The Coca-Cola Case Study
Hitting The Right Emotions At The Right Time
When the global beverages brand Coca-Cola observed a 25% decrease in its global output in April of 2020, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the consumption pattern of masses, their senior leadership took a stand to limit their spending on elaborate marketing campaigns, sighting the limited effectiveness of the broad-based brand marketing. They were determined to reconnect with the audience once the time was right.
In the past one year, the global conglomerate has undergone operational shifts and leadership changes amidst all the uncertainty and in retrospect, we can observe, record and articulate the impact of the key campaigns and supply chain innovations that Coca-Cola India has undertaken.
Firstly, considerable effort was spent to optimize their delivery solutions, to better suit an emerging digital medium of interaction with customers. From prioritizing package options that are fit-for-purpose for online sales, boosting investment in digital promotions, to increasing in-app visibility with e-delivery grocers, and piloting digitally-enabled fulfilment models, the Coca-Cola system took immense measures to transcend to a digital world, even in a country like India with the dense localized retail supply chain.
They launched an Initiative along with an in-house managed website www.coke2home.com that integrated key digital platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, JioMart, Big Basket and Grofers for placing orders and fulfilling them for their several sub-brands like Sprite, Fanta, etc. Even though the customers would make the transaction via these existing e-commerce platforms, it was more of a marketing exercise to promote the idea in masses that something as simple as coke or a soft drink could be ordered online, safely without them having to risk their safety or go out in the covid world.
Further on, when the time was right, Coca-Cola did hit the right chord with the masses by launching a mini ad film that recognised and congratulated all unsung heroes of the pandemic, spreading a sense of hope, joy and peace, embedded in its optimistic movie. Focused on the south-east Asian countries, it unified diverse communities in their struggles and strived to leave them encouraged to choose a beverage that supported such a great cause.
The message and its effectiveness were further enhanced by their campaign in which they pledged to donate their proceeds to Covid relief funds and several NGOs working locally to sustain communities, marginalized groups and those affected the most by the lockdown restriction. Their unsung heroes are even commemorated on their website.
A similar trend in broad brand marketing was observed in the latter half of the year, especially in North Americas when things started returning to a New Normal. They had a poetic take on the same, asking and urging people to embrace the newfound sense of community, togetherness and responsibilities even as they go back to old ways. The Open Like Never Before Campaign at its core delivered the right message at the right time.
And while these massive campaigns were about communicating a broad message to a wider audience, with that sort of universal appeal, Coca-Cola embraced the digital platforms and social media outlets to engage with their audience at the moment. They were focused on staying relevant on a day to day basis, encouraging their potential customers to celebrate every occasion with their beloved beverage brand.
And while the increase in the sales output cannot be predicted equally for all geographies uniformly, we can vouch for the brand to closely observing the consumption patterns, habits and priorities of their customers. They are paying increased attention to the aspect of hygiene and ensuring touchless solutions in their delivery and packaging. We also feel that there is a lot of potential for Coca-Cola to generate brand value and revenue if it tapped into the up-rising influencer marketing thread in a country like India.
