Chapter 7 - Business Marketing

The reseller market includes retail and wholesale businesses that buy finished goods and resell them for a profit.

Business Marketing is the marketing of goods and services to individuals or organizations for purposes other than personal consumption.

The business market consists of four major categories of customers: producers, resellers, governments, and institutions.

I've noticed that The Coca-Cola Company does a lot of business with resellers.  At my local Walgreen's Pharmacy, there is a section that sells Coca-Cola products.  In this case, Walgreen's is the reseller and buys the Coca-Cola as a finished product.  It then sells this soda to its customers for a profit.

Chapter 8 - Segmenting and Targeting Markets

Emotionally stimulating

Visually captivating

The movement of the Polar Bear is inspiring

According to Coca-Cola's home page, there is a section called "Arctic Home".  Coca-Cola's goal in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund, is to raise awareness and funds to create a safe haven for polar bears - an Arctic refuge.  As a symbol of their commitment, for the first time ever, they're turning their Coca-Cola cans white.



Psychographic Segmentation:  Market segmentation on the basis of personality, motives, lifestyles, and geodemographics.


I feel that this partnership has good intentions for a worthy cause, but, I believe that it is part of a larger marketing strategy.  Sure, with each purchase of these new Coca-Cola cans, money is being set aside for this cause.  But, Coca-Cola's profits will also increase as well. As a result, I believe that this marketing strategy, as honest as it may seem, is a promotion to stimulate an immediate purchase.  And, the Coca-Cola marketer is using psychographic segmentation while catering to the consumer's philanthropic nature of their personality, emotional side of their motives, and/or their environmentally conscious side of their lifestyle

Chapter 11 - Developing and Managing Products

Coca-Cola's Minute Maid Pure Squeezed Orange Juice

On October 17, 2011 a press release stating Coca-Cola's New Minute Maid Pure Squeezed Orange Juice was released.  This product is an extension of their original orange juice and comes in 4 new flavors:

• No Pulp 100% Orange Juice
• No Pulp 100% Orange Juice with Calcium and Vitamin D
• Some Pulp 100% Orange Juice
• Light Orange Juice Beverage with Calcium and Vitamin D

The report states that Minute Made Pure Squeezed will be supported with an integrated marketing campaign which includes media, coupons, sampling, and public relations. Part of their marketing strategy was to conduct surveys asking respondents which of the 4 types listed above were their favorite.

Coupon

Ty Burell, an actor on ABC's Modern Family
is involved in advertising this new product

As I have researched this new product, I've realized that a majority of the techniques discussed in my marketing book were deployed here in order to market, advertise, promote and introduce this new product into the market.  Some of their techniques were market surveys, coupons, a famous actor to help advertise, integrated marketing communications, & brand line extensions.

In conclusion, this is definitely a new product and is passed the idea generation, idea screening, business analysis, development, test marketing, & commercialization stages.  In the PLC, Product Life Cycle, I would say that this is in the introductory stage and not the growth, maturity, or declining stage because it has just gotten started.

Extra Post Assignment - What is your company/product doing special for the Holiday Season?

Coke Targets Teens With Black Friday SCVNGR Promotion

November 19, 2010  by Jennifer Van Grove

Coca-Cola is kicking off a nationwide location-based rewards initiative targeted at young teens with SCVNGRas its platform of choice. The soda maker has seeded Simon Malls across the U.S. with challenges that players can complete to earn special Coke rewards.

The campaign is called Coke Secret Formula and is set to go live at 10 malls beginning November 26 — otherwise known to holiday shoppers as Black Friday. The idea is to encourage application users to look for hidden shopping experiences in the form of Coke challenges and unlock rewards in the process.

SCVNGR players who complete the Coke mall challenges can accumulate enough points to redeem instant rewards including American Express gift cards and Coke-branded merchandise. In total, Coke will be giving away $100,000 in gift card rewards. The challenges are typical SCVNGR fare — checkins and photos — themed to fit the Coke Secret Formula purpose.

Coke will be aggressively promoting the initiative with online, print and mall signage to include giant elevator wrappers like the one pictured above. CEO and founder Seth Priebatsch tells Mashable that Coke will also deploy mall street teams on Black Friday to educate shoppers on how to use SCVNGR and get them excited about the experience.

