Chapter 18: Sales Promotion and Personal Selling

        Sales promotion is an initiative taken by an organization to promote an increase in sales and usage of a certain product. Sales promotion could be directed to into different aspects. For example, a company could promote sales of a product to either their customers, their sales staff or even the distribution companies purchase the companies certain product. I think it's important to promote sales because it will give that product a better chance of selling and when times are difficult, and sales are slowing down, sales promotion plays a big role in getting your sales back up. 

       Right now when you bring one Coca-Cola can to a Six-Flags theme-park, you get a free admission ticket. Another example is this promotion in the video below, which is also for the Coca-Cola beverage and is promoting a game the company has going-on right now. On every Coca-Cola Beverage, there is a code and if you text to the code from your cellular phone, you enter a sweepstakes that can win you a brand-new BMW car! We've seen many companies take this approach when promoting their product and they do it to increase sales. 

     In 2009, the Coca-Cola Company started to promote their new touchscreen soda fountain called "Coca-Cola Freestyle".  The fountain is called Coca-Cola Freestyle because you can mix whichever drinks you want that satisfy your taste at the moment. It has 125 drink choices from the Coca-Cola Company to choose from and also includes new flavors, like Raspberry Diet Coke and Fanta Grape. Coca-Cola Freestyle once gave away V.I.P. tickets to this past years Ski Championships in Park City, Utah. These fountains can now be found at select movie theaters around NYC and also at the McDonalds restaurant right across the street from BMCC. 

     Coca-Cola Company is one of the best companies at promoting their products, in my opinion. They are constantly looking at and for new ways to promote their beverages and they end up working for them very well. For an organization to last through tough economic times and handle loss in sales, they must promote to bring their numbers back up and remind their customers why they admire the product so much in the first place. The Coca-Cola Company does this year-in and year-out which is what makes them on of the best companies and advertising, promoting and marketing their product. Also one of the worlds most recognized companies as well.

Chapter 17: Advertising and Public Relations

"... ONLY A COKE WOULD DO. 50 MILLION TIMES A DAY, AT HOME, AT WORK OR ON THE WAY. THERES NOTHING LIKE A COCA-COLA. THERES NOTHING LIKE COKE"

     No stranger to great advertising is the Coca-Cola Company. Since 1886 their advertising and public relation has been key to their boost in sales and the heart&soul of the company itself. Where would Coca-Cola be without their famous Mr.Clause. Without their well-known and signature Polar Bears? Every Holiday season and all-year-round, the Coca-Cola Company manages to market their product in a way where we could relate and see no harm in drinking that fine beverage of theirs. They remind us that there is nothing better then a Coke, especially after a long day of shopping or a long day a work. A coke is what you need, so don't worry about anything else.

  


   

      In 1886, an ad appear in the Atlantic Journal that never appeared before, It was an add for this new beverage that everyone was buzzing for. The ad was persuading (or trying to) people to try this "new and popular fountain drink, containing the wonderful Coca plant and the famous Cola nut." Hence: Coca-Cola. This single add tripled the sale of Coca-Cola from 3 a day to 9 a day. People loved it and it did nothing but keep on growing on others.

          The Coca-Cola Company started to notice a pattern. Their sales would be very good in the hotter times of the years and the hotter countries but not so good when the cold came around. So in 1931, the Coca-Cola Company started Santa Clause in several ads of theirs and this was to show people that drinking Coke isn't just for the Summer season and for hoot weather, but that it could also be drank in any time of the year. Whether its 90 degrees or 20 degrees out, Coca-Cola is your beverage. In 1932, the Coca-Cola Company introduced a new slogan : "Thirst knows no Season". Ever since, the Coca-Cola company has also used their signature Polar Bears to promote drinking Coke in the winter also.

     Now as of 2012, the Coca-Cola Company remains one of the worlds top advertisers and power-house companies and Almost of a monopoly in the beverage industry. While operating in over 250 countries around the world and with 3,000 beverages to the company name; they do a fantastic job relating the public to their products, as they prove year-round and especially come Holiday Season.

Chapter 15: Retailing

     The Coca-Cola Company isn't very much considered a retailer because they only sell to certain stores which market their products. They are what we call - "independent retailers" which by Google, is defined as; A non-multiple retailer operating separately and outside of a larger company chain. Or retailer which only has one or two stores open to the public. The Coca-Cola Company has been in business for over 120 years and is one of the worlds most recognized companies. What they do is have their product produced and distributed by bottling companies that they do not have ownership to. There are three different kinds of bottling companies that the Coca-Cola Company does business with:

• Bottling companies that Coca-Cola has invested in and are able to control with interest.
• Bottling companies that Coca-Cola has invested in but has NO controlling ownership interest.
• Bottling companies that are independent and where Coca-Cola also has NO controlling-ownership interest.

 

     Although the Coca-Cola Company is an independent retailer, they do still have a few retail stores here in the United States and even one outside the country. These stores not only sell the company's signature beverage but also merchandise, apparel, and souvenirs that the customer is open to buying. The first was opened in Atlanta, Georgia and is still open to this day. On top of that, you can also purchase merchandise from the company shop website where they even offer Halloween costumes and decorations for the Holiday season.

So Coca-Cola beverages are usually most commonly found in department stores and even the corner bodegas in NYC. It seems like it's everywhere we go and that goes to show you how Coca-Cola has worked towards being the most recognized beverage distributor everywhere they are. Supermarkets, movie theaters, sporting events, restaurants, vending machines, etc.  Coca-Cola is sold EVERYWHERE. They are bottled in the famous glass bottle of theirs, a plastic bottle or their signature cans so they are pretty difficult to not recognize. 

