The mission of the Coca-Cola Company is a road map that is enduring. It declares their purpose as a company and serves as the standard against which they weigh their actions and decisions. It is to refresh the world, inspire moments of optimism and happiness, and to create value and make a difference.
MARKETING PLAN ASSIGNMENT # 2. The Concept of your product and how it relates to the target market:
The Concept of Coca-Cola is to provide the world with their leading refreshments in the beverage industry. They have a year 2020 vision and are looking ahead to understand the trends and forces that will shape their business in the future. This is an example of Environmental Scanning.
One of their target markets are teens and young adults. They are rolling out second-generation Coca-Cola Interactive Vending (CCIV) machines in U.S. malls and universities. These vending machines allow consumers to interact with the brand by watching video, playing games and getting information.
MARKETING PLAN ASSIGNMENT # 3. Do a SWOT Analysis for your company. Establish marketing objectives for your company. At least five:
The SWOT analysis for Coca-Cola is that they are strong in partnership because they sell their soda in McDonald's. They are weak because they have a history of cocaine use in their soda drinks. They examine opportunities by realizing that a billion new people are expected to enter the middle class by 2020. They see this as unprecedented mobility. They understand threats and stated that the global landscape is not even, fractured, and turbulent.
Five marketing objectives for Coca-Cola are to confront global inflation, China, global climate change, resource scarcity, and demographic shifts.
MARKETING PLAN ASSIGNMENT # 4. Describe and analyze your company's retailing activities:
The Coca-Cola Company is big on product assortment. According to their website, they offer a portfolio of more than 3,500 products in over 200 countries. Coca-Cola's automatic vending machines are part of their retailing strategy. Coca-Cola has partnered with the Japanese Red Cross to design a vending machine that gives consumers the option of donating either 10 yen or 100 yen which is approximately $0.12 or $1.23 while purchasing their favorite beverage. The machine then says, "Thank you very much for your donation".
Coca-Cola is effective in the retailing strategies with regards to the automatic vending because their products are consistently sold in almost every vending machine that I've ever come across. Their Coca-Cola is always fresh, cold, and reasonably priced. At about $1.00, the convenience of drinking a Coca-Cola on the go is a brilliant strategy employed by the marketing professionals at The Coca-Cola Company.
MARKETING PLAN ASSIGNMENT # 5. Draft a magazine advertisement for your product. If you use a graphic, use one photo for your ad.
The Coca-Cola Company is a brand that you can trust. We inspire.. refresh.. and help athletes achieve their greatest desires. Drink our Powerade Zero because it is what your body needs to compete in the 21st Century and beyond..
Powerade Zero.. the sports drink of the future...
MARKETING PLAN ASSIGNMENT # 6. Draft and design a promotion for your product. Detail the components, execution and the implementation of the promotion.
I - With over 1.7 Billion servings of Coca-Cola beverages a day, we are the world's leading soft drink company with more than 500 sparkling and still brands. The Coca-Cola Company's portfolio features brands that include Coke, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, Vitamin Water, Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, and Georgia.
II - Draft and Design.
Today I am promoting our Powerade brand because Pepsi's Gatorade is dominating the NYC market and I want to compete with them. This promotion will include the initial set-up, free samples, and a raffle. This will increase brand awareness and bring enjoyment with a free thirst quencher to basketball players at Rucker Park, NYC.
III - Components.
Sales representatives will be sent to Rucker Park in 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, NYC. Some notable NBA players who have played there were Chris Mullen, Jamal Mashburn, Julius "Dr. J." Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Kenny Anderson, and Wilt Chamberlain. Rucker Park is a respected basketball court and hollowed grounds for many of its players. The objective is to introduce the players and spectators to Coca-Cola's Powerade. This will increase brand awareness, and encourage brand switching from Gatorade to Powerade.
IV - Execution.
