MARKETING STRATEGIES OF COCA COLA

Submitted By
VIVEK SINGH
PGDM
Roll No. 113
Batch: 2013-2015

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF

Prof. Dr. SUNITA SRIVASTAVA

A PROJECT SUBMITTED under part completion of

PGDM to
Chetanas Institute of Management & Research
Bandra (East), Mumbai 400 051.
July, 2014

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It is my great privilege to acknowledge and remain indebted to the people who by

their rich and varied contribution have helped me in understanding the various aspects
included in my project. The successful completion of the project would be incomplete
without the mention of the people who made it possible.
I would like to thank and express my deep sense of gratitude to my Faculty Guide
Prof. Dr. Sunita Srivastava. I am greatly indebted to her for providing me with her
precious guidance, valuable suggestions, without which it would have not been
possible to complete the project.
I would also like to thank my Project Guide Mr. Manoj Agrawal who in spite of his
busy schedule has co-operated with me continuously and indeed, his valuable
contribution and guidance have been certainly indispensable for my project work.
I would also like to thank all respondents, and the dealers, who spared their valuable
time and enriched me with valuable information.
Last but not the least; I heartily thanks to my colleagues and friends who helped a lot
during project work.

VIVEKSINGH

TABLE OF CONTENT

1. TITLE PAGE.01
2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT02
3. INTRODUCTION.04
4. INDUSTRY PROFILE.06
5. COMPANY PROFILE.09
6. PORTER'S FIVE FORCES.24
7. PEST ANALYSIS.27
8. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES & METHODOLOGY.29
9. REVIEW OF LITERATURE.30
10. PRIMARY FINDINGS & ANALYSIS..55
11. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION..61
12. BIBLIOGRAPHY....62
13. ANNEXURE63

INTRODUCTION
This project is focused on studying the various marketing strategies of Coca-Cola and
the scenario of Indian soft drink industry in the 1990s.
Coca-Cola Co., the global soft drink industry leader controlled Indian soft drink
industry till 1977. Then Janta Party beats the Congress Party and the Central
Government was changed. This change brought problems for Coca-Cola principle
bottler, who was a big supporter of Gandhi Family. Now Janta Party government
demanded that Coca-Cola should transfer its syrup formula to an India subsidiary
(Chakravarty, 43). Because of this Coca-Cola backed and withdrew from the country.
In the mean time, Indias two target soft drink producers have gotten rich. Who were
controlling 80% of the Indian soft drink industry.
In 1993, the coco-Cola company came back to India. But the scenario of Indian soft
drink industry had been changed from 1977 to 1993. The competition in the soft drink
industry had become very tough. The major competitor at that time was Pepsi and
Parle. Parles best known brands include Thumsup, Limca, Citra and others were
Gold Spot and Maaza. At that time Parle had a market share of 53% and Pepsi had a
market share of 20%.
Now Coca-Cola had to make some strategies to survive in this tough competition. For
this Coca-Cola decided to take over Parle, so that the company can take the advantage
of Parles network. This decision was proved very beneficial for Coke as it had ready
access to over 2, 00,000 retailer outlets and 60 bottlers of Parles network.
The marketing strategies which were made by Coca-Cola Company to win the Cola
war in 1990s had been very successful as Coca-Cola Company had a total market
share of 48.3% in 1998.
So, the Indian soft drink industry saw a dramatic change in the decade of 1990s. All
the companies were trying to win the battle by making good marketing strategies.
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These days Coke and Pepsi are using the 4Ps of marketing mix (Price, Product, Place
and Promotion) in such a way so that a good quality can be provided to the consumers
at a reasonable price to attract the consumers towards their brands.
Both the companies know that there is so much potential in the Indian soft drink
industry and the can increase their sales by making good marketing strategies. So,
they are spending a huge amount of money on advertising and other sales promotional
activities of their brands.

SOFT DRINK INDUSTRY: AN OVERVIEW

It all began in 1886, when a tree leged brass kettle in Hohn Styth pembertons
backyard in Atlanta was brewing the first P of marketing leged. Unaware the
pharmacist has given birth to a caromel colored syrup, which is now the chief
ingredient of the worlds favorite drink. The syrup combined with carbonated the soft
drink market. It is estimated that this drink is served more than one thousand million
times in a day.

Equally oblivious to the historic value of his actions was Frank Ix. Robinson, his
partner and book keeper. Pemberton & Robinson laid the first foundation of this
beverage when an average nine drinks per day to begin with, upping volumes as sales
grew.
In 1894, this beverage got into bottle, courtesy a candy merchant from Mississippi. By
the 1950s Colas were daily consumption items, stored in house hold fridges. Soon
were born other non- Cola variants of this product like orange & Lemon.
Now, the soft drink industry has been dominated by three major player (1) The New
York based Pepsi co. Inc.(2) The Atlanta based Coca Cola co. (3) The United
Kingdom based Cadbury Schweppes.
Throughout the globe these major players have been battling it. Out for a bigger
chunk of the ever-growing cold drink market. Now this battle has begun in India too.
India is now the part of cold drink war. Gone are days of Ramesh Chauhan, Indias
one time Cola king and his bouts of pistol shooting. Expect now to hear the boon of
cannons when the Coca Cola & Pepsi co. battle it out for, as the Jordon goes a bigger
share of throat. By buying over local competition, the two American Cola giants have
cleared up the arena and are packing all their power behind building the Indian
franchisee of their globe girdling brands. The huge amount invested in fracture has
never been seen before. Both players seen an enormous potential in his country where
swigging a carbonated beverage is still considered a treat, virtually a luxury.
Consequently, by world standards Indias per capita consumption of cold drinks as
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going by survey results is rock bottom, less than over Neighbors Pakistan &
Bangladesh, where it is four times as much.
Behind the hype, in an effort invisible to consumer Pepsi pumps in Rs 3000 crores
(1994) to add muscle to its infrastructure in bottling and distribution. This is apart
from money that companys franchised bottles spend in upgrading their plants all this
has contributed to substantial gains in the market. In Colas, Pepsi is already market
leader and in certain cities like Banaras, Pepsi outlets are on one side & all the other
Colas put together on the other. While Coke executive scruff at Pepsis claims as well
as targets, industry observers are of the view that Pepsi has definitely stolen a lot from
its competitor Coke.
Apart from numbers, Pepsi has made qualitative gains. The foremost is its image. This
image turnaround is no small achievements, considering that since it was established
in 1989, taking the hardship route prior to liberalization and weighed down by export
commitments.
Now, at present as there are three major players Coke, Pepsi and Cadbury and there is
stiff competition between first two, both Pepsi and Coke have started, sponsoring
local events and staging frequent consumer promotion campaigns. As the mega event
of this century has started, and the marketers are using this event world cup football,
cricket events and many more other events.
Like Pepsi, Coke is picking up equity in its bottles to guarantee their financial
support; one side Coke is trying to increase its popularity through.
Eat Food, enjoy Food. Drink only Coca Cola. Eat cricket, sleep cricket. Drink only
Coca Cola. Eat movies, sleep movies. Drink only Coca Cola.

But no doubt that UK based Cadbury is also recognizing its presence. So there is a
real crush in the soft drink market. with launch of the carbonated organize drink
Crush, few year ago in Banaras ., the first in a series of a launches , Cadbury
Schweppes beverage India (CSBI) HAS PLANNED:- The world third largest soft
drink marketers all over the country.CSBI o wholly owned subsidiary of the London
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based $ 6.52billion. Cadbury Schweppes is hoping that crush is going well and well
not suffer the same fate as the Rs. 175 crore Cadbury Indias apple drink Apella. CSBI
is now with orange (crush), and Schweppes soda in the market.
As orange drinks are the smallest of non-Cola categories that is Rs. 1100 crore
markets with 10% market share and Cola heaving 50% is followed by Lemon
segment with 25%.
The success of soft drink industry depends upon 4 major factors viz.
Availability
Visibility
Cooling
Range
AVAILABILITY
Availability means the presence of a particular brand at any outlet. If a product is
now available at any outlet and the competitor brand is available, the consumer will
go for the outlet because generally the consumption of any soft drink is an impulse
decision and not predetermined one.
VISIBILITY
Visibility is the presence felt, if any outlet has a particular brand of soft drink sayPepsi Cola and this brand is not displayed in the outlet, then its availability is of no
use. The soft drink must be shown off properly and attractively so as to catch the
attention of the consumer immediately Pepsi achieves visibility by providing glow
signboards, hoarding, calendars etc. to the outlets. It also includes various stands to
display Pepsi and other flavors of the company.

COOLING
As the soft drinks are consumed chilled so cooling them plays a vital role in
boosting up the sales. The brand, which is available chilled, gets more sale than the
one which is not, even if it is more preferred one.
RANGE

This is the last but not the least factor, which affects the sale of the products of a
particular company.

