A MINOR PROJECT REPORTON

MARKETING STRATEGIES OF COCA COLA

Submitted in the partial fulfilment of degree of Bachelor of Business Administration (General)

(2012-2015)

Under the Guidance of:

Ms. HIMANIAsst. Professor, FIMT

Submitted By:

VINOD SEHRAWATEnrollment No. 01890101712

BBA (GENERAL) 3rd Semester

FAIRFIELD INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT AND TECHNOLOGY

Affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University,

Kapashera, New Delhi-110037

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Student Declaration

I hereby declare that the project entitled “Marketing Strategies of Coca Cola” under the

Guidance of Ms. Himani submitted in the partial fulfilment of the degree of Bachelor of

Business Administration BBA (GENERAL) FROM “Fairfield Institute of

Management and Technology”, affiliated from GGSIPU New Delhi. This is my

original work and this project work has not formed the basis for the award of any Degree

to the best of my knowledge.

Name: Vinod Sehrawat

Enrolment No.: 01890101712

Place: New Delhi

Date:

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Certificate by the Guide

This is to certify that project title “Marketing Strategies of Coca Cola” is original work

of Mr. Vinod Sehrawat student of BBA (GEN) 3rd Semester and has been duly

completed his project under my guidance and supervision up to my satisfactory level.

This work has been done in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the

degree of Bachelor of Business Administration from “Fairfield Institute of

Management and Technology”, GGSIPU and has not been submitted anywhere in any

other university for the award of any degree.

Ms. Himani

Asst. Professor, FIMT

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT

It is pleasure to acknowledge many people who knowingly and unwittingly helped me, to

complete my project. First of all let me praise god for all the blessings, which carried me

through all those years.

I am particularly indebted to the Director Dr. R.K. Garg, Director (Admn.) Dr. Manju

Singh and HOD, Management Dr. S.P. Singh of the Fairfield Institute of Management

and Technology which inculcated in me utmost respect for human values and groomed

me up in the field of software technology take on the challenges of the competitive world.

I pay my sincere and heartiest gratitude to my faculty guide Ms. Himani for her

continuous motivation and support she gave to me, during the period of project.

My Special thanks to all those Respondents, whom I have interviewed for the purpose of

my Primary Data Collection.

VINOD SEHRAWAT

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INDEX

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2. INTRODUCTION

3. OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF THE STUDY

4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

5. LITERATURE REVIEW

6. DATA ANLYSIS

7. FINDINGS

8. RECOMMENDATION

9. CONCLUSION

10. ANNEXURE-QUESTIONNAIRE

11. BIBLIOGRAPHY

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Corporate social responsibility the term refers to the conscientiousness towards the

customers, employees and the society. It gives the ethical perspective of doing business

in the social environment for the companies. In order to social and economic

development of the country the corporate social responsibility strengthens the companies’

belief towards the sole responsibility of conducting the business operations. Business

ethics provides the clear vision to the companies for doing their business in the legal

manner and perform their responsibilities towards the society.

However some companies do not have the attention towards the benefit of the consumers

and just perform their operations for sake of profit and revenue generation. Whenever the

consumers or the society affected from any loss then the companies realize that what are

the unethical in their business. Apart from the product and services offered to the

consumers the companies must focus towards their CSR initiatives which will help the

up-liftment of the society and eventually the growth of the country. Coca Cola, one of

the largest beverage and packaged food company has been encountered for doing the

business unethically. The issues are not only raised in the one country but also across the

geographies and locations where the company has its business operations.

The countries where the company has faced major issues are India, Colombia, Guatemala

and Philippines. The products of the company have been criticized in these countries by

many sources for negative health impact, exploitation of labor, high level of pesticides

usage in the beverage products, slave labor employment and environmental issues. In

Colombia, the products of Coca Cola has been given up by the consumers due to the

serious killing of labor in the bottling plant, kidnapping of trade union leaders and

unethical practices with the employees.

In India, the company has been wind up its business operations in the year 1973 due to

the unethical business practices, though the company returned back in the year 1996 with

enhanced quality and legal corporate governance framework to perform the business in

ethical way. For a long time the company did not perform its corporate social

responsibility though after that once the company realize the negative impact on its

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business profitability and hence undertake several CSR initiatives. In the line of this

discussion this research study is focusing towards the growing criticism against Coca

Cola and the assessment of CSR initiative of Coca Cola.

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INTRODUCTION

Company Overview:

Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines

internationally. The Coca-Cola Company claims

that the beverage is sold in more than 200 countries.

It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company in

Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as

Coke (a registered trademark of The Coca-Cola

Company in the United States since March 27,

1944). Originally intended as a patent medicine

when it was invented in the late 19th century by

John Pemberton, Coca-Cola was bought out by

businessman Asa Griggs Candler, whose marketing

tactics led Coke to its dominance of the world soft-

drink market throughout the 20th century.

The company produces concentrate, which is then sold to licensed Coca-Cola bottlers

throughout the world. The bottlers, who hold territorially exclusive contracts with the

company, produce finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate in

combination with filtered water and sweeteners. The bottlers then sell, distribute and

merchandise Coca-Cola to retail stores and vending machines. Such bottlers include

Coca-Cola Enterprises, which is the largest single Coca-Cola bottler in North America

and western Europe. The Coca-Cola Company also sells concentrate for soda fountains to

major restaurants and food service distributors.

The Coca-Cola Company has, on occasion, introduced other cola drinks under the Coke

brand name. The most common of these is Diet Coke, with others including Caffeine-

Free Coca-Cola, Diet Coke Caffeine-Free, Coca-Cola Cherry, Coca-Cola Zero, Coca-

Cola Vanilla, and special editions with lemon, lime or coffee.

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In response to consumer insistence on a more natural product, the company is in the

process of phasing out E211, or sodium benzoate, the controversial additive used in Diet

Coke and linked to DNA damage in yeast cells and hyperactivity in children. The

company has stated that it plans to remove E211 from its other products, including Sprite

and Oasis, as soon as a satisfactory alternative is found.

Coca Cola: Company Background

It was in 1886 John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, was inspired by simple curiosity.

One afternoon, he stirred up a fragrant, caramel-colored liquid and, when it was done, he

carried it a few doors down to Jacobs' Pharmacy. Here, the mixture was combined with

carbonated water and sampled by customers who all agreed -- this new drink was

something special.

The Coca-Cola drink, popularly known as 'Coke', is a kind of cola, a sweet carbonated

drink containing caramel and other flavouring agents. The beverage was named Coca-

Cola because of its ingredients, which includes Coca leaves and Kola nuts. Pemberton

later sold the business to a group of businessmen, one of whom was Griggs Candler

(Candler). By 1888, several cola brands were in the market competing against each other.

Candler acquired these businesses from the other businessmen and established Coca-Cola

in 1892 and is going smooth till now. Coca-Cola India was established as the Indian

subsidiary of the US-based Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola) in 1993.

21st Century:

On February 7, 2005, the Coca-Cola Company announced that in the second quarter of

2005 they planned to launch a Diet Coke product sweetened with the artificial sweetener

sucralose, the same sweetener currently used in Pepsi One. On March 21, 2005, it

announced another diet product, Coca-Cola Zero, sweetened partly with a blend of

aspartame and acesulfame potassium. In 2007, Coca-Cola began to sell a new "healthy

soda": Diet Coke with vitamins B6, B12, magnesium, niacin, and zinc, marketed as "Diet

Coke Plus."

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On July 5, 2005, it was revealed that Coca-Cola would resume operations in Iraq for the

first time since the Arab League boycotted the company in 1968.

In April 2007, in Canada, the name "Coca-Cola Classic" was changed back to "Coca-

Cola." The word "Classic" was truncated because "New Coke" was no longer in

production, eliminating the need to differentiate between the two. The formula remained

unchanged.

In January 2009, Coca-Cola stopped printing the word "Classic" on the labels of 16-

ounce bottles sold in parts of the southeastern United States. The change is part of a

larger strategy to rejuvenate the product's image.

In November 2009, due to a dispute over wholesale prices of Coca-Cola products, Costco

stopped restocking its shelves with Coke and Diet Coke.

Logo Design:

The famous Coca-Cola logo was created by John Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Mason

Robinson, in 188 5. Robinson came up with the

name and chose the logo's distinctive cursive script.

The typeface used, known as Spencerian script,

was developed in the mid 19th century and was the

dominant form of formal handwriting in the United

States during that period. Robinson also played a

significant role in early Coca-Cola advertising. His promotional suggestions to

Pemberton included giving away thousands of free drink coupons and plastering the city

of Atlanta with publicity banners and streetcar signs.

Local Competitors:

Pepsi is usually second to Coke in sales, but outsells Coca-Cola in some markets. Around

the world, some local brands compete with Coke. In South and Central America Kola

Real, known as Big Cola in Mexico, is a fast-growing competitor to Coca-Cola. On the

French island of Corsica, Corsica Cola, made by brewers of the local Pietra beer, is a

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growing competitor to Coca-Cola. In the French region of Brittany, Breizh Cola is

available. In Peru, Inca Kola outsells Coca-Cola, which led The Coca-Cola Company to

purchase the brand in 1999. In Sweden, Julmust outsells Coca-Cola during the Christmas

season. In Scotland, the locally produced Irn-Bru was more popular than Coca-Cola until

2005, when Coca-Cola and Diet Coke began to outpace its sales. In India, Coca-Cola

ranked third behind the leader, Pepsi-Cola, and local drink Thums Up. The Coca-Cola

Company purchased Thums Up in 1993. As of 2004, Coca-Cola held a 60.9% market-

share in India. Tropicola, a domestic drink, is served in Cuba instead of Coca-Cola, due

to a United States embargo. French brand Mecca Cola and British brand Qibla Cola,

popular in the Middle East, are competitors to Coca-Cola. In Turkey, Cola Turka is a

major competitor to Coca-Cola. In Iran and many countries of Middle East, Zam Zam

Cola and Parsi Cola are major competitors to Coca-Cola. In some parts of China Future

cola is a competitor. In Slovenia, the locally produced Cockta is a major competitor to

Coca-Cola, as is the inexpensive Mercator Cola, which is sold only in the country's

biggest supermarket chain, Mercator. In Israel, RC Cola is an inexpensive competitor.

