Coca Cola: Marketing Strategy

Coca Cola is a soft drink that was invented in 1886. In 1916, the Coca Cola Company began manufacturing of its most famous bottle. In 1928, the company’s president led an expansion plan of Coke overseas when he introduced the soft drink to the Olympic games. In the 1960s, the company expanded with the introduction of new flavors, while in the 1980s, Coca Cola focused on innovation and change. As the company’s presence grew globally, Coca Cola found a home in countries around the world.

South Africa not only is Africa’s biggest economy, coke is South Africa’s most admired brand name. Johannesburg’s up class shopping malls provide coke for drinks free. Coke is South Africa’s leader in brand awareness (Irwin, 2011). Coke’s success in South Africa has been due to its well-informed advertising and its involvement in local community life. City residents in South Africa are bombarded with Coke signs put up everywhere from shops, billboards, and roadside stands. The retail prices of the drinks are quite affordable to most middle-income earners thus attracting huge sales. Furthermore, Coca Cola has also taken the initiative to reach poorer South Africans in rural areas by initiating sports sponsorships, sports development, entrepreneurial developments, and education and scholarship projects (Irwin, 2011). During the late 1990s, South African advertising firms helped promote the soft drink to the townships of coke through linking Coke with Africa’s greatest passion: football. These initiatives helped cement Coke as an enduring symbol in South Africa.

Another country where Coke has a presence is India. Coke India has made consistent efforts in aligning its products with the India tradition and culture. The price range for Coca Cola products in India is affordable considering the quality offered by Coca Cola brands. Early advertising campaigns illustrated Coke as a relaxing drink, to be taken in the hot humid weather of India (Chamikutty, 2012). However, Coke India had to adopt the dual strategy of Jingles and Celebrity endorsements in order to fight off its rival Pepsi. The year 2003 established Coke India as a brand name with the “Thanda Matlab Coke advertisement” where they used celebrity film star Amir Khan. The word Thanda in Hindi takes on several meaning like cool, or refreshing. Coke India sees itself as a brand, which is growing alongside its people. The company has undertaken several community development projects in both rural and urban areas (Chamikutty, 2012). Hence, the marketing strategy of Coke India is to develop a trusted brand through its marketing and branding initiatives.