Marketing Communication Strategies of Coco Cola: Dissertation Analysis

This dissertation delves into the marketing communication strategies employed by Coco Cola, a global beverage giant, examining their impact on competitive positioning and the challenges faced within the industry. The research begins with an introduction outlining the aims, objectives, and research questions, followed by a literature review that explores various marketing strategies, their influence on competitive dynamics, and the obstacles Coco Cola encounters. The methodology section details the research type, philosophy, design, approach, sampling, data collection, analysis, and ethical considerations. The dissertation investigates the use of diverse marketing techniques, including media advertising, social media presence, and collaborations. It assesses how these strategies have shaped Coco Cola's brand value, customer relationships, and global expansion. The study also analyzes the impact of marketing efforts on the company's competitive standing, considering both its successes and criticisms. Furthermore, it identifies challenges stemming from competitors, changing consumer preferences, and industry trends. The dissertation concludes with recommendations based on the identified challenges, offering insights into how Coco Cola can refine its strategies to maintain its market leadership. The references section provides a list of the sources used in the research.

DISSERTATION TOPIC-
COCO COLAN
MARKETING
COMMUNICATION
STRATEGY

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
AIM AND OBJECTIVES...............................................................................................................3
Aim..............................................................................................................................................3
Objectives....................................................................................................................................3
Research Questions......................................................................................................................3
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................4
Theme 1: Different marketing strategies adopted by Coco Cola................................................4
Theme 2: Impact of marketing strategies on the competitive positioning of Coco Cola............5
Theme 3: Challenges faced by Coco Cola due to competition in the industry............................6
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY....................................................................................................7
Research Type.............................................................................................................................7
Research Philosophy....................................................................................................................8
Research Design..........................................................................................................................8
Research Approach......................................................................................................................8
Research Sampling......................................................................................................................9
Data Collection............................................................................................................................9
Data Analysis...............................................................................................................................9
Ethical Considerations.................................................................................................................9
LIMITATIONS..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Every organisation indulges in marketing and promotional activities in order to gain the relevant
customer and market share. Coco Cola is an international beverage company and they have to
adopt a variety of marketing communication strategies so that they can maintain their position in
the market and deal with the different market requirements based on the culture (Mohamed and
Omwenga, 2015). However it is not easy to compete with the competitors while operating
company on a global level and Coco coal as well has been experiencing quite a lot of challenges
due to such competitive strategies. The marketing communication strategies also have a certain
degree of impact on the competitive positioning and the overall ability to deal with the problems
and challenges that arise on the way. The proposed research will illustrate the marketing
communication strategies that the Coco Cola company implemented and the various competitors
of the company along with the numerous difficulties that they present before the client will be
discussed accordingly (Wang, 2015). The research proposal that has been prepared will highlight
the aim and objectives of the proposed research, a brie literature review on the selected aim and
the research methodology highlighting the key points about the research. This will help in
presenting an outline of the main dissertation that has been proposed on the Coco Cola
Company.
AIM AND OBJECTIVES
Aim
To evaluate the marketing communication strategies and the impact that they have on the
competitors in the market. A case study on Coco Cola.
Objectives
 To discuss the different marketing communication strategies adopted by Coco Cola.
 To analyse the impact of these communication strategies on the competitors of the company.
 To identify the challenges that Coco Cola is facing from its competitors in the industry.
 To develop proper strategies and recommendations based on the challenges identified for the
company.
Research Questions
 What are the various marketing communication strategies that Coco Cola has adopted for
their company?
 How do the marketing strategies affect the overall competition that the company faces?
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 What are the different challenges and problems that Coco Cola is facing from its
competitors?
 How can these problems be resolved or minimised using recommended strategies?
LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature review is basically the evaluation and comparison of the different case studies and
research papers that have already been researched and published in the past by other authors.
These are included in the proposed research because these hold some points of relevance and
they are critically compared highlighting the positive as well as negative aspects about any topic
(ABBASI, 2017). Based on the objectives identified above, various themes can be developed
which can act as the basis of comparing the different viewpoints that have been presented by
different authors in the past.