Classiko Cola, made by Tiko Group, the largest manufacturing company in Madagascar,

is a serious competitor to Coca-Cola in many regions. Laranjada is the top-selling soft

drink on the Portuguese island of Madeira. Coca-Cola has stated that Pepsi was not its

main rival in the UK, but rather Robinsons drinks.

Advertising:

Coca-Cola's advertising has significantly affected American culture, and it is frequently

credited with inventing the modern image of

Santa Claus as an old man in a red-and-white

suit. Although the company did start using the

red-and-white Santa image in the 1930s, with its

winter advertising campaigns illustrated by

Haddon Sundblom, the motif was already

common. Coca-Cola was not even the first soft drink company to use the modern image

of Santa Claus in its advertising: White Rock Beverages used Santa in advertisements for

its ginger ale in 1923, after first using him to sell mineral water in 1915. Before Santa

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Claus, Coca-Cola relied on images of smartly dressed young women to sell its beverages.

Coca-Cola's first such advertisement appeared in 1895, featuring the young Bostonian

actress Hilda Clark as its spokeswoman. 1941 saw the first use of the nickname "Coke"

as an official trademark for the product, with a series of advertisements informing

consumers that "Coke means Coca-Cola".

In 1971, a song from a Coca-Cola commercial called "I'd Like to Teach the World to

Sing", produced by Billy Davis, became a hit single. Coke's advertising is pervasive, as

one of Woodruff's stated goals was to ensure that everyone on Earth drank Coca-Cola as

their preferred beverage. This is especially true in southern areas of the United States,

such as Atlanta, where Coke was born. Coca-Cola sales booth on the Cape Verde island

of Fogo in 2004. Some of the memorable Coca-Cola television commercials between

1960 through 1986 were written and produced by former Atlanta radio veteran Don

Naylor (WGST 1936–1950, WAGA 1951–1959) during his career as a producer for the

McCann Erickson advertising agency. Many of these early television commercials for

Coca-Cola featured movie stars, sports heroes and popular singers. During the 1980s,

Pepsi-Cola ran a series of television advertisements showing people participating in taste

tests demonstrating that, according to the commercials, "fifty percent of the participants

who said they preferred Coke actually chose the Pepsi." Statisticians were quick to point

out the problematic nature of a 50/50 result: most likely, all the taste tests really showed

was that in blind tests, most people simply cannot tell the difference between Pepsi and

Coke. Coca-Cola ran ads to combat Pepsi's ads in an incident sometimes referred to as the

cola wars; one of Coke's ads compared the so-called Pepsi challenge to two chimpanzees

deciding which tennis ball was furrier. Thereafter, Coca-Cola regained its leadership in

the market.

Selena was a spokesperson for Coca-Cola from 1989 till the time of her death. She filmed

three commercials for the company. In 1994, to commemorate her five years with the

company, Coca-Cola issued special Selena coke bottles. The Coca-Cola Company

purchased Columbia Pictures in 1982, and began inserting Coke-product images in many

of its films. After a few early successes during Coca-Cola's ownership, Columbia began

to under-perform, and the studio was sold to Sony in 1989. Coca-Cola has gone through a

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number of different advertising slogans in its long history, including "The pause that

refreshes," "I'd like to buy the world a Coke," and "Coke is it".

In 2006, Coca-Cola introduced My Coke Rewards, a customer loyalty campaign where

consumers earn points by entering codes from specially marked packages of Coca-Cola

products into a website. These points can be redeemed for various prizes or sweepstakes

entries

Holiday campaigns:

The "Holidays are coming!" advertisement features a train of red delivery trucks,

emblazoned with the Coca-Cola name and decorated with electric lights, driving through

a snowy landscape and causing everything that they pass to

light up and people to watch as they pass through. The

advertisement fell into disuse in 2001, as the Coca-Cola

company restructured its advertising campaigns so that

advertising around the world was produced locally in each

country, rather than centrally in the company's headquarters

in Atlanta, Georgia. However, in 2007, the company brought

back the campaign after, according to the company; many

consumers telephoned its information center saying that they

considered it to mark the beginning of Christmas. The advertisement was created by U.S.

advertising agency Doner, and has been part of the company's global advertising

campaign for many years. Keith Law, a producer and writer of commercials for Belfast

CityBeat, was not convinced by Coca-Cola's reintroduction of the advertisement in 2007,

saying that "I don't think there's anything Christmassy about HGVs and the commercial is

too generic." In 2001, singer Melanie Thornton recorded the campaign's advertising jingle

as a single, Wonderful Dream (Holidays are Coming), which entered the pop-music

charts in Germany at no. 9. In 2005, Coca-Cola expanded the advertising campaign to

radio, employing several variations of the jingle.

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Sports Sponsorship:

Coca-Cola was the first commercial sponsor of the Olympic games, at the 1928 games in

Amsterdam, and has been an Olympics sponsor ever since. This corporate sponsorship

included the 1996 Summer Olympics hosted in Atlanta, which allowed Coca-Cola to

spotlight its hometown. Most recently, Coca-Cola has released localized commercials for

the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver; one Canadian commercial referred to Canada's hockey

heritage and was modified after Canada won the gold medal game on February 28, 2010

by changing the ending line of the commercial to say "Now they know whose game

they're playing". Since 1978, Coca-Cola has sponsored each FIFA World Cup, and other

competitions organised by FIFA. In fact, one FIFA tournament trophy, the FIFA World

Youth Championship from Tunisia in 1977 to Malaysia in 1997, was called "FIFA —

Coca Cola Cup". In addition, Coca-Cola sponsors the annual Coca-Cola 600 and Coke

Zero 400 for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord,

North Carolina and Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida. Coca-Cola has

a long history of sports marketing relationships, which over the years have included

Major League Baseball, the National Football League, National Basketball Association

and the National Hockey League, as well as with many teams within those leagues. Coca-

Cola is the official soft drink of many collegiate football teams throughout the nation.

Coca-Cola was one of the official sponsors of the 1996 Cricket World Cup held on the

Indian subcontinent. Coca Cola is also one of the associate sponsor of Delhi Daredevils

in Indian Premier League. In England, Coca-Cola is the main sponsor of The Football

League, a name given to the three professional divisions below the Premier League in

football (soccer). It is also responsible for the renaming of these divisions  — until the

advent of Coca-Cola sponsorship, they were referred to as Divisions One, Two and

Three. Since 2004, the divisions have been known as The Championship (equiv. of

Division 1), League One (equiv. of Div. 2) and League 2 (equiv. of Division 3). This

renaming has caused unrest amongst some fans, which see it as farcical that the third tier

of English Football is now called "League One." In 2005, Coca-Cola launched a

competition for the 72 clubs of the football league — it was called "Win a Player". This

allowed fans to place 1 vote per day for their beloved club, with 1 entry being chosen at

random earning £250,000 for the club; this was repeated in 2006. The "Win A Player"

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competition was very controversial, as at the end of the 2 competitions, Leeds United

AFC had the most votes by more than double, yet they did not win any money to spend

on a new player for the club. In 2007, the competition changed to "Buy a Player". This

competition allowed fans to buy a bottle of Coca-Cola Zero or Coca-Cola and submit the

code on the wrapper on the Coca-Cola website {www.coca-colafootball.co.uk}. This

code could then earn anything from 50p to £100,000 for a club of their choice. This

competition was favored over the old "Win A Player" competition, as it allowed all clubs

to win some money. Introduced March 1, 2010, in Canada, to celebrate the 2010

Olympics, Coca Cola will sell gold coloured cans in packs of 12 355 mL each, in select

stores

Health Effects:

Since studies indicate "soda and sweetened drinks are the main source of calories in [the]

American diet", most nutritionists advise that Coca-Cola and other soft drinks can be

harmful if consumed excessively, particularly to young children whose soft drink

consumption competes with, rather than complements, a balanced diet. Studies have

shown that regular soft drink users have a lower intake of calcium, magnesium, ascorbic

acid, riboflavin, and vitamin A. The drink has also aroused criticism for its use of

caffeine, which can cause physical dependence. A link has been shown between long-

term regular cola intake and osteoporosis in older women (but not men). This was

thought to be due to the presence of phosphoric acid, and the risk was found to be same

for caffeinated and noncaffeinated colas, as well as the same for diet and sugared colas.

The use of Coca-Cola has also been associated with an increase of tumors in laboratory

rats, based on research by the Ramazzini Foundation in 2006.

A common criticism of Coke based on its allegedly toxic acidity levels has been found to

be baseless by researchers; lawsuits based on these notions have been dismissed by

several American courts for this reason. Although numerous court cases have been filed

against The Coca-Cola Company since the 1920s, alleging that the acidity of the drink is

dangerous, no evidence corroborating this claim has been found. Under normal

conditions, scientific evidence indicates Coca-Cola's acidity causes no immediate harm.

