Marketing Report: Coca-Cola's Strategies and Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Coca-Cola's marketing strategies, focusing on the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function within the organization. It explores how these roles relate to the broader organizational context, including interactions with departments like HR, finance, production, and logistics. The report delves into Coca-Cola's application of the marketing mix (product, price, place, and promotion) to achieve its business objectives, examining its extensive product portfolio, competitive pricing strategies, global distribution network, and promotional activities. It highlights Coca-Cola's use of both traditional and modern marketing channels, including social media, TV advertising, and online campaigns, to connect with consumers and promote its brand. The report also discusses current and future trends in marketing, such as relationship marketing, purpose-driven marketing, and the use of chatbots. Overall, the analysis provides valuable insights into Coca-Cola's marketing approach and its effectiveness in the competitive beverage industry.

Marketing Essentials Coca cola

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................5
LO1..................................................................................................................................................5
P1 Explain the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function.....................................5
P2 Explain how roles and responsibilities of marketing relate to the wider organizational
context..........................................................................................................................................6
LO2..................................................................................................................................................7
P3 Compare the ways in which different organizations apply the marketing mix to the
marketing planning process to achieve business objectives........................................................7
LO3..................................................................................................................................................9
P4 Produce and evaluate a basic marketing plan for an organization..........................................9
Marketing Plan Budget...........................................................................................................11
Monitoring Process.................................................................................................................11
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................11
References......................................................................................................................................12

Introduction
Marketing can be defined as the technique of planning and execution of conception, price and
promotion of goods and services that are a part of any company (Powell and Gard, 2015).
American Marketing Association has further defined marketing as an organizational function
that creates, communicates as well as delivers value to the consumers. The overall nature of
marketing is not only restricted to selling and advertisement activities but also to satisfy the
needs and requirements of consumers (Smarandescu and Shimp, 2015). The present report has
thus made an attempt to study the marketing strategies of Coca Cola Company which is an
America based MNC that makes, retails, markets as well as sells nonalcoholic beverage and
syrups all over the world. Its working is based on the mission to refresh the mind, soul and body
of the world followed by instilling optimism through its actions and a set of 500 brands (Our
business, 2016). Focus of the study is thus in assessing the role played by marketing and how it
interrelates with different functions of organization. This is followed by assessing the marketing
mix to achieve business objectives.
LO1
P1 Explain the key roles and responsibilities of the marketing function.
There is an existence of varied marketing concepts and each one of it has its own set of roles and
responsibility in context of coca cola. First is the production concept which focuses on providing
cheap as well as quality products to the consumers. Role of the managers in coca cola as per this
concept is to focus on high production effectiveness while manufacturing of drinks, mass
production as well as provision of low cost items to the consumers. Then comes the product
concept which states that consumers prefer high quality products that have a presence of
innovative features (Smarandescu and Shimp, 2015). Hence the role of manager here is to
improve the quality of product offerings with the passing time and also add innovative drinks to
the portfolio. Then comes the marketing concept where the company is required to beat the rivals
in production of quality products. Hence the manager should play the role of communicating to
the consumers about their products by use of techniques like public relations, social media, print
media as well as advertisements.

Marketing function has a presence of varied roles to play within Coca cola. The very first role is
to promote the overall brand image of the company in a positive manner. The marketing
department of the company further focuses on creating promotions tools and techniques so that
consumers can be lured towards product and service offering. In case of coca cola the
promotional tools are in form of TV advertisement, designing of banners; participation in mega
events such as world cup and undertaking sponsorship initiatives. It has further been found that
the marketing department of coca cola has utilized traditional as well as modern channels to
promote its brand as well as products. It further launched a campaign known as taste the feeling
in 2016 to unit all its brands. It further uses social media channels to promote itself and connect
with the fans. Other than this coca cola has more than 1250 promotional video on its official you
tube page (Our business, 2016).
The marketing department of the company further performs the task of creating adequate content
for SEO (search engine optimization) so as to provide details about its product and service
offering (Reeve and et.al., 2018). Marketing division further aids in maintain and monitor the
social media actions on Facebook, Twitter, instagram etc. These are there to connect with the
consumers and also get there feedback about new ways by which clients can be served (Sinha
and Sheth, 2017). One of the major roles played by the department is of defining as well as
managing the overall brand with respect to defining what the company is all about and how it
acts. Focus of this department is also on carrying out consumer as well as market research where
an understanding can be gained about overall taste and preferences of consumers and products
can be served accordingly (Chalikias and Skordoulis, 2017). The research also aids in defining
the target markets and how can they be reached in the best possible manner.
Current and future trends in marketing functions
There is an existence of various trends in marketing that is required to be adhered by
management team at coca cola. As per relationship marketing the management at coca cola
should lay emphasis on ensuring towards increased satisfaction of consumers and retaining them
for a long time rather than focusing on the overall sales proportion. The upcoming trend is also
of purpose-driven marketing where focus is required to be given on maintaining conversations
with the consumers about their past purchases so that improvements can be brought in the