COMPANY PROFILE
Coca-Cola Enterprises, established in 1886, is a young company by the standards of
the Coca-Cola system. Yet each of its franchises has a strong heritage in the traditions
of Coca-Cola that is the foundation for this Company.
The Coca-Cola Company traces its beginning to 1886, when an Atlanta pharmacist,
Dr. John Pemberton, began to produce Coca-Cola syrup for sale in fountain drinks.
However the bottling business began in 1899 when two Chattanooga businessmen,
Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead, secured the exclusive rights to bottle
and sell Coca-Cola for most of the United States from The Coca-Cola Company.
The Coca-Cola bottling system continued to operate as independent, local businesses
until the early 1980s when bottling franchises began to consolidate. In 1986, The
Coca-Cola Company merged some of its company-owned operations with two large
ownership groups that were for sale, the John T. Lupton franchises and BCI Holding
Corporation's bottling holdings, to form Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. The Company
offered its stock to the public on November 21, 1986, at a split-adjusted price of $5.50
a share. On an annual basis, total unit case sales were 880,000 in 1986.
In December 1991, a merger between Coca-Cola Enterprises and the Johnston CocaCola Bottling Group, Inc. (Johnston) created a larger, stronger Company, again
helping accelerate bottler consolidation. As part of the merger, the senior management
team of Johnston assumed responsibility for managing the Company, and began a
dramatic, successful restructuring in 1992.Unit case sales had climbed to 1.4 billion,
and total revenues were $5 billion
The Coca-Cola Company is the worlds largest beverage company. They operate in
more than 200 countries & markets more than 2800 beverage products. Headquartered
at Atlanta, Georgia, they employ approximately 90500 employees all over the world.
It is often referred to simply as Coke or (in European and American countries) as Cola
or Pop.

MISSION, VISION AND VALUES

The world is changing all around us. To continue to thrive as a business over the next
ten years and beyond, we must look ahead, understand the trends and forces that will
shape our business in the future and move swiftly to prepare for what's to come. We
must get ready for tomorrow today. That's what our 2020 Vision is all about. It creates
a long-term destination for our business and provides us with a "Road map" for
winning together with our bottling partners.
Our Mission
Our Road map starts with our mission, which is enduring. It declares our purpose as a
Company and serves as the standard against which we weigh our actions and
decisions.

To refresh the world...

To inspire moments of optimism and happiness...

To create value and make a difference

Our Vision
Our vision serves as the framework for our Road map and guides every aspect of our
business by describing what we need to accomplish in order to continue achieving
sustainable, quality growth.

People: Be a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they
can be

Portfolio: Bring to the world a portfolio of quality beverage brands that

anticipate and satisfy peoples desires and needs

Partners: Nurture a winning network of customers and suppliers, together we

create mutual, enduring value

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Planet: Be a responsible citizen that makes a difference by helping build and

support sustainable communities

Profit: Maximize long-term return to share owners while being mindful of our
overall responsibilities

Productivity: Be a highly effective, lean and fast-moving organization

Our Winning Culture

Our Winning Culture defines the attitudes and behaviors that will be required of us to
make our 2020 Vision a reality.
Live Our Values
Our values serve as a compass for our actions and describe how we behave in the
world.

Leadership: The courage to shape a better future

Collaboration: Leverage collective genius

Integrity: Be real

Accountability: If it is to be, its up to me

Passion: Committed in heart and mind

Diversity: As inclusive as our brands

Quality: What we do, we do well

Focus on the Market

Focus on needs of our consumers, customers and franchise partners

Get out into the market and listen, observe and learn

Possess a world view

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Focus on execution in the marketplace every day

Be insatiably curious

Work Smart

Act with urgency

Remain responsive to change

Have the courage to change course when needed

Remain constructively discontent

Work efficiently

Act like Owners

Be accountable for our actions and in actions

Steward system assets and focus on building value

Reward our people for taking risks and finding better ways to solve problems

Learn from our outcomes -- what worked and what didnt

Be the Brand

Inspire creativity, passion, optimism and fun

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COCA-COLA WORLDWIDE (BACKGROUND)

The Profile
The Coca-Cola Company is the global Soft drink industry leader, with world
headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. The company and its subsidiaries employ nearly
30,000 people around the world Syrups, concentrates and beverages bases for CocaCola, the companys flagship brand, & over 160 other Company Soft Drink brands are
manufactured and Sold by the Coca Cold Company and its Subsidiaries in nearly 200
countries around the world. In fact approximately 70% of company volume and 80%
of company profit come from outside the United States.
By contract with the Coca-Cola Company on its local subsidiaries, local
businesses are authorized to bottle and sell company soft drinks within certain
territorial boundaries and under conditions that ensure the highest standards of quality
and uniformity.
The Coca-Cola takes pride in being a worldwide business that is always local.
Bottling and distribution operations are, with some exception, locally owned and
operated by independent business people who are native to the nations in which they
are located.
The Coca-Cola company stock, with ticker symbol KO2 is listed and traded in
the United States on the New York stock exchange, common stock also is traded on
the on the Boston, Chicago, Pacific an Philadelphia Exchanges Outside the United
States, Company common stock is listed and traded on common and swiss exchanges.
The Company operating management structure consists of five geographic
groups:
1. The North America Group Comprises the United States and Canada.
2. The Latin American group includes the Companys operations across Central and
South American from Mexico to Argentina.
3. The Companys most populated operating group, the Middle and far east group,
ranges from the Middle East to India, China, Japan and Australia.

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4. The greater Europe group stretches from Greenland to Russias far last, including
some of the most established markets in Western Europe and the rapidly growing
nations of Eastern and Central Europe.
5. The Africa group includes the Companys business in 50 countries in Sub Sahara
Africa.
The Coca-Cola Company continues to activate sponsorships throughout the
world including associations with World Cup Soccer. The National Football league.
NASCAR, the Tour de France, the Rugby World Cup, COPA America and numerous
local sports teams. The Coca-Cola Company has sponsored the Olympic Games since
1928.

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COKE IN INDIA

Coke gained an early advantage over Pepsi since it took over Parle in 1994.
Thus it had ready access to over 2, 00,000 retailer outlets and 60 bottlers.
Thus Coke had greater than Pepsi because it had ready access to the Parle
network. For example in 1994 Pepsi had 20 bottlers to serve the entire country while
Coke had Parles 60 bottlers. In an important market like Delhi Pepsi had just one
bottler while Coke had four. On the other hand Pepsi had taken over the Dukes
Mangola of Mumbai.
In 1993, Pepsi Foods Ltd. had control over the Rs. 1,100 - Crore Indian Soft
Drinks market. At that time, the soft drinks tycoons Ramesh Chauhan, was heading
the Parle group and at that time was deciding to explore the possibility of selling his
best rolling brands to Coke, rather than to Pepsi. Pepsi had entered the market 3 years
before Coke did. Before the Coke-Parle tie-up in '93- Ramesh Chauhan had 2 options
before him- (1) to stick around, fight it out again and hopefully, continue with his
number one position. (2) to sell out to Coca-Cola for a good return. This risk of
losing out to one of the multinationals, eventually, seemed to be throwing up the
second alternative.

Ramesh Chauhan told business world (India's most popular

business magazine) that "it is better to seek a compromise than to fight a lone battle".
But he was wisely simultaneously taking steps to safeguard his market share. In a few
months, Parle's products will be launched in 250 ml instead the current 200 ml. The
indications are that the company will hold the price line. Incidentally, both Pepsi and
Coke (if it finally gets in) will cost more than local brands because of the 300% duly
on the imported ingredients.