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Since 1980 in the U.S., Coke has been made with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as an

ingredient. Originally it was used in combination with more expensive cane-sugar, but by

late 1984 the formulation was sweetened entirely with HFCS. Some nutritionists caution

against consumption of HFCS because it may aggravate obesity and type-2 diabetes more

than cane sugar. Also, a 2009 study found that almost half of tested samples of

commercial HFCS contained mercury, a toxic substance. In India, there is a major

controversy whether there are pesticides and other harmful chemicals in bottled products,

including Coca-Cola. In 2003 the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a non-

governmental organization in New Delhi, said aerated waters produced by soft drinks

manufacturers in India, including multinational giants PepsiCo and Coca-Cola, contained

toxins including lindane, DDT, malathion and chlorpyrifos  — pesticides that can

contribute to cancer and a breakdown of the immune system. CSE found that the Indian

produced Pepsi's soft drink products had 36 times the level of pesticide residues

permitted under European Union regulations; Coca-Cola's soft drink was found to have

30 times the permitted amount. CSE said it had tested the same products sold in the U.S.

and found no such residues. After the pesticide allegations were made in 2003, Coca-

Cola sales in India declined by 15 percent. In 2004 an Indian parliamentary committee

backed up CSE's findings and a government-appointed committee was tasked with

developing the world's first pesticide standards for soft drinks. The Coca-Cola Company

has responded that its plants filter water to remove potential contaminants and that its

products are tested for pesticides and must meet minimum health standards before they

are distributed. In the Indian state of Kerala sale and production of Coca-Cola, along with

other soft drinks, was initially banned after the allegations, until the High Court in Kerala

overturned ruled that only the federal government can ban food products. Coca-Cola has

also been accused of excessive water usage in India. The 2008 Ig Nobel Prize (a parody

of the Nobel Prizes) in Chemistry was awarded to Sheree Umpierre, Joseph Hill, and

Deborah Anderson, for discovering that Coca-Cola is an effective spermicide, and to

C.Y. Hong, C.C. Shieh, P. Wu, and B.N. Chiang for proving it is not.

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OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

The term corporate social responsibility is itself defined by the three words involved in it

as the corporate, social and responsibility. Moreover the meaning of corporate social

responsibility is to cover up the responsibilities which the corporation have and perform

it towards the benefit of the society in which the corporation is operating its business.

Also the CSR is process of identifying the group of stakeholders and integrating their

needs, values and expectations with the day to day strategic and decision making process.

In its early business operations in India, the Coca Cola Company was lacking in such area

and performing its business operations in unethical way due to which the company has to

quit from the country. Apart from India, the company has to face the same issue in other

operating countries also which has not only impacted the business profitability but also

the company reputation among the consumers. The products and the manufacturing

operations were not only harming the society but also the economy and environment as

well. Later in early 90s the company has realized its corporate responsibilities towards

the economy, society and environment. Accordingly the company has undertaken several

CSR in initiative for the benefiting the country and society. Along with this discussion

this research study will help the researcher and the reader to understand the importance of

corporate social responsibility for the companies and how the companies are performing

their CSR initiative with the special reference of Coca Cola India. Further the research

study will contribute in the business ethics studies by providing the suggestion in the

successful implementation of Corporate Social Responsibilities undertaken by the

companies.

To analyze the marketing strategies deployed by Coca-Cola in India to boost the

market share.

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Under standing the issue and challenges faced by Coca-cola with regard to its

marketing initiatives in India.

To examine the rationale behind Coke's Corporate social measures in India as a

part of its marketing strategy.

To bring out a business model that integrates CSR initiatives in the strategic

marketing of a company

SCOPE OF THE STUDY:

The scope of this study is to better understand the criticality and importance of marketing

for any firm. Further in contrast to Coca-Cola India we would understand the integration

of CSR and marketing strategies adopted by the company from time to time, to overcome

the pressure of being unsafe and unethical for society. By this study we would identify

activities taken up by Coca-Cola India's management and employees to contribute to the

society and community in which the company operates through its marketing efforts.

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RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research is defined as human activity based on intellectual application in the

investigation of matter. The primary purpose for applied research is discovering,

interpreting, and the development of methods and systems for the advancement of human

knowledge on a wide variety of scientific matters of our world and the universe. Research

can use the scientific method, but need not do so. Scientific research relies on the

application of the scientific method, a harnessing of curiosity. This research provides

scientific information and theories for the explanation of the nature and the properties of

the world around us. It makes practical applications possible. Scientific research is

funded by public authorities, by charitable organizations and by private groups, including

many companies. Scientific research can be subdivided into different classifications

according to their academic and application disciplines. Historical research is embodied

in the historical method. The term research is also used to describe an entire collection of

information about a particular subject.

The selection of the particular research approach depends on the kind of information

required. Qualitative research collects, analyzes, and interprets data that cannot be

meaningfully quantified, that is, summarized in the form of numbers. For this reason,

qualitative research is sometimes referred to as soft research. “Quantitative Research”

calls for very specific data, capable of suggesting a final course of action. A primary role

of quantitative research is to test hunches or hypotheses. These suggest that qualitative

approach is a soft research approach in which collected data cannot be meaningfully

quantified and more importantly in this approach non-structured research is conducted.

But so far as quantitative research approach is concerned, through this approach

structured research is conducted with approaching larger respondents and the collected

data can be meaningfully quantified. Research data can be collected either in the form of

secondary or primary or both. Secondary Data usually factual information can be

obtained through secondary data that has already been collected from other sources and is

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readily available from those sources. The definition and characteristics of secondary data

presented above suggest us that secondary data are data that have already been collected

for purpose other than the problem in hand. Before detailing as how and what secondary

data were collected in this research, in would be worth to examine the advantages and

disadvantages of such data.

Secondary data are easily accessible, relatively inexpensive, and quickly obtained. Some

secondary data are available on topics where it would not be feasible for a firm to collect

primary data. Although it is rare for secondary data to provide all the answers to a non-

routine research problem, such data can be useful in a variety of ways. Primary data is

collected for the specific purpose of addressing the problem at hand. The collection of

primary data involves various steps. Thus obtaining primary data can be expensive and

time consuming. These suggest that primary data are those data that are collected for the

particular purpose of research in hand. The disadvantage of collecting primary data is that

it is lengthy and resource and time consuming process, but the advantage of primary data

is that they are first hand information and comparatively more reliable. A researcher

originates primary data for the specific purpose of addressing the problem at hand. The

collection of primary data involves all six steps of the marketing research process.

Obtaining primary data can be expensive and time consuming.  

Primary Data:

For obtaining the Primary data for my project, I propose to use two research instruments

i.e., Questionnaire and Structured Interviews:

a. Questionnaire

i. Sample Size : 100

ii. Sample composition

b. Structured Interviews

i. Sample Size : 50

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Secondary Data:

I propose to get the secondary data from:

a. Previous in house studies done in the COCA COLA INDIA LTD.

b. company websites, journals and web articles

Research Funding:

Most funding for scientific research comes from two major sources, corporations

(through research and development departments) and government (primarily through

universities and in some cases through military contractors). Many senior researchers

(such as group leaders) spend more than a trivial amount of their time applying for grants

for research funds. These grants are necessary not only for researchers to carry out their

research, but also as a source of merit.

Some faculty positions require that the holder has received grants from certain

institutions, such as the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). Government-sponsored

grants (e.g. from the NIH, the National Health Service in Britain or any of the European

research councils) generally have a high status.

The goal of the research process is to produce new knowledge, which takes three main

forms (although, as previously discussed, the boundaries between them may be fuzzy):

Exploratory research, which structures and identifies new problems

Constructive research, which develops solutions to a problem

Empirical research, which tests the feasibility of a solution using empirical

evidence

Research can also fall into two distinct types:

Primary research

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Secondary research

Research is often conducted using the hourglass model Structure of Research. The

hourglass model starts with a broad spectrum for research, focusing in on the required

information through the methodology of the project (like the neck of the hourglass), then

expands the research in the form of discussion and results.

Research in common parlance refers to a search for knowledge. Once can also define

research as a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic.

In fact research is an art of scientific investigation. The Advanced Learner’s Dictionary

of Current English lays down the meaning of research as “a careful investigation or

inquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch of knowledge,” Rcdman

and Mory define research as a “systematized effort to gain new knowledge.”2 Some

people consider research as a movement, a movement from the known to the unknown; It

is actually a voyage of discovery. We all possess the vital instinct of inquisitiveness for,

when the unknown confronts us, we wonder and our inquisitiveness makes us probe and

attain full and fuller understanding of the inquisitiveness is the mother of aN knowledge

and the method, which man employs for obtaining the knowledge of whatever the

unknown, can be termed as research.

Research is an academic activity and as such the term should be used in a technical sense.

According to Clifford Woody research comprises defining and redefining problems,

formulating hypothesis or suggested solutions; collecting, organising and evaluating data;

making deductions and reaching conclusions; and at last carefully testing the conclusions

to determine whether they fit the formulating hypothesis. D. Slesinger and M. Stephenson

in the Encyclopedia of Social Sciences define research as ‘he manipulation of things,

concepts or symbols for the purpose of generalizing to extend, correct or verify

knowledge, whether that knowledge aids in construction of theory or in the practice of an

art.”3 Research is, thus, an original contribution to the existing stock of knowledge

making for its advancement. It is the pursuit of truth with the help of study, observation,

comparison and experiment. In short, the search for knowledge through objective and

systematic method of finding solution to a problem is research. The systematic approach

23

concerning generalization and the formulation of a theory is also research. As such the

term ‘research’ refers to the systematic method consisting of enunciating the problem,

formulating a hypothesis, collecting the facts or data, analyzing the facts and reaching

certain conclusions either in the form of solutions(s) towards the concerned problem or in

certain generalizations for some theoretical formulation.