portfolio (Smarandescu and Shimp, 2015). This will allow the brand to relate with the world by
the use of new and powerful techniques. The future is also inclusive of Chatbots in order to
engage with the consumers. It has also been regarded as the fastest means to get content and also
answers t other queries rose by them. This can help to increase the overall experience of the
consumers with the brands.
P2 Explain how roles and responsibilities of marketing relate to the wider organizational context.
There is a huge relation between roles and responsibility of marketing with the wider
organizational context of coca cola. This is explained in the following manner. It is quite true
that the marketing function is a part of business organization and all the departments are
connected with it. This is as of coca cola wishes to plan and implement a marketing plan then it
will need the help of other departments such as Human resource, finance, operations, and
production among others. For example, human resource department recruits employees who can
work in the marketing division of coca cola. These are in form of brand managers, social media
marketers, and content writers among others. The HR further trains them in various aspects
regarding working of company, policies and procedures and also pays them salary on a timely
basis.
Then comes the finance department of coca cola that sets appropriate budget for the marketing
department so that the managers can plan and implement the marketing plan. The production
department will focus on producing the soft drinks as per the research carried out by marketing
department of company that suits the taste and preferences of consumers. The need here is that
the market research team communicates the finding to production department who will then
make the soft drinks accordingly (Sinha and Sheth, 2017). Then comes the logistic department
who will help in supply of raw materials necessary to produce the soft drink. It will also have a
direct interaction with marketing department where the logistics head may supply computers,
laptops, printers, stationery so that promotional ads, banners etc. can be created (Tuten and
Solomon, 2017).
Operations department has also got a close relation with the marketing division of coca cola as it
ensures that adequate research and development activities are carried out so that present and
future needs can be satisfied. The items can also be made in the desired quality and design
specifications that have been laid down by the consumers. The volume of orders that have been

generated through marketing activiities can also be met by production department in the required
time schedule. In the same lines, the consumer service department also provides speedy data
about the needs of consumers to the marketers which increase the chances of attaining early
success.
LO2
P3 Compare the ways in which different organizations apply the marketing mix to the marketing
planning process to achieve business objectives.
The coca cola company makes use of extended marketing mix in order to attain the
organizational aims and objectives. These are as follows;
 Product – The product of coca cola are made as per the needs and demands of consumers
and the main objective is to satisfy the consumers. The company thus has a presence of
3300 products in its category which is the widest portfolio in the beverage industry. The
beverages are further divided into diet category, fruit drinks, water, fruit juices that are
100 percent pure, energy drinks as well as tea and coffee (Our business, 2016). Coca
cola has further been regarded as the no 1 brand in sparking beverages, juices as well as
retailed water that comes in packets. This widespread number of products is likely to aid
in attainment of business objective related to bringing a portfolio of quality beverages to
the consumers so that their needs and desires can be satisfied (Objectives and Statements,
2018).
 Price – The prices of coca cola is quite competitive in nature as they are not too high so
as to being able to reach the consumer and not to low which may give an impression of
low quality. The overall pricing strategy of Coca cola is thus aimed to drive the process
of brand loyalty. Moreover, the recent times has also seen a decrease in the demand of
soda products which has resulted in lowering of prices as per the size of purchase
(Morhart and et.al., 2015). In this regard, Bulk purchasers are paying significantly less
amount as compared to those who are just buying one or two pieces of product offered by
Coca cola. The above pricing strategy is there to fulfill the objective of increasing
revenue/sales figures followed by maximizing long term return to the shareholders.
 Place – Coca cola has got a presence of extensive beverage distribution system and its
products are sold in more than 200 nations that are spread in Europe, Africa, Asia, and
Middle East, America among others. Studies have further revealed than an average of 1.9

billon servings of coca cola are sold every day (The Coca-Cola Company, 2018). The
company further has an increased reliance on the bottling partners so as to ensure towards
packaging and distribution of the products. The coca cola company thus operates through
multiple local channels where the manufactures are involved in selling of concentrates,
beverage base as well as syrups to bottling operations. The bottling partners then sell the
final product to the consumers and vending partners from where it reaches to consumers.
Such a huge network of suppliers and bottling partners will attain the objective of
creating mutual connection with them and generate increased value.
 Promotion – it is quite true that there is an existence of intense competition in the soda
industry as all the top brands are lasting huge emphasis on the promotional activities in
order to enhance the sales and revenue figures. Studies have revealed that the company
spent around 4 billion dollars on the promotional activities during the year 2016 by
making use of traditional and modern channels (Our business, 2016). There was a launch
of Taste the Feeling campaign which focused on uniting all its brands together which was
a huge shift from its previous strategies. Other than this, it also promoted its products
through TV ads, outdoor campaigns, across internet as well as social media (Swinburn
and et.al., 2015). The accounts like Facebook, twitter and instagram are mainly used by
the company in order to connect with the fans and ensure towards consumer engagement.
Moreover there is also a presence of more than 1200 videos of the company on it’s you
tube channel (The Coca-Cola Company, 2018). Other than this, personal selling strategy
is also used by the company for the purpose of promotion where the company has
appointed highly trained sales team which acts as sales representative to retailers and aid
in maintaining overall service a product loyalty.
 Process – the beverage manufacturing processes of the company are such that they
provide quality product that have a presence of refreshing flavor and distinctive taste.
Other than this the company has focused on packaging bottles so as to create minimum
impact on the environment but also increase the overall shelf life of the contents. This has
helped in attaining the objective of being a responsible company that creates minimal
negative impact to the environment (Objectives and Statements, 2018). There is further a
presence of varied processes in bottling and labeling solutions so as to sell the product to
the consumers before the expiry date and in a timely manner.

