritsen, B.D. and Perks, K.J., 2015. The influence of interactive, non-interactive,
implicit and explicit CSR communication on young adults’ perception of UK
supermarkets’ corporate brand image and reputation. Corporate Communications: An
International Journal, 20(2), pp.178-195.

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Nagle, T.T. and Müller, G., 2017. The strategy and tactics of pricing: A guide to growing
more profitably. Routledge. United Kingdom.
Peretz, A. and Supphellen, M., 2015. Brand Personality and the Utilitarian Brand.
In Marketing in Transition: Scarcity, Globalism, & Sustainability (pp. 406-406). Springer,
Cham.

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Appendices

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