Research Approach:

The above description of the types of research brings o Light the fact that there arc two

basic approaches to research, viz,, quantitative approach and the qualitative approach.

The former involves the generation of data in quantitative form which can be subjected to

rigorous quantitative analysis in a formal and rigid fashion, This approach can be further

sub classified into inferential, experimental and simulation approaches to research. The

purpose of inferential approach to research is to form a data base from which to infer

characteristics or relationships of population. This usually means survey research where a

sample of population is studied (questioned or observed) to determine its characteristics,

and ii is then inferred that the population has the same characteristics. Experimental

approach is characterized by much greater control over the research environment and in

this case some are manipulated to observe their effect on other variables. Simulation

approach involves the construction of an artificial environment within which relevant

information and data can be generated. This permits an observation of the dynamic

behaviour of a system under controlled conditions, The term ‘simulation’ in the context

of business and social sciences applications refers to operation of a numerical model that

represents the structure of a dynamic process. Given the values of initial conditions,

parameters and exogenous variables, a simulation is run to represent the behaviour of the

process over simulation approach can also be useful in building models for understanding

future conditions.

Qualitative approach to research is concerned with subjective assessment of attitudes,

opinions and behaviour, Research n such a situation is a function of researcher’s insights

and impressions. Such an approach to research generates results either in non quantitative

form or in the form which are not subjected to rigorous quantitative analysis. Generally,

24

the techniques of focus group interviews, projective techniques and depth interviews are

used. This entire arc explained at length in chapters that follow.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Marketing strategy of coca cola:

Target Market:

Coke’s commercials basically based on young generations, so, the young generation is

the target market of Coke because they want to represent Coke with the youth and energy

but they also consider about the old people they take then as a co-target market.

Major Segments:

Major segments are basically those people who take this drink daily and those areas

where the demands are higher then the other areas. There are so many people who take

this drink daily and those people who take weekly and those who take less often are

always there as well. So, their basic segments are those people who take this drink

regularly.

Factors Effecting Sales:

There are so many factors, which affects the sale of coke. Here we are discussing three

major factors which effects coke.

Per capita income

Competitors

Weather

Per Capita Income:

First we will discuss about “Per capita income”. This is major factor that affects the sale

of this soft drink. Because which every passing year budgets are becoming very strict and

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tight in order to purchase things. So the disposable incomes of the people are coming

down. They spend heavily on rents, utilities, and education and basic necessities and after

that when they get extra money they think about this soft drink .So the decreasing per

capita income effects badly in selling and production of this soft drink And to get through

with this difficulty there is need to increase the level of per capita income of India

because it is much lesser than the rest of the countries

Competitors:

Coke’s major competitor is “PEPSI” and there is no hesitation to say this because every

one knows that and all the other cold drinks and water, coffee, tea is the competitors.

Weather:

Weather is the third major factor in effecting the Coke’s selling. This is underdeveloped

market so the coke’s consumption in summers is 60% and in winters is 40%.

Major customers need:

First of all the majority don’t care that what they are going to have. In other words, they

don’t care before drinking that whether it is “Pepsi” or “coke”. They don’t actually

differentiate between these two brands in order to their tastes. Consumers basically drink

what they get.

They believe on “WHAT COLD THEY SOLD”

Consumer’s availability in brands is basically works like:

Push availability

Pull consumer’s demand.

They have maximum number of coolers and freezers in the market. They provide this

infrastructure free of cost just to provide child coke to their customer, which they want to

be purchase. Their salesman and mechanics regularly visit all the shops where coke has

26

its infrastructure to check that either it is in proper condition or not, if not then they

immediately change or repair it.

Major Competitors:

Consumers firstly decide that they are going to have a soft drink. Then they compete

brands with each other. Like they compete Coke with Pepsi and Sprite with 7up and team

.So the major competitor of Coke is Pepsi. When they motivate to any other brand or on

Coke it’s in instinct basically that based on messages derive certain feelings. But Coca

Cola thinks in a different way, they believe that RC Cola, new coming AMRAT Cola,

and all juices, even they take water and tea as their competitors.

Strategies of quality:

After Micro and macro analysis Brand “coke” is primarily role

1. Enhance competition moments

2. When people watch cricket

3. Through commercialization

4. Fun time

Though these strategies there could be better understanding and better connection

with the public. These are the “key consumption”.

Threat from competitors:

Threats are well planned. Price is the major threat. When price goes certain beyond the

exact price whether come down or go higher its effects the consumption of soft drink.

Because when the price goes higher people go for the substitute of “coke” i.e. Pepsi. And

when price goes down they think that there is must be some thing wrong in it. In short it

all depends on customer’s perception.

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Targets that would like to attain:

Every organization runs on the bases of profit maximization so Coke is also looking for a

high profit margin. There are three major ways of making money

Over night profit

Windfall profit

Ethical and un-ethical ways

Over Night Profits:

They could be over night profit that is for the number 1 brand for the year. This

could be got my increasing sales volume

Windfall Profit:

Can be windfall profit. They are the extras profit. When the consumption the

consumption is on boom. So, there is different kind of profits.

Ethical and Unethical Ways:

Profit can also get through ethical and unethical ways. They believe on this quote

“Every thing is fare in love and war”. Some profits stays for some time like “over

night profits” and some just come and go like “wind fall profits”. And they can

also get profit through different approaches.

Expanding Target Market:

In last 2 years Coke has come back in aggressive manner.

Consumer has choice

Attractive brand name

Brand differentiating

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Consumer Has Got Choice: Now the consumer has got choice. Because now

they know the name of another big brand, though coke is the 2nd best name but it

can get a better position after some time

Attractive Brand Name: Now the consumers know the Name of Coke, because

Coke is the name, which is the most popular after the word “ok”. So people can

better differentiate brands with each other.

Brand Differentiation: Now different companies have got different brand names.

So, people can distinguish between brands. Two major brands “coke” and “Pepsi”

also have brand names

Coca Cola’s Brand:

Coca cola is “US” brand. Because they believe in the togetherness, being people together

and friends are being together. Coca Cola strongly believes that Indian temperament is

“US” not “ME”

Pepsi’s Brand:

Pepsi’s brand is basically is basically “ME” branded. They use the temperament of

“ME”. In contrast to Coke they believe on individual struggle.

Threats and opportunities for price:

Opportunities:

If Coke is considered a luxury product. Then there is the tax rate system

15% - sales tax

20% - excise duty

27% - goes to government

03% - In making Budget

29

After paying all these taxes coke has to pay electricity charges. We have to spend on

distributions. After paying all these expenses Coke’s margin squeezed and consumers

have to pay for increasing tariffs. These are the opportunities through which we can

increase the price and can get profits.

Threats:

There are much more threats in increasing prices. Because same problem of substitute. If

Coke increases the price lets say 1 rupee. Then people definitely won’t go for coke. They

have the best substitute of Coke that is Pepsi. So these are the threats in increasing prices.

Coke will lose the margin of its profit and can face loss

Strategies of Getting Goals i.e. “High Profits”

To increase the price is the least thing, which Coke can adopt. There are so many ways

through which Coke can increase the profits. Some major ways are as follows.

Volume can be increased

Interest level of consumers

To take part in energetic festivals

How to increase the volume of consumers?

Coke can increase the volume by expanding the industry of coke. Through

advertisements, offering different interesting things to attract people towards this product.

How to increase the interest level of consumers?

Coke is increasing the interest level of consumers by offering different flavor. For

example Coke is increasing the number of flavors in “Fanta”; this is one of the products

of coke. Through offering different flavors Coke can increase the Level of consumers and

through this profits can be gained

How to take part in energetic festivals?

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Coke is already taking part in the festival like “Basant” since last 3 years. Coke offers

different attractive things in their festival and through this Coke gained high profit and

consumption of coke increased on these occasions. And this year in this year 2009

people were anxiously waiting that what interesting thing coke is going to offer.

Marketing strategy:

Our local marketing strategy enables Coke to listen to all the voices around the world

asking for beverages that span the entire spectrum of tastes and occasions. What people

want in a beverage is a reflection of which they are, where they live, how they work and

play, and how they relax and recharge. Whether you're a student in the United States

enjoying a refreshing Coca-Cola, a woman in Italy taking a tea break, a child in Peru

asking for a juice drink, or a couple in Korea buying bottled water after a run together,

we're there for you. We are determined not only to make great drinks, but also to

contribute to communities around the world through our commitments to education,

health, wellness, and diversity. Coke strives to be a good neighbor, consistently shaping

our business decisions to improve the quality of life in the communities in which we do

business. It's a special thing to have billions of friends around the world, and we never

forget it.

Market Positioning:

Product Range:

The total range of Coca Cola Company in India includes:

Coke.

Sprite.

Fanta.

Diet Coke.

And company offers their products in different bottle sizes these includes:

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SSRB (standers size returnable bottle)

LRB (litter returnable bottle)

NRB (no return bottle) or disposable bottle

PET 1.5 (1.5 litter plastic bottle)

CANS (tin pack 330 ml)

Packing:

Coca cola products are available in different packing

24 regular bottle shell

6 bottle pack for 1.5 pets

12 bottles in a pack for disposable bottle

24 cans in one pack.