However, this scenario was taking place pre-

liberalization period and hence implied a very high duty on imported items.
Entry of Pepsi and Coke in India or their proposals were at that time being
opposed because of the impact of first - strike on the minds of consumers. If CocaCola is allowed an easy and quick entry through a window established by the
government, there can be no justification for denying similar access to Pepsi Co.
Basically what was wrong at that time with the Coke proposal was that while
the Pepsi deal could go through under the camouflage of horticultures and agriculture
15

development as their proposal stated, a pure soft drinks project was not so politically
palatable (as it would greatly hamper the indigenous industry).
Coke had plans, to invest $ 20 million in India and Pepsi was going to pump in
Rs. 300 crore more. Ramesh Chauhan greatest compulsion, to 90 in for the 2nd
option was that many of his biggest bottlers were preparing to desert him for Coke,
.since the bottlers accounted for nearly one-third of Parle's sales. Parle's biggest
bottles in the Easter region, Goenka, accounted for 80% market share in Calcutta, felt
that the future lay with Coca-Cola, no Indian company had the financial muscle to
take on Coke.
Also, there was the most convincing factor for the tie-up, that Parle's Position
in the Indian soft drinks market and Coca-Cola's marketing strengths and experience
would make an unbeatable combination. At that time according to the worlds most
popular and well known magazine, Fortune, had rated Coke as the world's best brand.
Even Coke would greatly benefit from the tie-up, as Coke with Parles wide spread
bottling and distribution network, which was spread over more than a thousand towns
and cities and the gradual withdraw of Parle brand would ensure Coke would be the
king. Parle's best known brands include Thumsup, Limca, Citra and others were
GOLD SPOT and Maaza.
The biggest advantage to Parle from the tie-up would be an instant gain of $
40 million, which could be used profitably in other ventures.
According to a report the deal was that, Parle Exports had transferred the
rights of all its reputed soft drinks brands to Coca-Cola Company, USA. In short,
Coca-Cola Company became the exclusive owner of Thumsup, Limca, Gold Spot,
Citra and Maaza and could therefore; withdraw them from the market whenever it
would want to.
Under the agreement, the existing bottlers of Parle Exports would continue to
produce Parle brands under the licence from the Coca-Cola Company. The U.S.
Multinational proposed to introduce its international brands -Coke, Fanta and Sprite at
an appropriate time. The Parle bottlers will be bottling these Coco - Cola brands also.
The exact nature of Parle, Coca-Cola tie-up is given below:
So, Ramesh Chauhan sold his soft drink brands of the U.S. Multinational for
($ 40 million) and is presently a major Coke bottler. Delhi - based Parle Chairman
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gave up his ownership of his soft drinks brand (Thumsup, Limca, Citra and Gold
Spot) and was awarded the bottling franchisee for Delhi, Bombay, Surat and
Ahmedabad. Coke depends on the 54 bottling plants which it was inherited from the
Parle by out.
So, logically all brands of Parle as well as Coca-Cola will be marketed together. The
only problem being that Parle bottlers would not be able to meet the peculiar quality
requirements of Coke.

Model of Brand Selection

Customer buys on value

Value equals quality relative to price

Quality includes all non-price attributes that count in the purchase decision

Product

Customer service

Quality, price and value, are not absolute, but relative to competitors.
Quality

Product

Value

Customer Service
Price

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ASSUMPTIONS

Improvements in perceived quality in turn lead to high market share and market
leaders spend to build their franchise.

Companies spend a larger share of their sales income on advertising and tend to be
much more profitable than companies that spend less.

Brands that spend a much larger than average share of their sales on advertising
earn an average return on investment of 32% while brands that advertise much
less than their competitors average only 17%.

Increases in advertising expenditure are closely correlated with gains in master

share (even after adjusting for the effects of other factors).

Sales promotions like price-off, etc. has no significant correlation with market
share changes (only its effect on consumer behaviour is observed).

To some extent companies with high, quality simply have more to say in their
advertising, so they are likely to spend more money saying it.

Market-perceived quality is a more important measure of competitiveness than

market share for 2 bey reasons :
1. Most market leaders had to develop quality leadership to achieve their large
share position superior quality is the base upon which market leadership is
usually built.
2. Generally according to data, businesses that begin with a large share of the
market tend to lose share. By contrast, those that begin with superior quality
tend to hold or gain share.

Therefore, market share is often a lagging indicator of a company's performance;

quality is the clear key to success.
Pepsi is a perfect example; since it came to India in 1989 with a market share
of 0% it now in 1998 enjoys a share of 45.2% in the market.
But in case of soft drink, the 2 Cola giants Pepsi and Coke cannot to a great
extent differentiate on their brands (but of course in terms of taste and fizz), a lot has
to be spent on ads, packaging and promotion, i.e., making it more easily available.
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However, recently in the world's famous business magazine, fortune, Coca

Cola was rated as the world's number one brand.
It must be noted that the brand also has to work in different ways from market
to market. A constant check on, brand management techniques, on the promotion of
the brand, in a consistent and robust manner, is essential for the brands future. One
point where Coke scores over Pepsi has been in production and distribution system
internationally and nationally (because of access to Parle's distribution network)
which ensures the product reaches the consumers in perfect condition.
The advertising message that is conveyed to the people in the advertising
slogan "Always the real thing" (1993), is a credible statement about the brand's
virtues. What reinforces this conviction amongst, consumers, apart from the
reassurance provided by the consistent quality of the Coca Cola product, is that
competitive brands all seek to emulate Coca Cola. There is very little attempt on their
part to create a distinctive positioning and personality for their brands.

A vast

complex network of production, distribution and marketing has kept the brand in
front.
Coca Cola has entered new markets and also developing market economics
(like India) with much-needed jobs.
Coke attributes its success to bottlers, the Coca Cola system itself, i.e., its
executive committees, employees, BOD, company presidents but above all from the
consumer.
Coke's red colour catches attention easily and also the Diet Coke which it
introduced was taking the Cake, as Pepsi has not come out with this in India.
Ever since Coke's entry in India in 1993, Coke made a comeback (after
quitting in 1977), in October 24 in Agra, the city was flooded by trucks, there
wheelers, tricycle cards-all with huge red Coke-emblazoned umbrellas. Retailers
were displaying their Coke bottles in distinctive racks, also with specially-designed
iceboxes to keep Coke bottles cold. This was one big jolt to Pepsi.

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MARKETING MIX

WHAT IS A MARKETING MIX?

It is a set of controllable tactical marketing tools - product, price, place &
promotion - that the firm blends to produce the response it wants in the target market.

THE FOUR PS OF THE MKTS MIX

PRODUCT
Product Variety
Quality
Designs
Features
Brand name
Packaging
Sizes
Services
Warranties
Returns

TARGET
CUSTOMERS
INTENDED
POSITIONING

PRICE
List Price
MRP
Discounts
Allowances
Pay Period
CR Terms

PLACE
Channels
Coverage
Assortments
Locations
Transportation
Logistics

PROMOTION
Advertising
Personal Selling
Sales Promotion
Public Relation

Effective marketing would be blending the marketing mix elements into a

coordinated programme designed to achieve the companys marketing objective by
delivering value to consumers.

Cola - Cola has always worked upon their marketing mix tools since its entry
into India and Cokes objective has been to strengthen their brand in important
segments of the market and to gain a competitive edge over Pepsi brands.

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MARKETING MIX OF COKE

a) PRODUCT
Coke was launched in India in Agra, October 24, in '93', soon after its
traditional all Indian launch of its Cola. at the sparking new bottling plants at Hathra,
near Agra. Coke was back with a bang after its exit in 1977.

Coke was planning to launch in next summer the orange drink, Fanta-with the
clear lemon drink, sprite, following later in the year.

Coke already owns more brands than it will over need, since it has bought out
Ramesh Chauhan. Coke just needs to juggle these brands around dextrously to meet
its objectives, to ensure that Pepsi does not gain market share in the process.

For if a vacuum develops, it is Pepsi which has the brand muscle and the
distribution network to grab customers today-not Coke. But Coke could not reduce its
marketing support for Thumsup until its own Cola would hit the four major metros
(Delhi. Bombay, Calcutta and Madras) Therefore, Coke had to give its existing levels
of support for Parle's brands and would push Thumsup and Limca. Coke has plans to'
use quality and hygiene as USPs. Their aim seems to be to expand market by market,
learning from their mistakes.

In, 1998 Coke's product line includes Coca-Cola, Thumsup, Fanta, Gold Spot,
Maaza, Citra, Sprite, Bisleri Club Soda and Diet Coke.

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All India Market Share 98

Overall

48.3%

Coca-Cola

10.8%

Thumsup

16%

Fanta

5%

Limca

10%

Gold Spot

1.5%

Others

5%

PACKAGING
Coca-Cola India Limited (CCIL) has bottled its Cola drink in different sizes
and different packaging i.e., 200 ml bottle, 300 ml. Bottle, 330 ml. Cans, 500 ml.
Bottle fountain Pepsi, and bottles of 1 and 1.5 ltrs

PRODUCT POSITIONING

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One important thing must be noticed that Thumsup is a strong brand in

western and southern India, while Coca Cola is strong in Northern and Eastern India.
With volumes of Thumsup being low in the capital, there are likely chances of Coca
Cola slashing the prices of Thumsup to Rs. 5 and continue to sell Coca Cola at

the

same rate. Analysts feel that this strategy may help Coke since it has 2 Cola brands in
comparison to Pepsi which has just one.

Thumsup accounts for 40% of Coca Cola Companys turn over, followed by
Coca Cola which has a 23% share and Limca which accounts for 17% of the turnover
of the company. (Thumsup being the local drink, its share in the market is intact,
forcing the company to service the brand, as it did last year Mr. Donald short CEO,
Coca Cola India, said that, " we will be absolutely comfortable if Thumsup is No. 1
brand for us in India in the year 2005. We will sell whatever consumers want us to".
Coca Cola India has positioned Thumsup as a beverage associated with adventure
because of its strong taste and also making it compete with Pepsi as even Pepsi is
associated with adventure, youth.

