Project Failure Analysis: Coca-Cola Life, Reasons, and Recommendations

This report analyzes the failure of the Coca-Cola Life project, detailing the reasons behind its lack of success. The analysis covers various factors, including inadequate project planning, inefficient team management, poor communication, insufficient resources, and undefined goals. The report highlights specific failures such as the lack of a clear advantage over existing products like Coke Zero and Diet Coke, unattractive packaging, and ineffective marketing. The report provides recommendations to improve the business plan, such as adding new features, enhancing packaging, strengthening the marketing strategy, and conducting thorough market analysis. The report also suggests prioritizing consumer needs and demands. The report concludes by referencing several academic sources related to soft drinks, employee commitment, corporate social responsibility, and caffeine-related adverse effects, supporting the analysis with relevant research and data.

Coca-Cola Life
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Reasons for project failure
 Lack of proper project plan
 Inefficient team members
 Poor management of project team
 Poor communication among team members
 Insufficient resources both for personnel and funding
 Lack of proper organizational structure

Reasons for project failure (Contd.)
 Conflict among stakeholders
 Politics in business
 Cost exceeds estimated budget
 Improper portfolio and project management
 Failure signs ignored
 Goals and objectives of the project are undefined

Reasons for project failure (Contd.)
 Bad leadership
 Parameters undefined and not enforced properly
 Project managers are not experienced
 Cost estimations are inaccurate
 Misalignment between ethics and culture

About Coca-Cola Life project
 Version of Coca-Cola
 Provides low calorie
 Uses stevia and sugar as sweetener
 Chile and Argentina are countries of origin
 Later launched in UK and Sweden
 Co-existed with Coca-Cola Zero and Diet
Coke
 Aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles are
used for packaging

About Coca-Cola life project (Contd.)
 It has been made available in Mexico after being launched in Great
Britain, Chile and Argentina
 Contains 64 calories in 355 mL cans
 Marketed to people through radio, television, social media and
sampling
 The sweetener that is used is calorie- free that makes the drink
special
 The sweetener is native to Paraguay

Reasons for Coca-Cola life failure
 Similar products like Coke Zero and
Diet Coke were already sold in the
market with great popularity
 The advantages of Coca-Cola Life
over existing Coke’s line up was not
clear to the consumers
 Critics have said that Coca-Cola Life
is just the change of outer covering of
Coca-Cola.
 The “in-between” concept of Coca-
Cola did not appeal to consumers

Evidences of Coca-Cola Life failure
 Coca-Cola Life sale fell by 73.1% in March 2018
 It was even critiqued as “the harbinger of death for Coca-Cola”
 Marketing campaigns for Coca-Cola Life was stopped
 Advertisements on Coca-Cola Life was banned claiming that the
sugar content is still high

Recommendation for improving
business plan
 New features should be added that are not included in similar
products like Coke Zero and Diet Coke
 Packaging should be made more attractive
 Marketing strategy should be strengthened so that it eye catches the
consumers
 Making appropriate cost estimation for manufacturing of Coca-Cola
Life

Recommendation for improving
business plan (Contd.)
 Thorough market analysis should be made before the launch of new
coke in the market
 Consumer needs and demand should be given more priority

References
 Amienyo, D., Gujba, H., Stichnothe, H. and Azapagic, A., 2013. Life cycle
environmental impacts of carbonated soft drinks. The International Journal of Life
Cycle Assessment, 18(1), pp.77-92.
 Irefin, P. and Mechanic, M.A., 2014. Effect of employee commitment on
organizational performance in Coca Cola Nigeria Limited Maiduguri, Borno state.
Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 19(3), pp.33-41.
 Karnani, A., 2014. Corporate social responsibility does not avert the tragedy of the
commons. Case study: Coca-Cola India. Economics, Management and Financial
Markets, 9(3), p.11.
 Sepkowitz, K.A., 2013. Energy drinks and caffeine-related adverse effects. Jama,
309(3), pp.243-244.