Pricing Strategy:

Trade Promotion:

Coca Cola Company gives incentives to middle men or retailers in way a they offer them

free samples and free empty bottles, by this these retailers and middle man push their

product in the market. And that’s why coca cola seen more in the market. And they have

a good sale in the market because according to the expert which product seen more in the

market that sells more. “Seen as sold” They do agreements with a shop keepers and stores

to exclusive sale in that stores. These stores are called as KEY accounts in their local

language. And coke also invest heavy budget on these stores and offers them free

samples and free bottles and some time cash incentives.

Different Price in different seasons:

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Some times Coca Cola Company changes their product prices according to the season.

Summer is supposed to be a good season for beverage industry in India. So in winter they

reduce their prices to maintain their sales and profit. But normally they reduce the prices

of their pet bottles or 1 litter glass bottle

Promotion strategies:

Getting shelves:

They gets or purchase shelves in big departmental stores and display their products in that

shelves in that style which show their product more clear and more attractive for the

consumers.

Eye Catching Position:

Salesman of the coca cola company positions their freezers and their products in eye-

catching positions. Normally they keep their freezers near the entrance of the stores.

Sale Promotion:

Company also do sponsorships with different college and school’s cafes and sponsors

their sports events and other extra curriculum activities for getting market share.

UTC Scheme:

UTC mean under the crown scheme, coca cola often do this type of scheme and they

offer very handy prizes in it. Like once they offer bicycles, caps, tv sets, cash prizes etc.

This scheme is very much popular among children.

Distribution Channels:

Coca Cola Company makes two types of selling

Direct selling

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Indirect selling

Direct Selling:

In direct selling they supply their products in shops by using their own transports. They

have almost 450 vehicles to supply their bottles. In this type of selling company have

more profit margin.

Indirect Selling:

They have their whole sellers and agencies to cover all area. Because it is very difficult

for them to cover all area of India by their own so they have so many whole sellers and

agencies to assure their customers for availability of coca cola products.

Facilitating the product by infrastructure:

For providing their product in good manner company has provided infrastructure these

includes:

Vizi cooler

Freezers

Display racks

Free empty bottles and shells for bottles

Advertisement:

Coca Cola Company use different mediums:

Print media

Pos material

Tv commercial

Billboards and holding

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Print Media: They often use print media for advertisement. They have a separate

department for print media.

POS Material: Pos material mean point of sale material this includes: posters and

stickers display in the stores and in different areas

TV Commercials: As everybody know that TV is a most common entertaining

medium so TV commercials is one of the most attractive way of doing

advertisement. So Coca Cola Company does regular TV commercials on different

channels.

Billboards and Holdings: Coca cola is very much conscious about their

billboards and holdings. They have so many sites in different locations for their

billboards.

Expectation from the coming years:

Every thing starts from the attitude of consumer’s behavior. And the basic key to attract

the consumers is to throw the “money away”. And positive feeling felling with the brand,

which they used to have Coke wants to advertise their products heavily in the coming

year. And it will take the 10% of their profits. And when we take it as a global level it is

$ I billion. Coming year is the challenging year for the industry of Coke. They have to

take lots of decisions that how to increase the production and where they have to spend

money. For gaining success in coming year they have to have some important things like:

1. Loyal consumers are important for company’s success.

2. Workers should be the brand centric not the promotion centric.

3. They should know how much to for the brand activities.

4. They should also know that how much to do with the promotion activities for brand.

How Coke Determine the Yearly Budget:

Coke determines its yearly budget by the

Sales volume

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Profitability

Target volume

Sales Volume: Coke determines its yearly budget through the sales volume. They first

concentrate on the thing is “what is the condition of their sales?” if the condition is good

of their sales then they definitely increase their production and sales volume. Otherwise

they concentrate on their old strategies.

Profitability: The second thing through which they determines budget is the “profit” .if

they getting profits with the high margin, then they definitely want to increase their

profits in the next coming year. Every organization runs on the basis of getting high

profits. No organization wants to face Loss in their business. To get profit is the first

priority of the Coke.

Target Volume: To run the business every industry has some targets, which they want to

achieve in a specific time period. If industry achieves those goals in that period then for

the coming year it increases the volume of the target. So Coke Follow the same thing it

has also some goals and targets to achieve in the given time period. When they succeed to

achieve that target then they increase their target volume in the next year.

Sale Promotion Activities:

Coca Cola Cricket:

Cricket the most sought after; watched & played game in India .the game of cricket has

been owned by various brands in the industry for the promotion of their products over a

period of time. It has ranged from tobacco to lubricants to communication companies to

banks to airlines & lately to the beverage industry. The competition has become tougher

& tougher as the time has progressed.

Coca-Cola signed a sponsorship agreement with eight of India’s National cricket players.

Coca-Cola realizing the fact that cricket is a very strong element by which it can reach it

consumers & masses invested in the opportunity and launched a massive campaign on

mass media showing all these cricket stars endorsing & complimenting Coca- Cola

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brand. The Coca-Cola Company developed three TV commercials & four testimonial ads

with the player & ran them on the national net work during various cricket matches.

These bold steps taken by the Coca-Cola marketing unit acclaimed them many

acknowledgements across the board. This campaign helped Coca-Cola to establish its

association with the game & the player

Coca-Cola Concerts:

In distinct style, lyrics & songs have made him an instant hit among the masses in India.

His enormous popularity in the country & abroad is supported by Coca-Cola’s

commitment towards providing healthy & fun-filled entertainment for the youth of India.

Coca-Cola brought to his fans through holding concerts & featuring in a much-

appreciated TVC & MMT featured throughout the country. The TVC campaign focused

on the hectic lifestyle of a pop star who found respite & relief through Coca-Cola in short

moments that he had to himself during a concert. Coca-Cola’s brand positioning of

providing deep down refreshment for the body, soul & mind were captured accurately in

the TVC & depicted aptly how the drink completes the moment for them.

Coca-Cola Food Mela:

With a splash of food, fun & prizes to be won, the Coca-Cola food mela treated the

people of India, to a festive food festival comprising of 50 restaurants, spread out all over

the bustling city’s map. The promotion saw the avid families & friends enjoying the

delicacies at the restaurants; all resiliently upholding the Coca-Cola identity.

Coca-Cola Basant Festival:

In February the month of basant the parks & horticulture authority in Lahore nominated

Coca-Cola the official sponsor of the basant festival .Coca-Cola added to the carnival

atmosphere by making the festival free to enter & decorating all main roads in Lahore

with illuminated kites. Coca-Cola also hosted a concert of pop idol, had children’s parade

& held the Coca-Cola kite flying championship during the basant festival. Now “where

there is basant there is Coca-Cola”, it has been impossible to envisage basant without

Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola give the more refreshing flavor to the colors of basant by adding

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more life to the festival, giving the consumer a unique experience which they had never

tasted before.

Coca-Cola GO-RED:

Quenching the thirst of motorist, pedestrians & passerby’s during hottest summer season,

Coca-Cola’s “GO-RED” teams went out into the cities main quadrants to “serve &

refresh” on the spot with ice-cold Coca-Colas at discounted prices backed by a heavy FM

announcement campaign the “GO-RED” stall, served well to promote the Coca-Cola

industry.

Coca-Cola Party in a Park:

Coca-Cola created an experiential musical evening, where Junoon performed. This

program was recorded and one-hour program shown in the national TV for free.10

million households saw Coca-Cola ‘Party in a Park’ while 10 thousand people attended

the event.

Coca-Cola Shopping Festival:

Coca-Cola hosted “The Coca-Cola Shopping Festival” India’s first shopping festival, a

resounding success with tempting discounts, live music, great prizes & fire works.

Liberty marketing was a hive of activity during the weeklong shopping extravaganza.

The in augural event proved so popular that it is now set to become an annual fixture.

CSR in Coca Cola:

On February 18, 2008, The Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd (Coca-Cola India),

was awarded the Golden Peacock award (popular for consumer goods) for Corporate

Social Responsibility (CSR) for the several community initiatives it had taken and its

efforts toward conservation of water. This award appreciates companies for their efforts

and results that they have worked for their employees, communities, businesses and for

public interest. Atul Singh (Singh), CEO, Coca-Cola India, said, "Coca-Cola India has

always placed consumer benefits and care on good citizenship and has undertaken several

new initiatives for community development and inclusive growth (Atlanta, 2006, p 13-

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16). We are very happy to receive this grand global award and are grateful at being

noticed for the little contributions that we have been able to make to preserve and protect

the environment and toward social development."

Coca-Cola India was established as the Indian subsidiary of the US-based Coca-Cola

Company (Coca-Cola) in 1993. As of 2008, Coca-Cola India had 24 bottling operations

of its own and 25 bottling operations owned by its franchisees. In addition to beverage

brands like Coke, Sprite, Fanta etc., Coca-Cola India had a strong local cola brand Thums

Up, the Kinley brand of mineral water, energy drinks, and powdered concentrates.

Keeping in the mind that they are the largest beverage company and with so many things

and strategies to compete with other international brands, they say they have given

special attention to CSR and strongly works on the achievement of society welfare.

According to the company, it was aware of the environmental, social, and economic

impact caused by a business of its scale and therefore it had taken up a wide range of

initiatives to improve the quality of life of its customers, the workforce, and society at

large. Since the company used large amounts of water and energy in its beverage

production and tons of packaging material for its products, it had taken up several

initiatives to act as a responsible company and reduce its environmental impact, it said. In

addition to water, energy, and sustainable packaging, Coca-Cola India also focused on

several community initiatives in India as part of its social responsibility initiatives.