The execution is simple. The plan is to first establish brand credibility by displaying a huge Coca-Cola sign with an interactive digital touchscreen that gives consumers the opportunity to learn about our history as a company and our evolution, growth, and success. This interactive screen will also include fun company facts like 1.7 Billion servings of Coca-Cola beverages a day with over 500 sparkling and still brands. Then, there will be a medium sized display that will show that Coca-Cola owns the Powerade brand and that there are 29 different flavors ranging from Apple to Lemon to Tangerine. Next, we will tout that Powerade fulfills a need for their bodies to be replenished after a long day of 1-on1 basketball or full courts. Powerade combines carbohydrates with fluids for energy and hydration. It quenches thirst and replenishes minerals and carbohydrates lost during sports and other intense activities. Then, I will offer them a free sample coupled with an option for them to leave their e-mail addresses to build up our consumer database and to follow-up with them in the future for coupons, surveys, and sweepstakes. Finally, there will be a raffle that will allow someone to win a year's supply worth of Powerade with the possibility of including them in our next advertising commercial.
V - Implementation of the promotion.
To ensure success, we must have the necessary NYC permits to promote and display our products on public grounds. And, we must notify whoever is responsible for Rucker Park and clear it with then to avoid any possible conflicts. Then, it has to be promoted on a nice and sunny Saturday when people are usually playing basketball and off from work and school. Next, we will set up our display outside the entrance of Rucker Park's basketball courts and be fully operational by 8:00am. Then, our Powerade samples must be cold and offered with a variety of at least 15 different flavors to give the consumer a feel for Powerade's diversity. Then, as the free samples are handed out the consumers' e-mail addresses will be voluntarily collected for future promotions, surveys, sweepstakes, etc.. Then, raffles will be simultaneously given as the consumers are given their free Powerade sample with the flavor of their choice. Then, the raffle will be called and the winner announced via speakerphone. The raffle winner will win a year's supply of Powerade with the possibility of being in our next commercial with a paid appearance and testimonial regarding his Powerade experience throughout that year. Finally, we will clean up and bring everything back to the office and go home.
VI - CONCLUSION.
Our objective is to inform the public that Powerade is a Coca-Cola Company Brand, to encourage brand switching, and to finally increase our Powerade sales in the NYC region.
MARKETING PLAN ASSIGNMENT # 7. Integrated Marketing Communications
Draft a plan that has at least 4 messages.
Each message must be written for a different medium.
Draft the messages and the contact points where your company meets the consumer for each message.
Remember the messages must be consistent.
(This doesn't mean the same message for each contact point)
MARKETING PLAN ASSIGNMENT # 7. Integrated Marketing Communications
Draft a plan that has at least 4 messages.
Each message must be written for a different medium.
Draft the messages and the contact points where your company meets the consumer for each message.
Remember the messages must be consistent.
(This doesn't mean the same message for each contact point)
I - Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC): The careful coordination of all promotional messages for a product or a service to assure the consistency of messages at every contact point where a company meets the consumer.
II - Draft a plan that has at least 4 messages:
The plan is to advertise Coca-Cola's Powerade Sports Drinks to the target market of athletes and sports fans to increase brand awareness and increase revenues. The 4 messages will be given to to the consumer at the point of contact using 4 different mediums. Details of the 4 messages are further explained below in Section (IV) with subsections (A through D)
III - Each message must be written for a different medium:
1) Magazines - ESPN magazine
2) Radio - ESPN Radio (1050 AM)
3) Television - ESPN channel
4) Internet - www.ESPN.go.com
IV - Draft the messages and the contact points where your company meets the consumer for each message.
A) Magazine Medium - ESPN magazine:
The message that Coca-Cola's Powerade can compete with Pepsi's Gatorade will be the central theme of the campaign. Our slogan would be, "Coca-Cola's Powerade... Power up your body with the brand you can trust". The contact point where the company meets the consumer would be on the cover of the ESPN magazine. I know this would be expensive to do but we have the money to invest and we hope to get to reach a large portion of our target market with this reputable sports magazine and as a result, the cost per contact would be relatively low considering the amount of people our advertisement would reach.