PORTER'S FIVE FORCES MODEL OF COCA COLA

BARGAINING POWER OF SUPPLIERS
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Most of the ingredients needed for beverages and snacks are basic commodities such
as potatoes, flavor, color, caffeine sugar, packaging etc. So the producers of these
commodities have no bargaining power over the pricing for this reason; the suppliers
in this industry are weak.
Bargaining Power of Buyers
Buyers in this industry have the bargaining power, because main source of the
revenue and market share in beverage and food industry are fast food fountain,
convenience stores food stores vending etc. The profit margins in each of these
segments noticeably demonstrate the buyer power and how special buyers pay diverse
prices based on their power to bargain.
Threat of New Entrant
There are many factors that make it hard for new player to enter the beverage
industry some of important factors are brand image and loyalty, advertising
expense, bottling network, retail distribution fear of retaliation and global supply
chain.

Brand Image / Loyalty

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Pepsi and Coke continuously focusing on increasing their biggest beverage and
food products, they has built some of the globes strongest brands that are loved by
consumers throughout the world. Innovative Marketing has leveraged their worldwide
brand-building strength to attach with consumers in significant ways and impel the
growth globally. These all campaign results in higher amount of loyal customers and
strong brand equity throughout the world. In 2011, Coca-Cola was declared the
worlds most valuable brand according to Interbrands best global brand. This makes
it impossible for new entrance to enter the beverage industry easily.
Advertising Spend
Cock and Pepsi has very effective advertising campaign, their advertising also
represent the cultures of different countries. They also sponsor different games and
teams and also featured in countlesstelevision programs and films. The marketing and
advertising expense was approximately $ 15 billion. This makes landscape very
harder for new players to succeed.
Bottling Network
Pepsi and Coca Cola have live and exclusive contracts with bottlers that have
privileges in all over the world. These franchise agreements or contracts forbid
bottlers from keeping competitors brands. Coke has the world's largest beverage
distribution network; consuming in more than 200 countries enjoys the Cokes
beverages at an average of nearly 1.6 billion servings a day. Coca-Cola is sold in
restaurants, vending machine and stores in more than 200 countries. PepsiCo has
adopted the globes most powerful go-to-market systems, serving more than 10
million outlets a week by operating greater than 100,000 different routes, and
producing more than $300 million in retail sales per day. They have also purchased
some of the bottlers, this makes difficult for new players to get bottler contracts or to
build their bottling plants.

Retail Distribution

25

Coke and Pepsi offers 16 to 21 percent margins to retailers for the space they present.
These margins are substantial for retailers and this makes it very hard for the new
player to persuade retailers to carry their products.
Fear of Retaliation
It is very difficult for new player to enter in this industry because; they will be highly
retaliating by local players in local markets and in global scenario they have to face
the duopoly of Coke and Pepsi. This ultimately could result in price war which affects
the new player.
Global Supply Chain
Cock Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and nonprofit Techno Serve initiated a
partnership to facilitate more than 50,000 small fruit farmers in Kenya Uganda to
increase their productivity and double their incomes by 2014. Coke has significant
opportunities within global supply chain to encourage and develop more sustainable
practices to benefit consumers, customers and suppliers. While; it is still in the
premature stages of exploring these opportunities and dedicated to the economic
vitality and health of the farming communities our supply chain engages. Pepsi
promotes and support sustainable agriculture not only because it makes good business
sense, it purchase million tons of potatoes and fruits.
Threat of Substitute Products
Large numbers of substitutes are available in the market such as water, tea, juices
coffee etc. But firms counter them with innovative marketing and massive advertising
which build growth for their brands by highlighting their benefits. Players also
differentiate themselves by well-known global trade marks, brand equity and
availability of the products which most of the substitute products can not contest. To
protect themselves from competition players in soft drink industry offer Diversify
products such as such as Pepsi offers soft drinks (Pepsi, Slice, Mountain Dew),
beverages (Tropicana Juices, Dole Juices, Lipton tea, Aquafina bottled water, Sport
drinks, Tropicana Juices), Snacks (Rold Gold pretzels and Frito-Lay). Coke also
26

offers most diversified range of products such as Cola-Cola Cherry, Coca-Cola

Vanilla, Diet Coke, Diet Coke Caffeine-Free, Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola and range of
lime or coffee and lemon.
Competitive Rivalry within an Industry
Beverage industry competition can be classified as a Duopoly with Pepsi and Coca
Cola. The market share of other competitors is too low to encourage any price wars.
Cola-Cola gets competitive advantage through the well-known global trade marks by
achieving the premium prices. It means Cola-Cola have something that their
competitors do not have. While Pepsi has leveraged its worldwide brand-building
strength to attach with consumers in significant ways and impel the growth globally

PEST ANALYSIS OF COCA COLA COMPANY

As the leading beverages company in the world, Coca Cola almost monopolizes the
entire carbonated beverages segment. Beside it, Coca Cola also maintain their
reputation as the leading company in the world using PEST Analysis so that Coca
Cola can examine the macro-environment of Coca Colas operations.
Political
When Coca Cola had decided to enter a country to distribute the products, Coca Cola
was monitoring the policies and regulations of each country. For the example, when
entering Moslems country such as Indonesia or Malaysia, Coca Cola followed the
regulation by adding Halal stamp in each Coca Colas products. In this case, Coca
Cola has no political issues in this matter.
Economic
Coca Cola also has low growth in the market for carbonated beverages (North
America). The market growth was 1% in 2004. For stimulating the growth, Coca Cola
had spent high budget of advertisement to endorse the customers.

27

Social
Nowadays, customers tend to change their lifestyle. Customers more aware about
health consciousness by reducing in drinking carbonated beverages to prevent
diabetes or other diseases. As a result, Coca Colas demand for carbonated beverages
has decreased and the revenues also decreased. Thus, Coca Cola diversify the
products by adding production lines in tea (Nestea), juices (Minute Maid), mineral
water (Dasani and Ades), and sport drinks (PowerAde), and others.
Technological
Because of the developing technology, Coca Cola has advanced technology in
producing the products. Then, Coca Cola made innovations by giving flavors to the
Coke, such as Cherry Coke, Diet Coke, Coca Cola Zero, Coke with Lime, and others.
But, the customers still prefer the original taste of traditional Coke; it can be seen by
the high demands in traditional Coke.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES & METHODOLOGY

28

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
1.
2.
3.
4.

To study the marketing strategies adopted by Coca-Cola

To study the advertising effectiveness Coca-Cola on customer
To analyze the awareness of consumer regarding Coca Cola.
To help the company for further changes in the quality, pricing, and policies.

Research design
The Research available is descriptive so as to describe the complete qualities of juices
available in market.
Sources of Data collection
To do a research always we use two sources of data collection. Primary and secondry
Primary Source:
It is the source which collects the primary data through Questionnaire and record the
raw data for further analysis, Primary source is used by the face-to-face survey with
the customers of the company.
Secondary Source:
Secondary source is the internet, magazines, and old data files of the research.
Sampling Technique
The sampling technique which has been used in this research is simple Random
sampling. This has been used in order to simplify the process of sample collection and
to use our own wisdom and parameters in relation to selection of sample.
Sample size: 50
Sample Area: Mumbai

LITERATURE REVIEW
MARKETING MIX OF COCA-COLA
29

Firstly, we will look at how Coca-Cola has used their marketing mix. The marketing
mix is divided up into 4 parts; product, price, promotions and place.
1. Product:
The product (Coca-Cola soft drink) includes not just the liquid inside but also the
packaging. On the product-service continuum we see that a soft drink provides little
service, apart from the convenience. Soft drinks satisfy the need of thirst. However,
people are always different, some want more and others want less. Therefore CocaCola has made allowances for that by providing many sizes. We also have particular
tastes, and again they have provided several options. So, although thirst is what is
needed to be satisfied and that is the core benefit, we are receiving other benefits in
the taste and size. Coca-Cola has developed several different flavors and sizes as
mentioned above, but also several brands such as Sprite, Lift, Fanta and Diet Coke
which increase the product line length, thus making full use of the market to
maximize sales.
The product is convenient, that is - bought frequently, immediately, and with a
minimum of comparison and buying effort. The appearance of the product is eye
catching with the bright red colour. It has a uniquely designed bottle shape that fits in
your hand better, and creates a nicer & more futuristic look.
The quality of the soft drink is needed to be regularly high. Sealed caps ensure that
none of the "fizz" is lost. The bottles are light, with flexible packaging, so they won't
crack or leak, and are not too heavy to casually walk around with. The cans are also
light and safe.

