Coca-Cola was never always a soft drink. It used to be a medicine that also had alcohol in it invented by John Stith Pemberton. After the turn of the 18th-century, Pemberton removed alcohol and cocaine from the recipe.
Asa Griggs Candler Purchased the company, this drink got popular with its growing advertisements. Coca-Cola Company has always been seen ahead of in marketing from the very start till the current date.
Marketing Strategy
This all started in 1906 when the company launched its first slogan as The Great National Temperance Beverage, indicating it as a non-alcoholic drink alternative for alcoholic beverages. It was first designed on calendars, napkins and even advertised through wall paintings. As the marketing budget got higher, the company got space in magazines. Billboard advertisement and radio sponsorship also got in hand. The absence of alcohol and the symbol of hospitality made this drink win so many hearts. Its eye-catching slogans made it worldwide popular. Prominent ones are, the most refreshing drink, a way to beat the heat, have a coke and a smile. By 1926 the company got international and its bottling operations started in Belgium, Chine and more.
To remain in the market Coca-Cola Company put in a lot of effort in the product presentation. Different styles of bottles were made making the company unique from others.
COCA-COLA: A Symbol of Friendship
During World War II Coca-Cola was bottled in forty-four countries which also included those with both sides of the conflict. During this hard time, the company had many challenges and opportunities.
Robert Woodruff in 1941 ordered to see that every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for 5 cents, wherever he is and whatever it costs the Company. This meant huge production and massive sailing, fortunately, due to this, the locals in faraway countries got a chance to taste Coca-Cola. After finally when the world got over the war the company’s production didn’t stop and it spread worldwide.
The very first commercial on television was commercialized on Thanksgiving. After this, many popular singers recorded songs for the company’s promotion. The company also hired famous celebrities for its advertisement making it more popular. With the vast promotion, Coca-Cola Company made many others versions of its coke including vanilla coke, diet coke and many others. As sponsorship extended this company partnered with many food chains and beverages. The company has never stopped being creative when it comes to promotion and it has built-up plenty of organizations named after Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola Foundation
The Coca-Cola Company launched its Coca-Cola Foundation in 1984. Initially, this organization focused only on educational problems but it grew its horizons in upcoming years. By 2007 these foundations started to work on other global problems such as water, healthy living etc. By 2018 the foundation’s giving to sustain local communities reached ONE billion dollars.
The hard pandemic that hit hard
The closure of restaurants, bars, cinemas, cafes, concerts made things go a little out of hand. The sales dropped down and a threat alarm caused the company to become alert. The company then decided to bring a few changes just to be successful in the market as before.
Customer-Top priority
A customer is a valuable asset and losing if anyone can be dangerous for the company. As June Martin said, everything starts with the customer. Coca-Cola Company has decided to take their customers on the lead by taking a few very important steps.
Changing in Recipe
The company has decided to cut down on their sugar and provide more non-sugar drinks as demanded by the customers. They have removed 125,000 tons of added sugar from their recipe. It has been made sure of the availability of zero sugar or diet coke.
Attracting new customers
Striving for new customers is something every company strives for and Coca-Cola is bringing up some new strategies for it. During the pandemic, the company spread awareness. They put up additional safety measures to ensure protection for both workers and customers. To ensure full stock for the customers the company worked day and night which insured the survival of the company. During the lockdown worldwide people needed help to survive and in this situation, the Coca-Cola Company donated over a hundred and twenty million dollars. They also helped around six hundred hospitality customers in order to help them advertise their business comeback after this massive lockdown.
Sharing
The company has decided to share its market data and insights with its partners. This will show the behaviour of the shoppers and consumers towards the product and joint plans will be made to understand and react to the changes.
Availability of the product
After the lockdown, people are coming back to life and this means more of the product in the market. For this, the company is making sure to have a high range and merchandising standards in their coolers for customers to get it on the go.
Coke in daily life
To attract the customers the message has to be conveyed that coke and be consumed in the house occasions. With the help of the brand campaigns, the idea of having a coke with daily snacks and family dinners will help promote the product a lot more.
Click and Collect MODEL
People during this pandemic have become very fond of doing online groceries. Coca-Cola Company is developing packaging which will satisfy the customer needs for online purchasing. The company added more than 8 thousand outlets in the US MYCOKE digitalized ordering platform. As the world is becoming digitized so is Coca-Cola Company and efforts are being made to develop the digital store as attractive and user friendly as it’s done in a store.
Coca-Cola in the world of NFT
The company has been partnered with Tafi for avatar creation. They have made a digitalized version of the coke vending machine as an Ethereum-based NFT loot box for the video game. It has the traditional red bubble jacket. Moreover, it features digital versions of Coca-Cola’s 1940s trading cards and sound that features classic Coke sounds such as a bottle opening and a drink being poured over ice. A lot more will be seen of the Coca-Cola company in the digital world.