 People – coca cola has given an increased emphasis on its employees as well. This has
been done by ensuring towards open communication so that they get a chance to share
innovative ideas. It further has a presence of employee insight survey so as to make
regular dialogue with them (Timothy, 2015). It is further serious towards overall training
and development of employees so that it can retain the best ones for a long span of time.
The management has also ensured that employees consider coca cola as a great place of
working through provision of gym passes; cycle to work scheme and organizing
programs for community development. In this manner, the emphasis has been given on
fulfilling the objective of being a great place to work where people can be inspired to be
the best with respect to whatever they do (Our business, 2016).
 Physical evidence – the physical evidence of coca cola is in form of its website that
provides a widespread information about or duct and service offering of the company.
This also includes history of company and its manufacturing process. Other than this coca
cola is an industry leader in the area of packaging which are also sustainable in nature.
The packaging is further based on principles of reuse and recycling.
LO3
P4 Produce and evaluate a basic marketing plan for an organization.
The present marketing plan for coca cola will focus on launching a new diet coke in India. The
steps for the same are as follows;
About the company
Coca cola has been known as nonalcoholic beverage manufacturer on a worldwide basis
including India and has been selling its product since 1892. It however made a reentry into India
in 1993 and has been serving an unmatched profit of beverages to refresh the consumers (Coca
cola in India, 2018). The present requirement is to introduce a new variant of Diet coke in the
country.
Customers
The consumers of the future product to be introduced by coca cola are health conscious
consumers, sports persons as well as those who like the taste of diet coke. The need of
consumers from the diet coke is the one that keeps them slim and also has a presence of

additional taste and flavors that were not present earlier. The target consumers of coca cola will
lie in the age range of 20 to 60 years as these are the ones who are most health conscious and
will be served all over India and to all the genders.
Competitors
The biggest competitor of Diet coke in India will be Pepsi that has also launched its diet Pepsi
for the consumers. Other than this, there is also a presence of many local brands that are serving
diet soda all over the nation. Moreover the own brand of coca cola can also act as a major
competitor to this new variant introduced by the company.
Marketing objectives
 To increase the brand awareness of the product by 25 percent on a yearly basis.
 To attain net profit of 20 percent by the year end.
Positioning
The product will be positioned as the only drink to be launched by coca cola that has a presence
of herbal infusion. This will also make the drink as not entirely artificial. This positioning
strategy is likely to help coca cola in gaining an advantage over the rival firms in terms of
healthy offering. Other than this TV ads will also be showcased on TV which showcases the
consumers who have tried the new variant and are in love with it. Banners and posters will also
be posted in health clubs, gyms, fitness as well as weight loss centers so as to lure the health
conscious consumers towards the product.
Product
The product is basically an herbal variant of diet coke that will be available in all the regular
sizes and in cans as well as plastic bottles.
Price
Seeing the immense rivalry among soda brands in India it is best for the company to focus on
competitive pricing strategy so as to maintain the market share and also generate sales and
revenue figures through the diet coke.

Place
As per the place marketing mix element for diet coke the brand will be available all over India
and will adhere with a mass marketing strategy.
Promotion
The promotion of this variant of diet coke launched by the company will be majorly based on
word of mouth publicity which will be done by the consumers who will try it and share there
experience in person or through social media channels.
Marketing Plan Budget
The budget to be set for marketing of diet coke to be launched by the company is dependent on
finance present with the company and how much amount it wants to spend on marketing
activities for diet coke.
Monitoring Process
The last but not the least step is to monitor whether marketing strategies are going well or not
and if there is a presence of any weakness in it.
Conclusion
From the above report it can be concluded that Coca Cola Company has a renowned presence all
over the world. There is also an existence of varied marketing functions that are played by the
department such as market research, brand management; promotion etc. and these have an
interrelation with the other departments as well. The 7ps on marketing further showcases that the
company has varied range of product offerings for the consumers that are also priced in a
competitive manner with a presence of well managed distribution system. The employees are
also well trained to offer the products to consumers by handling by promotion section of the
company and maintaining the website.

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