The product range of Coca-Cola includes:

Coca-Cola,
30

Coca-Cola classic,

caffeine free Coca-Cola,

diet Coke

caffeine free diet Coke,

diet Coke with lemon

Vanilla Coke,

diet Vanilla Coke,

Cherry Coke,

diet Cherry Coke,

Fanta brand soft drinks,

Sprite,

diet Sprite

Sprite Remix

Product Lifecycle of Coke:

Product life cycle has four phases
1. Introduction
2. Growth
3. Maturity
4. Decline.
The markets where Coke is a dominant player are United States of America, Europe
and Asia, Africa. There is a vast difference in terms of above given phases for
example, in U.S.A & Europe it has reached maturity stage where it cant expand its
market more but if we consider Asia, it is still in the growth phase.
Coca-Cola is currently going through the maturity stage in Western countries. This
maturity stage lasts longer than all other stages. Management has to pay special
attention to products during this stage of the product life-cycle. During the maturity
stage, products usually go through a slowdown in sales growth. According to CocaCola's 2001 annual report, sales have increased by 1.02% compared to last year. This
31

percentage has no comparison to the high level of growth Coca-Cola enjoyed during
its growth stage. To add a little variation Coca-Cola took the Coca-Cola Classic and
added variations to it, including Cherry Coke, Vanilla Coke and Diet Coke. Also
Coca-Cola went from 6-oz. glass bottles to 8-oz. cans to plastic liter bottles, all
helping increase consumption.
COCA-COLA

2. Price:
Like any company who has successfully endured a century of existence, Coca- Cola
has had to remain tremendously fluent with their pricing strategy. They have had the
privilege of a worthy competitor constantly driving them to be smarter, faster, and
better. A quote from Pepsi Co's CEO "The more successful they are, the sharper we
have to be. If the Coca-Cola Company didn't exist, we'd pray for someone to invent
them." states it simply. The relationship between Coca-Cola & Pepsi is a healthy one
that each corporation has learned to appreciate.
Throughout the years Coca-Cola has made many pricing decisions but one might say
that their ultimate goal has always been to maximize shareholder value. As Cola
consumption has decreased in the US Colas have come to realize the untapped
32

international market. In 2003 both Coke and Pepsi had a solid presence in India and
had each introduced a 300mL bottle. In order to grab market share Pepsi began to
drop prices (even with summer approaching, which was contrary to policy in
America). Shortly thereafter, Coca-Cola decided to drop their prices slightly, but
focused on the reduced price point of their 200mL container. Coca- Cola planned to
use the lower price point to penetrate new cities that were especially price sensitive.
The carbonated soft drink market in India is nearly 37% of the total beverage market
there.
This low price strategy was not unfamiliar to Coca-Cola. Both Coke & Pepsi utilized
a low price strategy in the early 1990s. After annihilating the low price store brands,
Coke chose to reposition itself as a "Premium" brand and then raise prices.
Coca-Cola products would appear, on the shelf, to have the most expensive range of
soft drinks common to supermarkets, at almost double the cost of no name brands.
This can be for several reasons apart from just to cover the extra costs of promotions,
for which no name brands do without. It creates consumer perceptions and values.
When people buy Coca-Cola they are not just buying the beverage but also the image
that goes with it, therefore to have the price higher reiterates the fact that the product
is of a better quality than the rest and that the consumer is not cheap. This is known
as value-based pricing and is used by many other industries in attracting consumers.
In India, the average income of a rural worker is Rs.500 a month. Coca Cola launched
a 200 ml bottle for just Rs.5, an affordable amount on the pockets of the rural
audience.
3. Place:
Coca-Cola entered foreign markets in various ways. The most common modes of
entry are direct exporting, licensing and franchising.
Besides beverages and their special syrups, Coca-Cola also directly exports its
merchandise to overseas distributors and companies. Other than exporting, the
company markets internationally by licensing bottlers around the world and supplying
them with the syrup needed to produce the product.
There are different types of franchising. The type that is used by Coca-Cola Company
is manufacturer-sponsored wholesaler franchise system. It is very comparable to

33

licensing but the only difference is that the finished products are sold to the retailers
in local market.
Coca Cola has managed their companys marketing and sales strategy within
channels. Have you ever considered the significance of the Coke vending machine to
the success and profitability of the Coca Cola company? This channel is direct to
consumer and vending machines often have little to no competition and no trade or
price promotions.
The Coke Company operates three primary delivery systems for its business channels:

Bulk delivery for the channels of large Supermarkets, Mass Merchandisers

and Club stores;

For smaller channels Coke does advanced sale delivery for convenience
stores, drug stores, small supermarkets and on-premise fountain accounts.

Full service delivery for its full service vending customers.

Key Channel Listing

Supermarkets

Convenience Stores

Fast Food

Petroleum Retailers

Chain Drug Stores

Hotels/Motels/Resorts

Mass Merchandisers

U.S. DOD Military Resale retail commands: AAFES, NAVRESSO and DECA

Vending

PROMOTION STRATEGIES

34

GETTING SHELVES
They get 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 eyecatching positions. Normally they keep their freezers near the entrance of the stores.
SALE PROMOTION
Company also do sponsorships with different college and schools 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
1. Direct selling
2. 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 Pakistan 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

35

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 holdings

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.

COMPARING THE MARKETING STRATEGIES OF COKE

WITH PEPSI

36

Coca-Cola India and Pepsi India are locked in a bitter battle for market share.
So far Pepsi has won, outselling Coke 27.1% to 10.8% (All India Market Share) But
Coke's new strategy adopted in India which gives Thumsup the local brand it acquired
in 1993-94 from Parle exports - top marketing priority which would hurt Pepsi in the
long run.

COKE'S STRATEGIC MOVE SINCE 1993

Four years after it entered the Rs. 1,800 crore Indian soft drinks market, CocaCola is finally waking up to reality and duplicating the strategy of arch rival Pepsi. In
these four years the company has successfully managed to fritter away the 69 per cent
market share of -the five Parle brands -- Thumsup, Limca, Citra, Gold Spot and
Maaza -- which it bought from the Chauhan brothers. Wrong strategy: trying to push
only its US brand, ignoring the Indian-acquired brands and failing to strike a chord
with Indian consumers by not using localised advertising campaigns.
Donald Short, CEO of Coca Cola India. Mr. Short is trying to achieve what
his predecessors, Jaydev Raja and Richard P. Nicholas Ill, could not.

His new

mantra: do in India as Pepsi does ( as the famous saying at Coke Atlanta, do as the
Atlantans do). Like Pepsi, Coke has started sponsoring local events and staging
frequent consumer promotion campaigns. It has started picking up equity stakes in its
bottlers to guarantee them financial support though its bullying tactics on paying
compensation have drawn sharp criticism. It has finally started releasing locallycreated ads, using Indian idiom to strike a chord with consumers. And finally it has
started pushing its strike a chord with consumers. And finally it has started pushing
its Indian brands -- led by Thumsup -instead of focusing on only its flagship.
After years of eating, sleeping and drinking movies, cricket and Coke, CocaCola is finally waking up to the strength of the local brands that it took over from
Ramesh Chauhan in 1994. When Coca-Cola came to, India it had hoped to continue
its legendary rivalry with Pepsi world-wide and it was expected that the India would
fade out. So Coca-Cola pushed its own brand. But somebody forgot to narrate the
same script to Indian consumers who insisted that they wanted their thunder back.
Coca-Cola has now reconciled to the fact that Thumsup and Limca are the two most
popular soft drink brands in India, especially in the western and southern regions.
37

Keeping this in mind the company has lined up an aggressive marketing campaign to
push the two brands in the domestic market.
Mr. Short's new strategy, Thumsup contributes 40 per cent of Coca-Cola
Indias turnover while Limca accounts for another 17 per cent. Coke itself accounts
for 23 per cent. The balance comes from Coke's other brands, including Fanta. Citra
and Maaza. In terms of all-India market share. Thumsup has 16 per cent whereas
Coke has 10.8 per cent. As much as 30 per cent to 35 per cent of Coca-Cola Indias
expenditure in 1998 will be devoted to promoting Thumsup. Limca will command 15
per cent to 18 per cent, marginally lower than the 20 per cent to 25 per cent which will
be spent on promoting Coke.
Despite being a global brand, Pepsi has built its success on meeting the Indian
consumer's needs, particularly in terms of making the brand synchronize with
localized events and traditions. By offering free Pepsi with idli it tried to beat
Thumsup and Coke in the south. In Calcutta, where Coke always has a large hold,
Pepsi linked itself with neighbourhood cricket tournaments. In Delhi it associated
itself with Holi and offered free colour sachets with Pepsi bottles. Says Mr. Sinha,
CEO of Pepsi: We recruited local salesmen to sell our products since to sell
consumer products you need local experience. That is why Pepsi's events such as the
Spot the Miranda Man contest was such a huge success.
By contrast, Coke deliberately chose to bring in expatriates. Instead of trying
to create a bond with customers with low impact activities it resorted to high impact
activities like sponsoring the World Cup and the Olympics 'in 1996.