Theme 1: Different marketing strategies adopted by Coco Cola
The authors, Cheptegei and Yabs (2016), state that media can broadly be categorised into two
broader categories i.e. print or published media and visual or aural media. Coco Cola has been
using both of them since a longer time period where they have regularly modified their strategies
and tactics with the creativity level. The newspaper advertisements featuring key icons and
catchy taglines, the TV ads usually having a quirky style, collaborating themselves with the
sports events, featuring in films, shows etc. All in all, it can be said that the company has
ventured into every type of marketing technique and strategy that is possible for the company to
keep itself in the industry and maintain the customer base and loyalty that they have been able to
create over the years. The company has created an innovative presence on the social media
platforms as well where they have been able to attract the millennials. The marketing
communication has not just illustrated the objective of the company itself but has also raised
brand awareness on a number of issues, has fostered healthy competition trying to increase the
preference for their own product over the competitor’s brand and focused on maintenance of
healthy customer relationship.
However, contradictory to the above point, the Du Plessis (2015), have stated that despite the
numerous efforts and strategies that Coco Cola has adopted, the overall status of the company
has declined. This is because all the benefits that the company buts forwards in its marketing
communication strategies are perceived benefits i.e. the benefits that the customer is expected to
have. Additionally, claiming that Coco Cola is the coolest drink without any evidence or base of
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it in the advertisements is just another aspect of the different ways in which the company has
reduced its own brand value. The authors further state that the broader level, the company also
fails to establish relationship with their customers like the one that its competitors have been able
to develop or cultivate over the years. The companies often tend to overestimate themselves and
this leads to the creation of the ambiguity. In case of the Coco Cola company, it was not entirely
the marketing communication strategy but the overall management and integration of the
customer satisfaction was not very illustrative which has presented many competitive challenges
before the company. Apart from this, the number of scandals in which the company has been
caught over the years at different places has largely deteriorated the reputation of the company at
the world level.
Theme 2: Impact of marketing strategies on the competitive positioning of Coco Cola
Authors, Rey-López and Gonzalez (2019), have illustrated that the marketing strategies that
Coco Cola has adopted was instrumental in the development and establishment of the company
as world’s leading brand and the owning of other equally popular drinks such as Sprite, Fanta
etc. The entire system through which the company operates i.e. the bottling and the delivery
systems has helped in creating efficient competitive positioning where the company is able to
target and satisfy the customers of multiple number of countries that are spread all through the
world. The company has also been able to expand themselves at a rapid rate due to such strong
positioning in the market and that too without any significant or large capital investments
because of effective system that they had set up over the years. Additionally, the company has a
huge opportunity if expanding their business by venturing in healthy and organic drinks as well.
Although the competition in this industry is high where Pepsi Co is its identified competitor, yet
the overall strategies of Coco Cola such as glocal strategy, introduction of healthier and
innovative products regularly, amalgamations etc. have helped the company in creating
supremacy in the industry. Therefore, the authors conclude that despite the global presence, the
company has been able to maintain its leadership all because of the excellent strategies and
tactics which have helped in the creation and satisfaction of a large and loyal customer base.
Contradicting to the above point however, the authors, Melton, Damron and Vernon (2017), have
presented another aspects related to competitive positioning of the company. The authors have
illustrated that the global expansion and representation of the company has often led to the
company facing heavy criticism due to any scandals or the fact that carbonated drinks are not
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healthy to produce and consume where the things were often blew out of proportion. The regular
involvement of the company in some or the other controversy in different parts of the world has
affected the reputation of the company on a global level. This has ultimately reduced the sales of
the company in many countries where the competitors of the brand prominently Pepsi, Red Bull,
Tropicana etc. took rigorous advantage of the situation. The band Tropicana has made itself
successful just by highlighting that how harmful carbonated drinks are to the human body as well
as to the nature. The brand has always focused on improving the customer satisfaction level and
although it has helped them in becoming a global brand but yet the competitors of the company
have been able to rise significantly due to such non- responsive attitude. Therefore, the authors
conclude that ultimately the presence of the company has been affected due to the marketing
strategies and competitors of the brand have been able to benefit themselves in the entire
situation.
Theme 3: Challenges faced by Coco Cola due to competition in the industry
The authors, Singaram and et.al. (2019), have illustrated that there is a long list of challenges that
the company has faced in its magnificent existence of 126 years. There has been regular stream
of challenges sometimes from its competitors, sometimes due to the prevailing trends in the
market and sometime due to consumer preferences as well. The company faced the challenge of
being associated with the medicinal purposes back when it was launched where the description
of the drink did not attract the masses. The company later changed its description to just a
refreshing drink and they were able to attract eyes. The next major challenges that arose were
that the bottling system and delivery system of the Coco Cola was not very soundly established.
The excellent system that the brand has throughout the world today was begun setting up in the
very early phase of the company which has helped it in creating global presence and hold today.
