Marketing Mix of Coca-Cola: Strategies, Implementation and Challenges

This essay explores the marketing mix strategies employed by Coca-Cola, focusing on the core elements of product, price, place, and promotion. It highlights how Coca-Cola strategically manages pricing to cater to diverse consumer segments and economic conditions, while also emphasizing the significance of promotional activities through social media, celebrity endorsements, and creative campaigns. The essay further discusses Coca-Cola's effective distribution channels, ensuring product availability in various locations worldwide. The analysis includes examples of Coca-Cola's adaptations to market demands, such as adjusting product sizes and exploring new flavors, while also acknowledging past missteps like the 'New Coke' initiative. The essay concludes that Coca-Cola's ability to adapt, learn from experiences, and consistently track the elements of the marketing mix has contributed to its enduring success and global brand recognition.

Marketing is the administrative process responsible for characterizing customer
expectations and satisfying. Not only in the economic fields (industrial, agriculture,
service) but it is also extended in football field, where marketing the players in the
international sports clubs as “football” the most popular sport in the world. Not only for a
certain class of people but for all classes all over the world. Marketing exceeded the
stage of industrial product. There are special abilities of some human beings who are
marketed and exploited in the advertising industrial products. This essay will
demonstrate the idea of marketing mix in coca cola company. The idea of marketing mix
is originally explained by Neil Borden. It consists of twelve elements and then simplified
to become four elements by Eugene McCarthy. These four elements are product, price,
place and promotion (Baines et al.,2017:18). According to Coca Cola company which
has very well-known products all over the world. Price, place and promotion are
considered the main three elements affecting the company.
Firstly, the price is the value which customers pay in exchange for specific
product. The price is one of the most important and difficult elements in any profitable
organization as it is affected by the price of the product’s component. Company’s owner
should consider that the price is competitive. The competitive price doesn’t mean to be
the cheapest in the market, as people might think it is low quality product. People
assume that the price reflects the quality and that what happens in most cases. The
price determines the position of the company in the market and how they are different
between other competitors. The more expensive the price, the more valuable customer
expect. In addition to, the price element is significant to be suitable for all level of people
whether the rich or their income is limited. Moreover, the price should be convenient
with the size and quantity which is offered to the consumer. For example, coca cola
provides different sizes with good prices for the individual, family and societies.
Similarly, there is sale on the shape and size in different times. For example, increase in
the quantity but with the same price. Furthermore, the company sets the price according
to the economy’s country and geographic segment as German, Egypt and Greece.
They also set the prices based on the other competitors in the market, like Pepsi as
they share the same product in market.
Secondly, the promotion is a vital and different method in communication
marketing. It “covers all tools to you use to reach customers in your targeted segments.”
(Wood, 2010:12). As it is used to inform customer about the goods and services. In
other words, it helps people to recognize the type of product whether the product is
food, beverage, clothes, furniture, the use of the product and to which category of
people it is targeted. In addition to, promotion plays an important role in marketing the
product. So, most of big companies focus on the creativity of how they sell or market
their product. To achieve that, they start focusing on the social media which affects
large number of customers. The social media is the main reference for the customer
nowadays. And that’s how Coca Cola company takes advantage of social media and
attracts people to buy their products. Whenever, people log on Facebook or Instagram
or any website, they find an advertisement of Coca Cola company and even when
people watch television, Coca Cola advertisement pop up every thirty minutes and even

it becomes a sponsorship to many tv shows and series. Furthermore, Coca Cola
company takes advantage of different celebrities in all countries. However, Coca cola is
a successful company with renewable thoughts. For instance, the famous football
player, “Mohamed salah” who has reached a place that is considered global position in
a very short time with the love of most people and children. He became the promotional
commercials for multinational companies like coca cola. It also attracts the consumer by
writing the names on bottles and cans. The company makes profit from the production
of children’s needs and the glass cup which is written on it the company’s logo.
Furthermore, Coca Cola started in getting into fashion as there are women, men and
children clothes with Coca Cola logo.
Thirdly, the place is “the location where exchange takes place will affect
perception of the product” (Blythe and Megicks, 2010:192). It is significant to know how
to distribute the product in an optimal way. This means that the place must be known
and easily approachable to the consumer. For instance, Coca cola products are
available everywhere and have vending machines in many places like hospitals,
shopping center, schools, supermarkets. Coca Cola products are also distributed to
restaurant and hotels throughout the world. It also collects the leftover glass bottles from
the retailers and recycle them into a reusable product. When people gather and
celebrate for Christmas, it is possible to find coca cola company’s vehicle where people
go and buy different products.
Coca cola company does not look only for profit but also it has a long history in
society and community improvement. It always participates to help people in need and
provide fund raising to charity. "Coca-Cola always stands ready to help when people are
in need. Our hearts go out to those affected by this destructive storm," said Muhtar
Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Coca-Cola Company. "Our system
has mobilized to help however we can. We're working with local authorities and relief
agencies, donating our beverages and funds to help rebuild impacted communities."
(Coca Cola Co,2012). Coca cola company discovered that there is increase in the
demand of the small cans in Australia and based on that the company decreased the
size of the bottle from 450ml to 390ml (Prime Creative,2015). This emphasizes how the
company know how to deal with consumer’s want. At present, the company is planning
to reduce the sugar with different flavors like cherry, vanilla, peach. This is an
intelligence idea from the company as it makes the consumer familiar with these flavors,
because of sugar tax policy. Therefore, the consumption of sugar will decrease. (British
Medical Association,2017). Although, in 1985, Coca cola company made a new product
called “New Coke” trying to compete with Pepsi product. However, this lead to a fall in
the market share, as the consumers didn’t like the new taste and started to buy Pepsi
product. (Anonymous,2015).
In conclusion, Coca cola is recognized as the highest reputation in the non-
alcoholic beverage industry. Coca cola company dominates on the marketing mix
strategies and manage to control the 7ps to the perfect outcome. For instance, Coca

cola knows how to deal with problems that face the industry and it learns from its
previous experiences and turned out to be one of the most popular brand in the whole
world. The company should constantly track all elements of marketing mix to maintain
extremely high in the competitive universe.

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