But

unfortunately none of these helped it to raise its customer base despite the high
advertising spends. In fact Pepsi benefited more by releasing the Nothing Official
about It campaign during the same period. While Pepsi's market share rose from 24
per cent to 26.50 per cent in just two months after the World Cup, Coke's increased
from 12 per cent to just 12.5 per cent.
Coke's lack of freedom to take any decision independently of its Atlanta
headquarters was also one of the major reasons why it has not been as nimble-footed
as Pepsi in evolving marketing strategy in a rapidly changing industry. Flexibility is
the weapon which Coca-Cola has lacked since all controls are vested with Atlanta.
Coke's trade promotions have followed a predictable pattern, offering fat margins to
38

retailers for a limited period of time -- without exploring alternatives that raise the
level of involvement for the seller as well as the consumer.
In sharp contrast, flexibility has always been one of the most important
weapons in the hands of Pepsi Company India. Every manager and salesperson has
the authority to take whatever steps he or she feels will make consumers aware of the
brand and increase its consumption.
Says Mr. Sinha: AII we do is give people a budget in which they have to
work. How they go about is completely up to them. We are performance oriented
and look at only results, not at the methods adopted to get those results.
The biggest thorn in Coke's strategy has been its long and bitter battle with its
bottlers. The conflicts have finally settled down to a pattern that reflects its global
experience. Coca-Cola India is floating two subsidiaries, Bharat Coca-Cola and
Hindustan Coca-Cola which will act as holding companies for most of its bottling
operations. Thus giving the transnational ownership and control over this crucial part
of its operations. Earlier the company had made the mistake of demanding huge
investments from its bottlers without worrying about the returns, assuming that they
would be willing to sustain losses as long as Coca-Cola did. In the process, it
alienated the former Parle franchisees, the Chauhan.
According to Mr. Chauhan there is a big difference between the kind of
investments Coke has in mind and the kind of investments made by him. Coca-Cola
is now in the process of buying out bottling plants located in Patna and Kanpur, to of
its important northern markets. Mr. Sinha reveals his relations with the bottlers by
saying that they are his partners and the management listens to them, which Coke last
year failed to do. Every member of Pepsi's sales team is meticulously taught the
merchandising and display skills that can leverage the reach of the company's bottling
network to achieve high visibility for the product. Thus Pepsi Company India has
used its eight years in India to develop a relationship with its bottlers that enables it to
work in tandem with them. If Mr. Short can now adopt Pepsi's method of transferring
the transnational's expertise to its bottlers, his brands will benefit.
Pricing is another factor in which Pepsi has always had the edge. Pepsi has
consistently used its pricing strategy as an invitation to sample, aiming to turn trial
into addiction. It launched the 1996, its 1.5 litre bottle followed Coke into the market
39

share at Rs. 30 -- Rs. 5 less than Coke's. In both cases, Pepsi raised the price once
consumption stabilized, counting on habit to compensate for the price hike. Coke
initially carbon-copied the strategy by introducing its 330ml. cans in January 1996 at
an invitation price of Rs. 15 before raising it to Rs. 18. Mr. Short is now using a
lower-priced smaller-sized version the gain consumers. The 200 ml. Coke launched
(so far) in parts of eastern, western and northern India is priced at Rs. 6, lowering
entry-barriers.
According to officials, by launching Thumsup and Limca in a big way, Coke
will gain lost ground. The twin-brand strategy will help Coke play the pricing game
against its competitors. In the west and east, where Thumsup has a dominant market
share, the multinational will slash the price of Coke which constitutes only a minor
share in the overall volume. A reverse strategy will be followed in the north and south
where Coke sells more than Thumsup.

40

All India Market Shares

(1998)

COCA - COLA
Overall

PEPSI-COLA
Overall

48.3%
Thums ups
16%
Coke

45.2%
Pepsi

10.8%
Fanta
Limca

5%
10%

27.1%
Mirinda
Others
10.8%

41

7.3%

CADBURY
SCHWEPPES
Overall
3.2%
All brands
3.2%
(Crush, Canada, Dry,
Campa-Cola, Campa
Orange, Campa
Lemon)

STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MARKET SHARE

Strategy

When Use

How apply in Market Cost-Implications

Place

1. Price

To gain share in a A. Set general market Will

product line (a) where price
there

is

growth:
launching

room
(b)

level

lower

gross

below margin by decrease-

for average (catch share sing spread between

in generally strategy)

cost and price for a

new B. Lower prices at period of time.

product, preferably in specific
target Will lower cost as
a growth market.
customer
accounts cumulative
volume
where reduced prices increases and costs
will

capture

high move
down
volume accounts and experience curve.
where competition in
vulnerable on a price
basis : lower prices
enough to keep the
business
C.

Lower

against

Prices
specific

competitions who will

not or cannot react
effectively.
2.

New When a new product A. Develop and launch

Product

need

(cost

or the

new

product

performance) can be (Generally )

uncovered and a new B. T
product
will
(a)
Target
specific
displace
existing
customers and market
products on a cost or
segments where the
performance basis. Or
need for the product is
42

the

(b) expand the market strongest

and

for a class of product competition

most

by tapping previously vulnerable

and

unsatisfied demand.

immediate large gains

in

share

can

be

obtained.
3. Service To

gain

share

for A.

Improve

specified product lines generally

when

service Cost

of

adding

beyond capacity

and/or

competitive competitive levels by bolstering

service

service levels do meet increasing capacity for systems.

customer

specified product lines.

requirements.

B.

Target

Cost of expanding

specific the
where system,

accounts

distribution
including

improved service will additional inventories

gain share and the required.
need

for

superior

service is high
C.

Offer

services

additional
required

in

general or at specific
customersinformation,
engineering

advice,

etc.
D. Expand distribution
system by adding more
distribution points.
market A. Add salesmen or Salary and overhead

4. Quality When

/strength

segment

or

of

additional

of

customers are getting improve call frequency salesman

or

marketin

inadequate sales force above

coverage

specific sales representatives to cost

(too

few levels
43

competitive representatives
in

target

calls/month) or inferior territories or at target Cost of training for

quality
(poor

or

coverage accounts.

salesmen

insufficient

or B.

retraining

Sales

training Cost of
programs to improve program

incentive

information conveyed existing sales skills,

by salesmen)
product
knowledge,
and

territorial

and

customer management
abilities.
C.

Sales

incentive

program with rewards

based
increases

on
at

share
target

customers or in target
market of products.
5.

a) When a market A. Select appropriate Cost of creative work

Advertisi

segment

ng

or

specific media to reach target to create campaign.

and inadequate exposure to customer groups.

compared

Production
or B. Set level and
media costs
benefits frequency of exposure
to of target customers

competition

(b)

sales pro- product,

motion

service,

price

A high enough to create

change in the benefits adequate awareness of
offered is made and benefits and counter
needs
to
be level of competitive
communicated.
efforts.

44

and

BRAND LOYALTY
From a marketing strategy viewpoint, brand loyalty is a very important
concept. Particularly in today's low-growth and highly competitive market-place,
retaining brand-loyal customers is critical for survival; and it is often a more efficient
strategy than attracting new customers. Indeed, it is estimated that it costs the average
company six times more to attract a new customer than to hold a current one. Brand
loyalty is often thought of as an internal commitment to purchase and repurchase a
particular brand. As a behaviour phenomenon brand loyalty is simply repeat purchase
behaviour.
Both cognitive and behaviour approaches to studying brand loyalty have
value. We define brand loyalty as repeat purchase intentions and behaviours. While
the major focus of our discussion is on brand loyalty as behaviour, we want to
emphasize that cognitive processes strongly influence the development and
maintenance of this behaviour.
Brand loyalty may be the result of extensive cognitive activity and decision
making. Brand-loyal behaviour may occur without the consumer ever comparing
alternative brands. Decisions have to be made about where and when to purchase the
product; some knowledge of the product and its availability must be activated from
memory; intentions to purchase ft and satisfaction influence the purchase behaviours.
The market for a particular brand could be analyzed in terms of the number of
consumers in each category, and strategies could be developed to enhance brand
loyalty of particular groups.
i)

Undivided brand loyalty is, of course, an ideal. In some cases,

consumers may purchase only a single brand and forego purchase if it is not
available.

ii)

Brand loyalty with an occasional Swatch is likely to be more

common, though.