Next was the challenge that there was no particular designing of the bottle since different
variants of it were being sold while its competitor had already developed a uniform design. Then
Coco Cola went on to design the world- famous bottles that created an iconic presence amongst
the people. The last challenge that the authors have illustrated is the challenge by Pepsi where
the Coco Cola was able to sell only 6.5 ounces in a single bottle; Pepsi was selling almost twice
of that at just one more nickel than Coco Cola. This again rose as a major challenge before
company and they later introduced a 12- oz can that is extremely famous and the most dominant
packaging of Coco Cola even today.
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Another research paper published by Linnander and et.al. (2017), continues with the challenges
by illustrating that Pepsi presented another major challenge for the company when they
conducted a taste which indicated that people preferred the taste of Pepsi over Coco Cola with
the ratio of 58 over 42. The difference was huge and the sales of the Pepsi also overtook that of
Coco Cola. The company later modified and changed its original Coco Cola formula making it a
refreshing taste for the public and was able to gain the market share again. Additionally, the diet
challenge began when the diet- rite cola was launched in the market and following this Coco
Cola also launched with Tab. However, despite the higher selling of Tab over its competitors, the
company again introduced Diet Coke in the market. The last major challenge that is still
persistent is the sugar challenge where the consumers are adopting a zero sugar approach and the
harmful effects it has on body are already being illustrated. This is still an ongoing challenge for
the company where they have been able to keep themselves in operation by highlighting how the
calorie and sugar intake from their drinks is still less and more beneficial than other competitive
brands. Therefore, the authors have concluded that that these are the key challenges that Coco
Cola has faced till now.
The literature review done above helps in concluding that the overall research done on the coco
cola company has been very illustrative and there are multiple views that have been presented on
the company and its related themes that helped in gaining the necessary insight.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Type
Research is the most favourable way to everyone for finding appropriate data,
information which supports or helps different organisations for increasing their performance and
productivity (King and Mackey, 2016). The research mainly plays an effective role in the terms
of achieving wide range of knowledge and information that enable to companies, businesses or
individuals to create excellent and frequent operations and activities. There are top-level
management within most companies or businesses generally has used two types of research
methods or theories called; quantitative and qualitative. These both methods of research are very
common and too productive as well.
In these both research methods, first quantitative method generally used for continuously
improving quality of services & products for getting an excellent outcome. This method of
research enables to everyone for collecting data through interviews, meetings, books and journals
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and articles etc. That’s why this method of research has been used in this report of research,
because attributes of research are enough to making this research project too effective. Second is
qualitative method, this method enables to get different data through statistics and numerical
sources. This method also currently used by different people.
Research Philosophy
Research philosophy is very useful way to different companies or ventures for increasing
their efficiency. Research philosophy has played very important role for a researcher to get
aware about the favourable type of philosophy that can help for improving efficiency of a venter
and also gain very productive theories to collect data. There are generally two typed of
philosophies available called; positivism philosophy and interpretive philosophy, in which
positivism philosophy helps in providing the right and logical facts that right now available in an
environment of business. Then, interpretive philosophy is known as a medium that contributes in
understanding the accuracy of an environment, and enables to collect the logical data (Cuervo‐
Cazurra and et.al., 2017). In this situation, philosophy of positivism has used in existing research
project to make different productive methods and theories effectively.
Research Design
Research design is generally a proper framework, contributes in developing theories or
methods to effectively conduct research in the selected market segment. Currently there are lots
of mixtures of methods relating to develop productive design of research, and also increase the
productivity to gain meaningful data. Basically, there are three research design available in the
market called; deductive, inductive and abdicative. Present research project has used inductive
design of research for increasing the effectiveness of business in different segments of market.
Research Approach
Research approach also known as a combination of lots of data collection methods to get
very appropriate outcomes. There are many research approaches simply available, called;
descriptive, exploratory and explanatory approach etc. The exploratory approach is commonly
used for getting answers of few questions which enable to collect data in very appropriate
manner. Descriptive approach promotes development of information. Explanatory approach has
used to deeply know the influence of many other factors in the market structure. There is
exploratory approach of research has been used in existing research project that is very
appropriate in finding lots of data.
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Research Sampling
Sampling is the most common way to different researcher for collecting data in the form
of samples. There are generally two types of research sampling methods has used called;
probably and non-probably (Hong, 2020). These both methods of sampling are very productive,
however the rando sampling method has used in this research project, because this method has
enabled to choose 30 random employees of Coca Cola for the personal interview session. In the
session, these all 30 employees have given answers of almost all questions in very proper
manner. They shared their different opinions, ideas and thinking on the topic of marketing
communications strategies of company.