The issue of global warming has been taken up a terrible state and it is necessary for

every large or small corporate to take some necessary steps for improving the climate

condition of earth which is the main cause of global warming. In support of this objective

the Coca-Cola's corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a further initiative in India. It

explains the action and strategies taken up by Coca-Cola India's management and

employees to contribute to the society and community in which the company operates.

As Globalization is increasing the competition, it has become duty of every FMCG or

consumable goods company to know the public interest and take care of their

requirements and needs. Same goes with Coca-Cola the world's largest beverage maker,

be it in India or otherwise. Considering Indian scenario (Coke) was engaged in a number

39

of community-focused CSR initiatives. CSR strategies and initiatives were further taken

seriously and well drafted since 2003 when the criticism and issues such as presence of

pesticide in the beverages and water resource contamination came in front in India, all of

a sudden company’s started loosing their faith and trust. Further political parties in India

started to make issue out of it and started taking advantage of the situation which affects

public interest towards soft-drinks. To address these issues and to rebuild brand image in

India, Coke come-up with number of environment-focused CSR initiatives, like

execution of eKO management system in 2003.Even they adopted the strategy to use less

water or reduce the water consumption in the system. The company has used the CSR as

a tool for its sustainability in India or only an option to avoid allegations of pesticides and

other issues. Though, the company has faced many challenges preparing to implement

new CSR strategy in India.

The products of Coca-Cola have been criticized by several sources for various reasons.

Some of the reasons include negative affect on health due to the consumption of its

products, labor exploitation, usage of pesticides in manufacturing products with high

degree, establishing the plants in Nazi Germany where the labor employed as slave labor,

destruction of environment, doing monopolistic business practices, hiring anti social units

for exploiting the trade union leaders and marketing of unhealthy products to children.

In India, the Coca-Cola's operations have been highlighted and scrutinized when many of

the communities were experiencing severe water problems such as water shortages and

the contamination of groundwater & soil. These assertions were the result of Coca-Cola's

bottling operations across that region where the company had its bottling plant. In order

to hold the Coca Cola Company’s action, a massive movement had been emerged across

the nation.

The Kerala state had imposed the ban of company’s operations, which is still running in

the Supreme Court. One of the largest bottling plants, the Plachimada plant in Kerala

state, was remained shut for 18 months since the village council had refused the

application for renewing the license as the plant under the allegations of water shortages

and pollution.

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In Sivaganga District of Tamil Nadu state had been protested against the Coca Cola

operations in India due to the fear of water depletion and contamination. The president of

the Village council, Mr. V. Kamson was died under mysterious circumstances when by

giving the statement against the upcoming Coca-cola bottling plant in the village. When

the investigation had been started for his murder case then it was found that the he was

under immense pressure from the public, police and other quarters and hence given the

statement. The other five Indian states had banned the company’s operation and the sale

of Coca Cola drinks in schools, colleges and hospitals.

Health effects:

There is several health effects from the Coca cola drink as they are hazardous to the

human health. Several court cases have been filed against the Coca Cola drinks due to the

effects on health. These effects have been tested in the laboratory by the doctors. Each of

them is explained as below:

Tooth Decay and Acidity:

Since 1940, there has been numerous court cases filed against the Coca-Cola Company

alleging that the drink produce acidity in the human body and it could be dangerous after

certain limit. In many of the case the evidences have been produced in the court, though

there are no serious action have been taken against the company. The evidences were

weak as they were in-sufficient to substantially prove that the drink is harmful for the

human body. The evidence could only prove that the drink was as mush hazardous as like

the acidic fruit juices. Frequent drinking of the Coca Cola drink results tooth decay which

has already been proved under the medical laboratories though still the company is

successful in selling its drink in the market.

Using High Degree of Fructose Corn Syrup:

During the decade of 1980 to 1990, the company was using the high degree of fructose

corn syrup in its drink as it works as a sweetener in the drink instead of using sucrose

which is considered as more feasible sweetener in the drinks. The company had increased

usage of fructose in its drink for reducing its manufacturing cost. Use fructose cause the

41

various diseases as like obesity and diabetes since it reacts differently in the human body.

Apart from this the fructose corn syrup is produced from genetically altered plants which

is again increased the risk of diabetes in the human body.

Environmental issues:

There are several environment issues are occurring from the manufacturing plant of Coca

Cola in India. The water used by the Coca Cola consists of high degree of chemicals and

pesticides and the aquifers are drying up the land which enforced the farmers to relocate

themselves.

Usage of Pesticides:

A non-governmental body called Centre for Science and Education in the India had

investigated the soft drink bottled in the country in the year 2003 and found that the

companies like Coca Coal and Pepsi Co are using high degree of pesticides such as 30

times more than the permissible limit. These pesticides include toxins such as lindane,

DDT, malathion and chlorpyrifos, which cause the harmful disease such as cancer and a

breakdown of the immune system. According to the organization, the company was using

that degree of pesticides usage only in India as it did not find the same results in the test

conducted for US based product.

Consequently many of the states had banned the sale of Coca Coal drinks in the year

2006 however which had been turned off by high court concludin that the Federal

government can only ban the food products.

Usage of Water:

Coca Cola was using the high volume of ground water which poses the threat for the

farmers since ground water is the natural resource for irrigation and use of high volume

of ground water might cause the lowering the level of ground water. Further the waste

water after the manufacturing of Cola drinks contained the harmful chemicals which were

posing the threat fir the local communities. Consequently in the yea 2004 the state

government of Kerala had shut down the $15 million bottling plant of Coca Cola by

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alleging the company that the waste water was not good for the health of communities

residing near the plant.

In the subsequent year 2005 the high court had rejected the state government allegation

for Coca Cola company as the state government was blaming that the usage of volume of

water in the drink manufacturing causing the dryness of wells and communities were also

facing the water scarcity. The high court had asked a scientific study to determine the

reason for such issues. The study revealed that the actual problem for water scarcity was

lack of rainfall in the area. However court had given the verdict in the favor of the

company and asked to relocate its plant away drought-stricken areas. In the city of

Varanasi in UP, many NGOs and local water officials had also alleged the company by

saying that the land water around the communities is polluting from the waster water

released by the bottling plant of Coca Cola. Also there is a drainage problem from treated

wastewater several years ago however the company had prepared a long pipeline to

correct it. The local water officials stated the manufacturing of one liter Coca Cola drink

is required nine liter of water however the company replied that only 3 liter of water is

sufficient for producing one liter of Cola drink. Though Coca-Cola India claimed that it

had taken several such efforts, it continued to attract criticism from several quarters. The

company was censured for depleting groundwater tables, leaving the local communities

with no access to drinking water and water for farming which was their primary source of

income.

Packaging:

The packaging used by the Coca cola Company is also affecting the environment as it has

a significant environmental impact though the company is continuously trying to

introduce the mechanisms such as container deposit legislation for the improvement in

the packaging process.

A criticism in context of India’s past:

The above mentioned criticisms are the reminder of India's sometimes has strong

relationship with the huge multinational companies. However it has been some argued

43

that the Coke and Pepsi have been the major targets in the past as they are the world

known companies for food products and can draw the plenty of attention.

In the year 1977, Coca Cola was the first soft drink manufacturer that had left the country

after the order of Indian government as the company was posing the threat for the

economic environment of the country. Immediately the company had to dilute its stake

from the Indian unit as per the foreign exchange act FERA. In the year 1993 the company

returned back to India under the liberalization policy of the country, though this time the

company had made the plans to upgrade its drinks in the Indian market by understanding

its corporate social responsibility.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), also known as corporate responsibility, corporate

citizenship, responsible business, sustainable responsible business (SRB) and corporate

social performance' is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business

model. Ideally, CSR policy would function as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism

whereby business would monitor and ensure their adherence to law, ethical standards,

and international norms. Business would embrace responsibility for the impact of their

activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all

other members of the public sphere. Furthermore, business would proactively promote

the public interest by encouraging community growth and development, and voluntarily

eliminating practices that harm the public sphere, regardless of legality. Essentially, CSR

is the deliberate inclusion of public interest into corporate decision-making, and the

honoring of a triple bottom line: People, Planet, Profit.

The practice of CSR is subject to much debate and criticism. Proponents argue that there

is a strong business case for CSR, in that corporations benefit in multiple ways by

operating with a perspective broader and longer than their own immediate, short-term

profits. Critics argue that CSR distracts from the fundamental economic role of

businesses; others argue that it is nothing more than superficial window-dressing; others

argue that it is an attempt to pre-empt the role of governments as a watchdog over

powerful multinational corporations.

44

In 2003, In India (Coke) company came in for severe criticism from activists and

environmental experts who charged it with depleting groundwater resources in the areas

in which its bottling plants were located, thereby affecting the livelihood of poor farmers,

dumping toxic and hazardous waste materials near its bottling facilities, and discharging

waste water into the agricultural lands of farmers. Moreover, its allegedly unethical

business practices in developing countries led to its becoming one of the most boycotted

companies in the world.

Further when it has been stated that soft drinks carry pesticides in it and is not good for

health. Pressure was on most of the soft drink manufacturers along with Coca-Cola India.

Indian community starts criticizing the soft drinks and brand image slowly started to fall.

Thus it became moral responsibility for the companies to come out with strategies to

manage this situation.

Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives of Coca Cola in India:

Environmental Responsibility Initiatives:

Environmental responsibility was a key aspect of Coca-Cola India's CSR initiatives.