Landing Coke is a big coup for the young startup, who competes with the likes of Foursquare and Facebook Places. Priebatsch said that he half-jokingly told new hire Chris Mahl, SCVNGR’s chief brand alchemist, to “go get us a parternship with Coke” as his first task. Mahl followed through.

SCVNGR anticipates that it will hit 1 million members before the year’s end. To date, the company has raised $5 million with Google Ventures as its primary backer. The startup is, however, currently fielding a wealth of inbound interest from investors, says Priebatch.

Chapter 16 - Integrated Marketing Communications

Wendy Clark
Senior Vice President, Integrated Marketing Communications and Capabilities

This is a face to the Truth.  This chapter is about Integrated Marketing Communications and this is Coca-Cola's Senior Vice President.  Wendy Clark joined The Coca-Cola Company as the senior vice president of integrated marketing communications and capabilities in September 2008.  She was the senior vice president of advertising for AT&T since 2004, http://www.att.com.  She was the senior vice president and director of client services at GSD&M, http://www.gsdm.com/#/about.asp.  It is a nationally acclaimed advertising agency based in Austin, Texas.  She also held a variety of field and corporate positions in advertising for BellSouth Mobility, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BellSouth_Mobility.  

Wendy leads Coca-Cola's integrated marketing communications department has been recognized as one of the most influential women in advertising.  Wendy graduated from Florida State University and lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and three children.

While working with The Coca-Cola Company, Wendy Clark and her team have achieved a great deal of success with the global launch of the Coca-Cola "Open Happiness" campaign.

I feel that it was important to inform you about Wendy Clark because it puts a face to the Senior Vice President of the Integrated Marketing Communications and Capabilities department of The Coca-Cola Company.  In my opinion, success is not an accident.  It is a carefully coordinated system and now I know how real the marketing aspect of The Coca-Cola Company is.

Coca-Cola is a "Classic" and it will continue to be so because their professionals employ a global vision, establish specific target markets, identifies with a clear mission statement, establishes a clear marketing plan, innovates, inspires, and continues to employ the cutting edge leaders needed to progress and succeed.  Wendy Clark, Senior Vice President of Integrated Marketing Communications and Capabilities, is an example of the people behind the victory that The Coca-Cola Company enjoys across this planet.

Chapter 10 - Product Concepts

Notice the word "Enjoy" on their label

The evolution of Coca-Cola's labeling from 1886-Today

"the real thing" is Coca-Cola's Trademark slogan

Coca-Cola is a master of labeling because they promote a strong red color on there labels. In addition, it is beautifully contrasted with the scripted white-bubbled Coca-Cola brand name.  Coca-Cola's brand name is also conveniently labeled with the trademark logo protecting their brand.  Trademark protection is very important because other company's can try to imitate Coca-Cola's branding technique's resulting in trademark infringement.

This is an example of "co-branding" and more specifically complimentary branding.  With complimentary branding, products are advertised or marketed together to suggest usage such as Whiskey and Coca-Cola.




Somehow Coca-Cola is a strong company with respects to branding because I am very aware of their presence.  I noticed their brand being advertised in pizza shops, McDonald's, movies, and trains.  There is strong brand awareness in my life towards them and it must be because of their marketing efforts.

Maybe after this project I will have the mind of an informed consumer which will lead me to understand Coca-Cola's marketing strategies.  Thus, I will be more conscientious before making a purchase.  

Chapter 18 - Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

This is January 31, 2011.  * A free large Coca-Cola fountain drink is being promoted at AMC Theatres with the purchase of a large popcorn. *

This Coca-Cola promotion reinforces their brand awareness while strengthening their customer loyalty.

Maybe, Coca-Cola gets some of the profits sold by the theatre since this promotion increases the theatre's sale of the large popcorn.

This is July 1, 1951.  Not much has changed since then.  This is a promotion that stimulates the customer to try a free soda while probably reinforcing brand awareness and strengthening customer loyalty.
 

According to www.cocacola.com, The Coca-Cola Company has spent approximately $5 Billion in promotional and marketing programs in 2010.  As the ultimate consumer that I am, the promotions that trickle down to me are usually coupons.  Since there is brand loyalty already, Coca-Cola just needs to reinforce brand awareness  by continuing to promote their products continuously to be able to compete against their competitor Pepsi.  Also, I feel that Coca-Cola also must continue to provide the same quality consistently it they want to keep me as a consumer.