  

During the weekend, I went out to a particular restaurant for the first time. It was very routine but when the waitress came to take my order and asked me what I would like to drink, I asked for a "Coke, please". She apologized and told me that this particular restaurant does not carry any Coca-Cola beverage because they do not support the company and believe they are bad for the environment. I found this very strange, it was the first time I went to a diner and they didn't have any Coca-Cola. She suggested a Pepsi; I said No. I ended up drinking a couple glasses of water throughout my meal because I felt bad that I wasn't having a Coke in that moment AND because I was very much looking forward to that class of Coke. I could of easily asked for the Pepsi but I didnt. I guess this goes to show that even though Coca-Cola is such a recognized company in this world, it still has its non-supporters. This is something that Coca-Cola has been working towards throughout the years. They want to bring back the customers that it seems they have been losing.

Chapter 6: Consumer Decision Making

      Me and my family are consumers of Coca-Cola. Although we limit our intake of this soft-drink, we sometimes just crave this soda to quench our thirst. We could easily just drink water or fruit juice instead but we don't. We drink Coca-Cola and I love how well it goes with a burger or at barbecue. It's the crisp feel that I can't get enough of sometimes and the cultural environment that I grew up with.

     In fact, many of us grew up with it and now with the Coca-Cola Company having more then three times the beverages they offered 10 years ago and even more low-calorie beverages, many of us are even more open to drinking Coca-Cola. All us consumers are now offered a beverage for every lifestyle and occasion. They range from juices, fruit drinks, water, sports and energy drinks, teas, coffee, dairy and soy based beverages. Also beverages with full, reduced, low and/or no calories.

   But even if it does quench our thirst and satisfy our needs for that moment, too much of it can be very bad for your health because of the chemicals and amount of sugar it contains. This being true, it can discourage a lot of us to not drink Coca-Cola at times and go with something else. Something more healthy. But even with us knowing this, Coca-Cola fills a pleasure in us all. It may be a guilty-pleasure but a pleasure none-the-less. 

    With that being said, it all depends on how the Coca-Cola Company markets their product and how they position it in our minds. Us consumers are now basing our purchases on the beverages we drink by its health and nutrition, also on how much it will benefit or not benefit our households. Not only that but also on the ethics of the company we're purchasing it from. 

"People want to interact with brands and companies that share their values and are doing their part to protect and enhance people's lives, communities and the world."

 

     Back in 1985, the Coca-Cola Company introduced the "New Coca-Cola", after changing their formula for the first time in over 100 years. This got people very upset because they felt like they needed the old formula. Consumers felt that the original Coca-Cola formula was just a part of America and could not be changed. There were protest all over the country and artist even wrote songs to honor the old formula. With Coca-Cola noticing how upset their consumers were, they brought back the original formula within that same year.

Coca-Cola Want's Our Help

 Coca-Cola is redesigning it's classic logo! 

     The Coca-Cola Company want's to their logo "re-envisioned" by their customers and are now opening a competition to all U.S. residents. The winner will receive $5000, a custom limited edition t-shirt with the new logo and of course, above all... bragging rights.

The Rules:

• The logo can only be presented in red and white (blue is expressly forbidden)
• No international logos or flags may be used
• The dynamic ribbon logo can only run horizontally
• The outline of the contour bottle needs to be pristine
• The design theme should always reflect a balanced, healthy lifestyle
• All designs should be targeted to a 12-years-and-older demographic 

     The deadline for this competition will be on October 29th and the winner will be announces on November 23rd. Seven days before Thanksgiving and just in time for the 2012 Holiday season! 

Chapter 5: Developing a Global Vision

     No stranger to global recognition, the Coca-Cola Company is the worlds largest & most recognized beverage distributor in the world, and when you are as large as they are, there is not much left to prove or achieve in your business field. But the Coca-Cola Company is a corporation which never settles for what they already have or already have accomplished. They are constantly pushing new ideas that can help their company grow even more across the globe.

 

     The Coca-Cola Company has over 3,500 beverage products and operates in over 200 different countries across the world. They are #1 in sales of fountain drinks, juices, juice drinks and sparkling beverages. They are also a very-respectable #2 in sales of sports drinks and #3 in sales of bottled water.
 

      The chart above displays the average consumption of Coca-Cola, per-person, measured by once, in 1996. As you can see, Coca-Cola beverages are of-course most consumed in North America with over 250 oz. per person. But even when they are most consumed in North America, the Coca-Cola company beverages are no strangers to other countries and continents across the world.

 

 

      The Coca-Cola Company has constructed a roadmap of the company's global vision. A roadmap which they also take from their "2020 Vision" that I have mentioned before. The roadmap consist of six main points of focus which the Coca-Cola Company believes are vital to their company's success in the long run. Long-term success that impacts both their production in North America AND across the globe. The Coca-Cola Company has truly been developing their Global Vision.  

1. People: Be a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be.
2. Portfolio: Bring to the world a portfolio of quality beverage brands that anticipate and satisfy people's desires and needs.
3. Partners: Nurture a winning network of customers and suppliers, together we create mutual, enduring value.
4. Planet: Be a responsible citizen that makes a difference by helping build and support sustainable communities.
5. Profit: Maximize long-term return to shareowners while being mindful of our overall responsibilities.
6. Productivity: Be a highly effective, lean and fast-moving organization.