Since Coca-Cola India was involved in beverage production, its operations affected the

environment in many ways such as through excessive levels of water consumption,

wastewater discharge, high energy consumption, discharge of effluents, and greenhouse

gas (GHG) emissions due to the use of refrigeration, vending machines, air conditioning

equipment, etc. With the criticism of Coca Cola India, there are the following challenges

for the company:

Health and Wellness Debates (Obesity and Diabetes Debate)

Usage of Energy and Climate Change

Water Risk Management

Packaging Waste

Supplier Audits

45

Driver Safety Programmes

Further in response of the above mentioned allegations and criticism the company has

taken the following initiatives:

Continued implementation of UNESDA Commitments

Using the alternative technology for plant and cold drink equipment

Watershed protection

Expanding the close loop bottle to bottle recycling

Worked with the several NGOs to extend the audit program of the company

OHSAS implementation

When the Coca Coal returned back to India in the year 1993 under the liberalization

policy the company had decided to meet the above mentioned challenges from its

corporate social responsibility in each of the following areas:

Marketplace: The Company has made the commitment to provide the products

and services which will meet the beverage needs of consumers therefore the

company will provide the sound and rewarding business opportunities which will

be in the benefits for customers, suppliers, distributors and local communities.

Workplace: The Company will foster to open an inclusive environment, where

the company will produce highly motivated, productive and committed workforce

that will ultimately drive the business success through superior execution of its

policy.

Environment: The Company is committed to conduct business in such a way that

it will protect and preserve the environment. In order to integrate the principles of

environmental stewardship and sustainable development for making the business

decisions and processes, the company will make the specialized rules to follow.

46

Community: The Company will invest time, expertise and resources for the

betterment of economic conditions, providing opportunity, improve the quality of

life and foster goodwill in communities through locally relevant initiatives.

CSR Initiative of Coca Cola:

Coca Cola is leading in CO2 Reduction Strategy:

In the year 2006, the company had reported CO2 emission in accordance with the

Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG) that had allowed the comparisons between industries

and accurate worldwide CO2 accounting. Also the company already meets the FTSE4

Climate Change Criteria in high impact industries.

Reducing Air Pollution:

The company aims to reduce its emissions of air pollutants by 65% in each subsequent

year since 1997. The company aims to stop the usage of coal as an energy source for

bottling plants and planning to reduce the usage of oil fuel by replacing it with natural gas

gradually. The company is continuously maintaining the bailers and their emissions are

verified as per the local legislation. An investigation is being conducted by the company

for renewable energies where technically and economically it is possible. The company

has improved the efficiency of its bottling plant for reducing the CO2 emission which

will help in improving the climate conditions.

Reducing Indirect Impacts from Packaging:

Coca Cola is using the glass bottle instead of plastic bottles for recycling purpose which

has reduced the packaging waste in the country. Moreover it will help to reduce the

energy usage as the recycled material requires less grey energy rather to use the fresh raw

material.

Reducing the Impact of Cold Drink Equipment:

The company Coca-Cola is committed to reduce the global warming which is directly

associated with its cooling equipment. The CFC-containing fridges which are being used

47

by the company has been phased out and banned in insulation foam since 2006. The

company is working with its suppliers on coolers that can work with 25-30% lower

energy. The company has already installed the energy saving device across its

manufacturing plant.

Marketplace Initiatives:

Coca Cola is committed with the UNESDA for its action on Diet, Physical Activity and

Health which includes the following:

Do not marketing or communicating its product aiming to target the children

Do not influence the children or the parents, guardians and other carers

Do not engaging in direct commercial activity in primary schools

Using third-party distributors to make the audience aware of these commitments

Addressing Obesity:

In order to reduce the obesity problems, the company has taken the following initiatives

Sales and marketing in a responsible manner by awareing the audience with obesity

Providing nutritional information in its labeling

Quality Standards:

Coca-Cola is currently practicing the high standards for maintaining the quality and food

safety by developing the quality Policy. With its quality initiatives the company is

certified with ISO 9001 and Quality System (TCCQS)1 certificates.

Challenges and issues in marketing of Coca Cola:

Coca-cola has signaled its intent to continue pursuing the lucrative 'energy drink'

beverage market, by releasing a new chocolate flavored energy drink 'full throttle'. The

brand which has made some headway in the states (USA) is now looking at a product line

48

diversification to increase attractiveness and product facings. The strategy behind the

move poses challenges to market leader Red Bull, who stick staunchly to their core

product range. Should they react, should they diversify their range or should they sit back

and watch? This case presents the challenges the Coca-Cola Company faced in India. Not

only was Coke up against its nemesis, Pepsi, it also had to compete with hundreds of

local brands, many of which did not pay taxes. These local brands were generically called

tuba nas. The case provides background information on the history of Cake in India,

trends in the India soft drink market, and on competition by Pepsi and the many local soft

drink firms. In addition, Coke's strategies for competing are outlined. The student is

asked to analyze the information presented in the case and to make recommendations to

Coke on how to better compete in India.

Coke has recently started to heavily invest in the Indian market. “India was actually a low

priority region for Coca-Cola until 1997 when citing rapid population growth and

disproportionately low sales, the company developed a new market strategy aiming to

double sales in 5 years.” Indeed, per capita consumption in India has grown from 18

servings in 1986 to 37 servings in 2008.15 Unit case volume sales are up 4 percent from

2006 to 2008. This growth was predominantly driven by 23 percent unit case volume

growth in U.P., after Coca-Cola opened a new divisional office in Mumbai. Coke has

clearly decided to focus its energies on emerging markets throughout the world and Coke

can honestly brag about increasing its sales volume on a global scale. However, as new

countries are aggressively targeted by Coke’s marketing machine, dietary patterns

change, and the rate of western-style diet-related diseases increase.

49

DATA ANALYSIS

Q1. Please tell me for how many years you have been working in this organization?

Less than 2 years 20%

2 to less than 4 years 40%

4 to less than 6 years 25%

More than 6 years 15%

Working period in the organization

Working Period in the Organization

20%

40%

25%

15%

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%

Less than 2 years 2 years to less than 4years

4 years to less than 6years

More than 6 years

The above mentioned graph shows that 40% respondents are working in the organization

from 2 years to less than 4 years and 15% respondents working in the organization more

than 6 years.

50

Q2. Please tell me from the following that which one is the most competitive advantage

for Coca Cola in soft drink market?

Local Expertise 12%

Business Community 14%

Service Quality 17%

Flexibility 19%

Cost Advantage 23%

Value Added Services 6%

Knowledge of Expert Services 8%

Others 1%

Most Competitive Advantages

Most Competitive Advantages

12%14%

17%19%

23%

6%8%

1%0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

Loc

alE

xper

tise

Bus

ines

sC

omm

unity

Serv

ice

Qua

lity

Flex

ibili

ty

Cos

tA

dvan

tage

Val

uead

ded

serv

ices

Kno

wle

dge

of e

xper

tse

rvic

es Oth

er

The above mentioned graph shows that according to the 23% respondents cost advantage

is the most competitive advantage for Coca Cola and according to the 23% respondent’s

17% respondents service quality is the most competitive advantage for Coca Cola.

51

Q3. Please tell me from the above mentioned point which one is the most

advantageous for Coca Cola to market and place its product among its customers?

o Product Quality: They can offer higher product quality because they have an

established base with an office, workshop, or storage facility in the area where

their customers are located.

o Flexibility: They are open for business. The company requires no or short setup

times. They are more readily available to provide required services. They can

react quickly to changing customer needs and requests.

o Cost Advantages: Transportation costs incurred in providing a service or

delivering goods are usually lower than for them. In addition, if customers

factored potential time savings (travel time, shipping time) into their calculations,

they may realize that they can benefit from significant cost advantages by

sourcing locally.

52

Q4. Please tell me from the following that which one is the most competitive

disadvantage for the company?

Lack of Customer's Knowledge 6%

Limited access to skills 10%

Government regulation 13%

Market competition 16%

Scarcity of resources 22%

Economic scenario 19%

Production process 9%

Technology 4%

Others (Please specify) 1%

Competitive Disadvantages

Most Competitive Disadvantage

6%10%

13%16%

22%19%

9%4%

1%0%5%

10%15%20%25%

Lac

k of

Cus

tom

er’s

Kno

wledg

e

Lim

ited

acce

ss to

skill

s

Gov

ernm

ent

regu

latio

n

Mar

ket

com

petit

ion

Scar

city

of

reso

urce

s

Eco

nom

icsc

enar

io

Prod

uctio

npr

oces

s

Tec

hnol

ogy

Oth

ers

(Pleas

esp

ecify

)

The above mentioned graph shows that according to the 22% respondents scarcity of

resources is the most competitive disadvantage for Coca Cola but according to the 9%

respondent’s production process is the most competitive disadvantage for Coca Cola.

53

Q5. Please tell me your current year sales level as compared to previous five year

average.

Below Average 45%

Average 35%

Above Average 15%

Unknown 5%

Current year sales level as compared to previous five year average

Sales Level

45%

35%

15%

5%

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%50%

Below Average Average Above Average Unknown

According to 35% respondents, the current year sales level as compared to previous five

year is average but 45% replied that the current year sales level as compared to previous

five is below average.

54

Q6. How would you describe the present economic environment insofar as

your company is concerned?

Growth 38%

Recession 39%

Depression 5%

Stagnation 17%

Inflation 1%

Present economic environment

Business Environment Condition

38% 39%

5%

17%

1%0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%

Growth Recession Depression Stagnation Inflation

39% respondents describe the present economic environment in so far as recession but

38% respondents describe the present economic environment in so far as growth.

55

Q7. Please tell me about the Changes in your marketing strategies over time?