Consumers may switch occasionally for a variety of

reasons: their usual brand may be out of stock, a new brand may come on the
market and tried once, a competitive brand is offered at a special low price, or
a different brand is purchased for a special occasion.
45

iii)

Brand-loyalty switches are a competitive goal in low-growth or

declining markets. However, switching loyalty from one to another of the
brands of the same firm can be advantageous.

iv)

Divided brand loyalty refers to consistent purchase of two or

more brands.

v)

Brand indifference refers to purchases with no apparent

repurchase pattern. This is the opposite extreme from undivided brand loyalty.
While we suspect total brand indifference is not common, some consumers of
some products may exhibit this pattern.
Developing a high degree of brand loyalty among consumers is an important

goal of marketing strategy. Yet the rate of usage by various consumers cannot be
ignored. For simplicity, we have divided the dimensions into four categories of
consumers rather than consider each dimension as a continuum.
Brand Loyalty and Usage Rate
Brand Loyalty
Brand-Loyal,
Light Users

Brand - loyal,
Heavy users

Light Usage

Heavy Usage
BrandIndifferent,
light users

BrandIndifferent,
heavy-users

Brand
Indifference

The above figure shows that achieving brand-loyal consumers is most valuable
when the consumers are also heavy users. This figure could also be used as a strategic
toot by plotting consumers of both the firm's brands and competitive brands on the
basis of brand loyalty and usage rates. Depending on the location of consumers and

46

whether they are loyal to the firm's brand or a competitive one, several strategies
might be useful;
1.

If the only profitable segment is the brand-loyal heavy user, focus on

switching consumer loyalty to the firm's brands.

2.

If there is a sufficient number of brand-loyal light users, focus on increasing

their usage of the firm's brand.

3.

If there are a sufficient number of brand-indifferent heavy users, attempt to

make the firm's brand name a salient attribute and/or develop a new relative
advantage.

4.

If there is a sufficient number of brand-indifferent light users, attempt to make

the firm's brand name a salient attribute and increase usage of the firm's brand
among consumers, perhaps by finding a sustainable relative advantage.

5.

It is also important to plot consumers of competitive brands to develop

appropriate strategies. If a single competitor dominates the brand-loyal heavyuser market and has too much market power to be overcome, then strategies
may have to be focused on other markets.

47

COCA-COLA Vs PEPSI IN INDIA

Coca-Cola controlled the Indian market until 1977, when the Janta Party beat
the Congress party of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. To punish Coca-Cola's
Principal bottler, a Congress party stalwart and long live Gandhi supporter, the Janta
government demanded that Coca-Cola transfer in syrup formulae to an Indian
subsidiary (Chakravarty, 43). Coca-Cola backed and withdrew from the country.
India, now left without both Coca-Cola and Pepsi, became a protected market. In the
meantime, India's two target soft drink producers have gotten rich and lazy while
controlling 80% of the Indian market. These domestic producers have little incentive
to expand their plants or develop the country's potentially enormous market. Some
analyst reason that the Indian market may be more lucrative that the Chinese market,
India has 850 million potential customers, 150 millions of whom comprise the middle
class, with disposable income to spend on Cars, VCRs and Computers. The Indian
middle class is growing at 10% per year, to obtain the license for India, Pepsi had to
export $5 of locally made products for every $1 of materials it imported, and it had to
agree to help the Indian government to initiate a second agricultural revolution. Pepsi
has also had to take Indian partners. In the end, all Parties involved seem to come out
ahead. Pepsi gain access to potentially enormous market, Indian bottlers will get to
serve a market that is expanding rapidly because of competition from abroad and will
pay lower prices. Even before the first bottle of Pepsi hit the shelves, local soft drink
manufacturer increased the size of their bottles by 25% without raising costs.
COCA-COLA INDIA TO HARDSELL ALL BRANDS
The CEO's business card is printed in English in one side and in the national
language, Hindi on the other; he talks of two of India's established soft drink brands
as "national treasurers". He launches a brand of canned coffee for the Japanese
market - not for sale is India - and call it the "third national treasure", because the
coffee beans are sourced from India and that it would generate substantial foreign
exchange for the country.
Blowing the pipe on this discovery of Indian treasures is President & Chief
Executive officer, Mr. Donald Wilson Short of Coca-Cola India (CCI), who is trying
to project the new patriotic face of the Coca Cola Company in India. A query on how
48

much of this sudden change of face has to do with the attitude of the present
Government towards MNCs is met with a diplomatic. Mr. Short says I have always
been proud of India and have been open about it to the media". But the bottom line is
that the company has little choice, to save the option of leaning on `India treasures',
Thumps up and Limca.
Mr. Short says that though in the first quarter of this year advertising rupee
spent on drink Thumps up. He claims that in second quarters, it will be reverse, as
more money would be spent on promotion of Thumpsup. The latest white water
rafting ad for Thumps up has costed them three times more than the cost of the Coke
ad".
The marketing boost for Thumps up has its basis in the fact that Thumpsup
accounts for nearly 40 per cent of CCIs, soft drink sales while Coke accounts for 25
per cent and the rest is accounted for by the other brands of Limca, Fanta, Citra and
Maaza.
Also forthcoming are a few details of the target consumers of the respective
brands, Thumps up is a male drink, Coke goes down equally with both genders,
Limca act Citra are more for women, Fanta is a youth drink and Maaza is for those
who do not always go for the fizzy carbonated drinks.
Demographically, speaking, Citra is virtually non-existent up north whereas in
South India, Citra has a good market. Thumps up is strong in the east and down
south, Mr. Short justifies the limited progress of Coke and Fanta saying that the share
of business from these two brands is low because it is not available in half of India.
So the immediate task is to increase the search of the two core brands, Coke and Fanta
to nearly three-fourth of the country.
Also in line with competition soft drinks market dynamics are huge ad
budgets, the difference this time around would be that CCI is pumping money into all
its brands, New advertising for Citra is due while Maaza would be pushed
aggressively too. Thumps up, Coke and Fanta are already getting due attention, one
could perhaps say that the real Cola war with focussed marketing is in the making, not
just between the Colas Coke and Pepsi, but between the other brands of the two
companies as well. Mirinda Vs Fanta, Limca Vs Team, Citra Vs 7up, Slice vs Maaza.

49

Coca-Cola India is about to sign a deal with Prakash Chauhan: New Delhi,
Nov 20th. Coca-Cola India may sign a deal with Prakash Chauhan within next 2-3
weeks for acquiring his two bottling units in Mumbai, of the units, Prakash Chauhan
owns one jointly with his brother, Ramesh, and the other he owns exclusively it is
expected that Prakash will buy out Ramesh Chauhan stake in the jointly owned
bottling unit before handing it over to the Cola giant.
Prakash Chauhan confirmed that the deal with Coca-Cola India would be
signed shortly. "Earlier we were not part of the deal that was being negotiated
between Ramesh Chauhan and the Cola firm.

We have now sorted out the

outstanding issues, and the two Mumbai bottling limits would be sold to Coca-Cola,
said sources. They did not specify the price of the deal between Prakash Chauhan and
Coca-Cola India.
With the important Delhi and Mumbai bottling units. Owned by the Chauhan
in its bag, Coca-Cola India will find it easy to persuade the remaining bottlers to sell
out to it. The Cola firm has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ramesh
Chauhan to acquire his Delhi bottling units in September.
In early '96', both Coca Cola India and Pepsi Foods India launched high
decibel promotions aimed at increasing the visibility of their respective brands. Coca
Cola kicked off the current round in December '95', after it pipped Pepsi to bag the
status of official soft drink to the wills World Cup by offering Rs. 13 crore. Coke's
slogan then had been 'The official drinks', Pepsi then came out with theirs - 'Nothing
official about it'.
Coke had bought up Parles business, including the Thumsup. Gold Spot and
Citra brands, for $40 million - the company's overall market share has dropped from
60% to 56%. Coca Coia's loss has proved to be Pepsi's gain, whose brands improved
from 30% to 41% in the same period (see table). Coca-Cola's problems don't end
there. In the Cola segment - which constitutes more than half the total soft drinks
market - Pepsi has dislodged, Thumsup from the top spot, and now has a 40% market
share. The former Parle brand still retains 30%, but flagship Coke comes in a poor
third, with only a 20% market share.
Other former Parle brands have also taken a beating. Cloudy lime drink
Limca, which commanded a 20% share of the total soft drinks market in 1993. has
50

seen its market share drop to 16% today. And Gold Spot, though still the leader in the
orange segment has lost most of fizz, with a mere 4.5% share of the soft drinks
market, compared to around 9% in 1993. Besides the promotions Coca Cola has
finally planned to launch The Real Thing in cans. Priced at Rs. 15, the 330ml. cans
were slated to hit the market by mid '96. There rival Pepsi had set aside nearly Rs. 8
crore for his advertising programme in the run-up to and during the World Cup.
While this being only a fraction of the Coca Cola budget.
Coca Cola had spent Rs. 26.99 crore on television sports in the first nine
months of 1995. Coca Cola has earmarked Rs. 40 crore to promote the brands in the
run-up to World Cup. Meanwhile Pepsi spent a piffling Rs. 6.98 crore on television
ads during this period.
The apparent failure of marketing strategies of Coke was reflected in a survey
conduct by Marketing & Research Group in September 1995 for the Delhi based
advertising and marketing magazine, A & M on the country's best marketing
companies. Pepsi ranked 7th. While Coca Cola came in 13.
While both Coke and Pepsi slug it out for larger shares of the soft drinks
market, apparently the market itself is growing pretty steadily. Per capita annual
consumption of soft drinks has risen to 3.5 servings today, as against 3 servings in
1993 when Coke was relaunched.
A third competitor Cadbury Schweppes, its Orange drink, Crush was confined
to Delhi and Mumbai and now is planning to expand operations nationwide by the
summer of 1996.
All Figures in % Market Share
Coca Cola