Data Collection
Data collection is one of key tasks within a research project, because by completing this
task, a researcher always gets different data which fully relating to its research topic. Currently
there are two types of data collection methods has used in research projects called; primary data
collection methods and secondary data collection method. The primary data collection enable to
find data through interviews or meetings, and secondary data collection method enable to collect
data through newspapers, internet blogs, pre-researches, books and journals etc. In this research
project, both types of data collection methods have used.
Data Analysis
Data analysis stage of any research project always enable to choose such data from all
collected data which are really productive and logical (Zawacki-Richter and et.al., 2020). There
are commonly two types of data analysis methods available called; thematic and statistical, in
which the thematic data analysis method has used in existing research project, because this
method enables to divide all collected data into different themes, and these themes are enough to
make a research project very effective.
Ethical Considerations
There are almost all ethical considerations has used in this research project. For example;
not has forced to a single employee of Coca Cola to share its opinions on different questions.
While using data of different authors or writers, their names has been mentioned in the form of
references within this research report. No person has harmed or harassed while preparing the
research report. These all factors show that, there are all ethical considerations has followed in
this report.
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LIMITATIONS
Marketing communication strategies not all time provides effective return to the Coca
Cola. These strategies have different limitations and disadvantages as well. For example; while
implementing these all marketing communication strategies in daily operations, there are upper
management of this company will require to put its huge efforts. Implementing and managing all
strategies is very time-consuming activity for the company. There are finance department of this
company have to invest huge fund also for getting favourable return to different marketing
communication strategies. On the other side, every company has required lots of human
resources in operations of these strategies, so Coca Cola is a large company, so this have to use
many of people to successfully implement various strategies at the wide scale (Devi, 2017). In
this situation, this will become very tough task to upper management for maintaining an effective
relationship between all employees which can come from different background.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
ABBASI, H., 2017. Marketing Strategies Of Coke: An Overview. Kaav International Journal of
Economics, Commerce & Business Management, 4, pp.194-199.
Cheptegei, D.K. and Yabs, J., 2016. Foreign market entry strategies used by multinational
corporations in Kenya: A case of Coca Cola Kenya Ltd. European Journal of Business
and Strategic Management, 1(2), pp.71-85.
Cuervo‐Cazurra, A., and et.al., 2017. Research methodology in global strategy research. Global
Strategy Journal. 7(3). pp.233-240.
Devi, P. S., 2017. Research methodology: a handbook for beginners. Notion Press.
Du Plessis, C., 2015. Brand storytelling: the case of Coca-Cola's journey corporate website.
Hong, J., 2020. How can a design-based research methodology that utilises Mixed-Reality (MR)
Technologies be utilized to effectively enhance learning for authentic, high-risk
situations?. Pacific Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning. 2(1). pp.24-24.
King, K. A. and Mackey, A., 2016. Research methodology in second language studies: Trends,
concerns, and new directions. The Modern Language Journal. 100(S1). pp.209-227.
Linnander, E., and et.al., 2017. Process evaluation of knowledge transfer across industries:
Leveraging Coca-Cola’s supply chain expertise for medicine availability in
Tanzania. PloS one, 12(11), p.e0186832.
Melton, A., Damron, T. and Vernon, J., 2017. A Marketing Strategy from Corporate Social
Responsibility: Lessons from Unilever and Coca-Cola Enterprises.
Mohamed, K.S. and Omwenga, J., 2015. Supply chain risks mitigation strategies adopted by
manufacturing firms in Kenya: A case of Coca Cola Company (K). International
Academic Journal of Procurement and Supply Chain Management, 1(4), pp.45-65.
Rey-López, J.P. and Gonzalez, C.A., 2019. Research partnerships between Coca-Cola and health
organizations in Spain. European journal of public health, 29(5), pp.810-815.
Singaram, R., and et.al., 2019. Coca Cola: A study on the marketing strategies for millenniums
focusing on India. IJARD, ISSN, pp.2455-4030.
Wang, M., 2015. Brief Analysis of Sports Marketing Strategy Adopted by Coca Cola
Company. Asian Social Science, 11(23), p.22.
Zawacki-Richter, O., and et.al., 2020. Systematic reviews in educational research: Methodology,
perspectives and application. (p. 161). Springer Nature.
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