Value marketing 25%

Branding & differentiation 30%

Raising Prices 20%

Low Cost Leadership 10%

Competitor Benchmarking 15%

Changes in marketing strategies

Changes in your marketing strategies

25%

30%

20%

10%

15%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Value marketing Branding &differentiation

Raising Prices Low CostLeadership

CompetitorBenchmarking

According to 30% respondents, branding & differentiation changes in their marketing

strategies but 20% respondents replied that raising prices changes in their marketing

strategies.

56

Q8. Please tell me, your organization taken what actions in response to the sales

level?

Cutting cost 30%

Introduction of new product 17%

Investment plans on hold 21%

Reducing prices 25%

Merger with other 7%

Response to sales level

Increasing the sales Level

30%

17%21%

25%

7%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

Cutting cost Introduction ofnew product

Investmentplans on hold

Reducing prices Merger withother

30% respondents replied that their organization using cutting cost strategy in response to

the sales level but 25% replied that their organization using reducing prices strategy in

response to the sales level.

57

Q9. Please tell me about changing use of the marketing tool kit?

Internet/Electronic media 30%

Market Research 25%

Direct mail 14%

Trade shows 10%

Telemarketing 21%

Changing use of the marketing tool kit

Changing use of the marketing tool kit

30%25%

14%10%

21%

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%

Inte

rnet

/Ele

ctro

nic

med

ia

Mar

ket R

esea

rch

Dir

ect m

ail

Tra

de sh

ows

Tel

emar

ketin

g

58

FINDINGS

1. The above mentioned graph shows that 40% respondents are working in the

organization from 2 years to less than 4 years and 15% respondents working in

the organization more than 6 years.

2. The above mentioned graph shows that according to the 23% respondents cost

advantage is the most competitive advantage for Coca Cola and according to the

23% respondent’s 17% respondents service quality is the most competitive

advantage for Coca Cola.

a. Product Quality: They can offer higher product quality because they have

an established base with an office, workshop, or storage facility in the area

where their customers are located.

b. Flexibility: They are open for business. The company requires no or short

setup times. They are more readily available to provide required services.

They can react quickly to changing customer needs and requests.

c. Cost Advantages: Transportation costs incurred in providing a service or

delivering goods are usually lower than for them. In addition, if customers

factored potential time savings (travel time, shipping time) into their

calculations, they may realize that they can benefit from significant cost

advantages by sourcing locally.

3. The above mentioned graph shows that according to the 22% respondents scarcity

of resources is the most competitive disadvantage for Coca Cola but according to

the 9% respondent’s production process is the most competitive disadvantage for

Coca Cola.

4. According to 35% respondents, the current year sales level as compared to

previous five year is average but 45% replied that the current year sales level as

compared to previous five is below average.

59

5. 39% respondents describe the present economic environment in so far as

recession but 38% respondents describe the present economic environment in so

far as growth.

6. According to 30% respondents, branding & differentiation changes in their

marketing strategies but 20% respondents replied that raising prices changes in

their marketing strategies.

7. 30% respondents replied that their organization using cutting cost strategy in

response to the sales level but 25% replied that their organization using reducing

prices strategy in response to the sales level.

60

RECOMMENDATION

Coke is a mature product, so your task is to penetration into new markets. Don't mean to

bore you, but here's part of what I published on Coca Cola's challenges in India - where

Coke has been unable to take its share. My strategy recommendations for the new

president of Coca-Cola’s Indian subsidiary are constrained by limited knowledge. And, to

say that American market leaders pursue a differentiation strategy is fine, but in

developing a winning strategy in India, the same rules may apply. The main objective is

to establish the brand name. The best strategy places product of uniform quality in every

corner of India. Conditionally, Coca-Cola must accept the costs and logistical challenges

of distributing to every conceivable market. Selling costs may be higher in remote

regions, but the quality product must be available, and it must be reasonably priced.

Additionally, Coke can look to the competition for clues as to what products they should

phase out, so that they can utilize plant capacities for strong sellers and new innovative

offerings. That said, I think that the best differentiation strategy is brand recognition,

which requires promotion; therefore, the sponsorship of local, regional, and national

events should continue. Similarly, the sponsorship of sports teams is effective in Latin

America, and product endorsement by well-known athletes is yet another way to

strengthen the connection between the product and the consumer. In conclusion, the

Indian economy presents the best possible scenario for producers given that the people

enjoy increasing personal wealth. Therefore, the best strategy employs a promotional

strategy that leads people to believe that Coke products are simply better.

61

CONCLUSION

Coca-Cola has launched a new application to promote its Sprite band, showing that

mobile marketing has become an integral part of its marketing strategy. A marketing

spokesperson for Coca-Cola recently said that smart marketers are looking at all of the

different ways that they can communicate with consumers including traditional, in-store,

out-of-home as well as online and mobile methods. Savvy marketers are tapping into all

of the new and old resources available. Since Sprite is focused on youth, Coca-Cola is

targeting mobile audiences in particular and this is the first large-scale program of this

kind that the soft drink giant has launched in the India.

The marketing campaign works by having consumers shake, tilt or tap their iPhone

screen to create a combination rhythm and melody track that can be uploaded to the web

for sharing and listening. Users can unlock more beats by twisting off the cap off of a

Sprite bottle and then texting in a keyword followed by the code under the cap. Sprite

will then give the user a code that can be used to unlock even more beats. This move by

Coca-Cola shows that mobile marketing is the next biggest thing for large, mainstream

companies are taking advantage of. Mobile marketing has been quite popular and

common all across Asia and Europe and it slowly but surely gaining a presence in the

Indian markets. For example a coca cola brand may be said to reduce hangover after a

drinking spree and this would really increase the consumption level of the product, this

message should be used to market the product and the facts being provided about the

product should be those aimed at solving problems faced by the masses.

Market segmentation has not been of much emphasis in the company, the company

should subdivide its market and provide products that meet special needs of its products,

this is already evident in the fast food market whereby purchases can be made online and

delivery is made within a few hours, for this reason therefore the company should try to

make products that are to be consumed by specific groups and also that the price level

should differ depending on the market segment. Advertising should also be accompanied

by promotional activities that are offered by the company, in most cases advertisement

only inform the consumers but promotions such as periodical price cuts of the product are

62

not included in this adverts, example buy one coke and get one free are not evident in the

companies strategy, this would be a means in which to share with the customer the profits

made by the company. This is possible because in most cases the advertising costs are

even higher than the production costs, most of the funds are used up in advertising. Other

forms of advertising should include extensive internet advertising, due to the changes in

technology many companies have decided to advertise online but coca cola tends to lag

behind in this strategy, there should also be the extent to which one can purchase and

order products online and delivery made at home like in the fast food industry, for this

reason therefore there is need to change the mode of advertising and adopt with the

current change in the world today.

Having considered the above discussed likely solutions to improve the current

advertisement strategy there is need for the company to involve the card slacking

technique in their advertisement, this should involve providing facts to the consumer

regarding the advantages gained from drinking the products, this benefits should not only

be monetary gains through discounts but also gains in terms of health and also to solve

certain problems, when consumers are provided with this information then the ales levels

will definitely rise and this will create a niche market.

63

ANNEXURE

QUESTIONNAIRE

Q1. Please tell me for how many years you have been working in this organization?

o Less than 2 years

o 2 to less than 4 years

o 4 to less than 6 years

o More than 6 years

Q2. Please tell me from the following that which one is the most competitive advantage

for your organization?

o Local Expertise

o Business Community

o Service Quality

o Flexibility

o Cost Advantage

o Value Added Services

o Knowledge of Expert Services

o Others (Please specify)

Q3. Please tell me from the above mentioned point which one is the most advantageous

for your organization to market and place its product among its customers?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

64

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Q4. Please tell me from the following that which one is the most competitive

disadvantage for your organization?

o Lack of Customer’s Knowledge

o Limited access to skills

o Government regulation

o Market competition

o Scarcity of resources

o Economic scenario

o Production process

o Technology

o Others (Please specify)

Q5. Please tell me your current year sales level as compared to previous five year

average.

o Below Average

o Average

o Above Average

o Unknown

Q6. How would you describe the present economic environment insofar as your company

is concerned?

o Growth

o Recession

65

o Depression

o Stagnation

o Inflation

Q7. Please tell me about the Changes in your marketing strategies over time?

o Value marketing

o Branding & differentiation

o Raising Prices

o Low Cost Leadership

o Competitor Benchmarking

Q8. Please tell me, your organization taken what actions in response to the increase sales

level?

o Cutting cost

o Introduction of new product

o Investment plans on hold

o Reducing prices

o Merger with other

Q9. Please tell me about changing use of the marketing tool kit?

o Internet/Electronic media

o Market Research

o Direct mail

o Trade shows

66

o Telemarketing

o Others

67

BIBLIGRAPHY

Andrew Collins,” Competitive Export Marketing Dynamic Strategies for Winning

and Keeping Customers”, McGraw-Hill,1992

Doctor, Vikram. “Competing on price is the new name of the game,” Economic

Times, 7 February 2001.

Andrew Wernick (1991) Promotional Culture: Advertising, Ideology and

Symbolic Expression, McGraw Hill publishers, New York

Carroll Glynn (2004) Public Opinion, McGraw Hill publishers, New York

Otto Kleppner (1990) Advertising Procedure, Prentice Hall publishers, New York

WEBSITES:

http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/coca-cola-marketing-

2124317.html

http://www.scribd.com/doc/10552013/Coca-Cola-Marketing-Strategies

http://www.coca-colaindia.com/

http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/citizenship/

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