60

65

56

Pepsi

30

33

41

Others

10

Years

1993

1994

1995

The table signifies the fact that Coke's market share has slipped down from
60% in '93' to 56% in '95', while Pepsi, owing to its aggressive marketing strategy and
51

advertising campaigns, has done well, as it has climbed up from 30% in '93' to 41 %
in '95'.
The following diagram depicts the cold war between the 2 Cola giants and
shows which one out of the 3 (i.e., Coke, Pepsi and Thumsup) is the strongest brand
and in which region.
The results have shown that Thumsup is preferred over Pepsi in major soft
drinks markets including Calcutta and in major cities of Maharashtra and Andhra
Pradesh.
The brand tracking study covering Coke, Pepsi and Thumsup had taken into
account a combination of performance indicators, like advertising persuasiveness,
brand preference and purchase intent, apart from retail audits that are there to measure
the case stock in retail outlets.
While advertising persuasiveness measured the ability of the commercials to
make the consumers buy the brands at the next consumption brand preference
indicated toe choice over other existing brands.

Purchase intent measured the

likelihood of purchase of each brand at the next consumption occasion.

A survey of a sample of 6000 consumers in 14 major Indian cities was
conducted and the results compiled in the middle of January.
While Delhi was a Pepsi stronghold, Calcutta was Thumsup's and Punjab,
Indias largest soft drink market, had Coke ruling the roost with a lead of 15 per cent.
With an investment of $740 million over the next 10 years in India, Coca Cola
India is giving a major thrust to the campaign for Thumsup with the new dynamic
advertising showing adventure sports like bungee-and heli-jumping.
Colas contribute to about 50 per cent of the Rs. 1,800 crore soft drink market.
The popularity of Thumsup is showing in its volume of sales and it has been proved
that there is room for more to feed the hungry soft drinks market.

52

THE COLD WAR

35%

35%

29%

30%

25.50%

25%
20%

17%

18%

18%

21%
COKE
THUMS UP

13%

15%
10%

17%

PEPSI

8%
4%

5%

5%

0%
Mum bai

Delhi

Chennai

Calcutta

The following is about the region-wise growth pattern of Pepsi and Coke in
the year '98'.
Pepsi had out performed Atlanta-based soft drink major Coca Cola in
the country by emerging the leader in the first quarter growth sweepstakes. Pepsi had
announced a growth of over 27 per cent during the first quarter against 21 per cent
posted by Coca Cola in the first three months of the year. Pepsi grew by 18 per cent
in the same period last year.

53

SWOT ANALYSIS
SWOT Analysis of Soft Drink Industry in relation to Coke
Strengths

Weaknesses

Carbonated soft drink growth 10-15%

Weak infrastructure (exp. Cooling)

Estimated PCC to increase to 6-8 Small retailers, less shelf space

bottles

Heavy excise duty (40%), recently

have come down a little
Cans have to be imported at high duty
rates.
Problems of empty bottles

Opportunities
Low

PCC

Threats
as

compared

to Political risks

neighbouring countries
Growing

rural

market

Coke and Pepsi indulging in

internecine

competition
Rising disposable income
Changing consumer trends due to
satellite TV.

54

PRIMARY FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS

Have you ever tried the product (Coca-Cola)?

Out of the 30 people we surveyed, all of them said they had tried Coca-Cola atleast
once. This explains the brand awareness of Coca-Cola.
Gender

55

Out of the 30 respondents, there were 18 men & 12 women.

Age groups

As represented in the chart, majority of the respondents were in the age group of 2035 years, the least of the lot being 2 kids who were also asked to participate in the
survey.
Do you enjoy the product (Coca-Cola)?

56

From the analysis, it was found that majority of 77% (23 people) respondents said
they enjoyed drinking Coca-Cola as against 23% (7 people) who said they preferred
other drinks.
What brand would you say is more popular among the public?
a) Coca-Cola
b) Pepsi
c) Other

As seen in the chart, out of 30 people, 17 respondents said, in their opinion, CocaCola was more popular while 11 respondents said they preferred Pepsi as a popular
brand.
Do you enjoy Coca-Colas advertisements on TV?

57

The chart represents that a majority of people thought the Advertisements were good
enough & they like what they see.
Do you think the price for a can of Coca Cola is cheap or expensive?

As seen in the above figure, a majority of 23 people out of the 30 respondents thought
that the Coca-Cola Cans are slightly overpriced with a few people also rating it as
expensive.
If you were to see the Coca-Cola logo somewhere would you recognize it?

58

It is understood from the fact that the Logo of the Company still has its image in the
minds of the people with all the respondents saying they would recognize the CocaCola Logo.
How often do you buy the product?

As it can be seen in the figure, it was concluded that majority of the respondents
bought the product quite frequently. This shows the brand loyalty of the customers
towards Coca-Cola.
Where do you buy Coca-Cola products the most?

59

As seen in the above chart, customers usually preferred to buy Coca-Cola in

restaurants like KFC, Mc Donalds, Sub-Way etc. The second largest option was
General stores stocking Coca-Cola.

60

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSION
It was observed that Coca-Cola has been perceived quite positively as it has been
projected. People are aware of the Brand & Awareness of Coca-Cola is quite high in
the market. When a product is launched, avid Coke drinkers choose this soda over any
other competitor simply because it's a Coca-Cola product and they trust it.
Although Coke has been into controversies, people still prefer to stay loyal to the
Brand with Coca-Cola being termed as a more popular brand than Pepsi.
Coca-Cola products would appear, on the shelf, to have the most expensive range of
soft drinks common to supermarkets, at almost double the cost of no name brands.
This can be for several reasons apart from just to cover the extra costs of promotions,
for which no name brands do without. When people buy Coca-Cola they are not just
buying the beverage but also the image that goes with it, therefore to have the price
higher reiterates the fact that the product is of a better quality than the rest and that the
consumer is not cheap.
In supermarkets and convenience stores Coca-Cola has their own fridge which
contains only their products. There is little personal selling, but that is made up for in
public relations and corporate image. Coca-Cola sponsors a lot of events including
sports and recreational activities.

61

RECOMMENDATIONS
After completing our project I have concluded some recommendation for the Coca
Cola Company, which is following.

Coca Cola Company should try to emphasis more on providing their

infrastructure in the market to facilitate their customers.

According to the survey, conducted by the international firm Pakistani people

like little bit sweeter Cola drink. So for this Coca Cola company should
produce their product according to the local demand.

Marketing team should try to increase the availability of Coke in rural areas.

They should also focus the old people.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bibliography refers to the sources through which information has been retrieved in
my project development:
Books & Magazines:

Marketing Management

Economic Times

Annual Report of coca-Cola company.

By (Philip Kotler)

Websites:

http://www.google.com\

http://www.coca-Colaindia.com\

http://www.altavista.com\

62

ANNEXURE
1.

Have you ever tried the product (Coca-Cola)?

a) Yes
b) No

2. Gender
a) Male
b) Female
3. How old are you?
a) Below 10
b) 10-19
c) 20-35
d) 36-50
e) 51 & Above
4. Do you enjoy the product?
a) Yes
b) No
c) It's not bad

5. What brand would you say is more popular among the public?
d) Coca-Cola
e) Pepsi
f) Other

63

6. Do you enjoy Coca Colas advertisements on TV?

a) I really like them
b) They good but nothing special
c) Not bad
d) I don't enjoy them
7. Do you think the price for a can of Coca Cola is cheap or expensive?
a) Cheap
b) Slightly over priced
c) Expensive
8. If you were to see the Coca Cola logo somewhere would you recognize it?
a) Yes
b) No
9. How often do you buy the product?
a) Never
b) Once/few times a year
c) Few times a month
d) Few times a week
e) Everyday
10. Where do you buy Coca-Cola products the most?
a) Super Markets
b) General stores
c) Restaurants (McDonald's, Subway, KFC etc)

64