B) Radio Medium - ESPN.com:
The message that Coca-Cola's Powerade can compete with Pepsi's Gatorade would continue to be the same central theme here in order to ensure coordinated and consistent messages throughout our company. Our slogan would be the same as the magazine medium, "Coca-Cola's Powerade... Power up your body with the brand you can trust". In addition to this slogan we will include a Christmas Jingle to ignite nostalgia for the coming Christmas Holiday Season since we are using the radio. During weekend NCAA and NFL football games, the sports announcer will be paid to advertise Coca-Cola's Powerade. He has to repeat our slogan along with the Christmas Jingle playing in the background. The contact point where the company meets the consumer would be throughout the games and at scheduled commercial breaks. I know this would be expensive to do but we have the money to invest and we hope to get a reach a large portion of our target market with a relatively low cost per contact because of the large amount of ESPN Radio listeners.
C) Television Medium - ESPN channel:
The message that Coca-Cola's Powerade can compete with Pepsi's Gatorade would continue to be the same central theme here in order to ensure coordinated and consistent messages throughout our company. Our slogan would be the same as the magazine and radio mediums, except that we will add a picture of Santa Claus drinking a "Blue" Powerade as a result of fatigue for delivering so many presents to needy children. This will affect the human element of compassion and produce a positive image of our company. The contact point where the company meets the consumer would be throughout the weekend NCAA and NFL games at scheduled commercial breaks. I believe that a large portion of our target market would be reached and that the investment is worth the risk.
D) Internet Medium- www.ESPN.go.com:
The message that Coca-Cola's Powerade can compete with Pepsi's Gatorade would continue to be the same central theme here in order to ensure coordinated and consistent messages throughout our company. Our slogan would be the same as the magazine, radio, and television mediums. In addition, Santa Claus will now become interactive as we take full advantage of the computer graphics technology. The contact point where the company meets the consumer would throughout weekend NCAA and NFL football games. I will design a pop-up ad that the sports fan will encounter as soon as he or she desires to see the score of a game on ESPN.go.com. I believe that this would be an effective strategy to reach my target market because this radio medium is extremely popular and it only attracts consumers of my target market. By the way, I know that this wlll probably cost a lot of money so our pop-ups better be very convincing and effective.
V - CONCLUSION - The messages are consistent throughout all of the mediums. Each medium offers a specific benefit. ESPN's brand equity is strong and will influence the target market to buy Powerade. As a result, I endorse this Integrated Marketing Communications project and I am excited to begin working on this immediately.
Thank you.
MARKETING PLAN ASSIGNMENT # 8. Give a projection of your product's future for 2012.
I, Gregory Jose Rodriguez, have drank Coca-Cola ever since I can remember. I was born in 1980 and Coca-Cola has been around ever since.
If I had the data, I would've liked to graph Coca-Cola's history of its statistics and sales figures to more accurately predict their potential success in the year 2012.
But, while doing this marketing project I learned some things that make me feel comfortable in saying that they are going to continue to be successful next year. I say this because I learned that they have a strong mission statement. They have a year 2020 vision which looks ahead. They analyze the target market precisely. They confront the reality of global inflation, China, global climate change, resource scarcity, and demographic shifts. Their portfolio has more than 3,500 products in over 200 countries. Their products vary from Coca-Cola to Powerade to Minute Maid. With their wide range of Coca-Cola products, they can be served in a variety of settings including corporate, social, sports, and academic. And, they can be promoted over a multitude of mediums including television, radio, internet, and newspaper.
In conclusion, I believe that The Coca-Cola Company will be alive and strong for the year 2012. Their brand equity is strong. Their partnerships are endless. Their flavor is crisp. And, most importantly,
.... their formula is secret.
MARKETING PLAN ASSIGNMENT # 9. In 100 words summarize a clear actionable strategy for long-term success for your product, using the elements we've studied this semester.
I think that Coca-Cola's mission statement is the most important aspect for long-term success. In this case, it is to refresh the world, inspire moments of optimism and happiness, and to create value and make a difference. This mission statement will be their guiding light towards developing a marketing plan and maintaining their sustainable competitive advantages. In addition, Coca-Cola has to meet their economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibilities in what is known as the Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility. Clearly understanding the consumer decision making process, defining a precise target market, using all possible mediums effectively, and advertising and promoting their products efficiently will create an atmosphere to prolong their product life cycle (PLC). And in doing this I believe that the consumers will ultimately re-buy their products and thus extend Coca-Cola's success while deepening their brand equity.
