The case discusses Atlanta-based beverage giant The Coca-Cola Company’s (TCC) new ‘One Brand’ global marketing strategy that, for the first time ever, united Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, and Coca-Cola Life under the iconic Coca-Cola master brand as part of one global creative campaign, “Taste the Feeling.” The overhaul was the result of the sales volumes of Coke continuing to drop because of consumers cutting back on carbonated drinks due to health concerns. The revamped marketing strategy aimed to accelerate the sales of low calorie and sugar free drinks and eliminate the brand confusion within the Coke portfolio that had in part been caused by the brand’s earlier attempts to adapt to healthier lifestyles. Under the new strategy, TCC replaced its long running brand-focused “Open Happiness” campaign with a new global marketing campaign “Taste the Feeling” wherein the product, rather than the brand, took center stage. The campaign was rolled out across more than 200 countries worldwide. The case discusses in detail the objectives and various elements of the “Taste the Feeling” campaign including new point of sale, promotions, outdoor and print advertising, and digital and music components.

In March 2017, Marcus de Quinto (Marcus) retired as TCC’s global CMO. Thereafter, the company’s global marketing role was combined with strategy to create a new position ‘chief growth officer’ (CGO), responsible for driving growth across all strategic drink categories. Francisco Crespo (Crespo), president of Coca-Cola Mexico, was appointed as the CGO of TCC in May 2017. Going forward, the newly appointed CGO faced a multitude of challenges including slumping carbonated beverages sales, intense competition, dramatic shifts in consumer habits, and imposition of sugar tax on soft drinks by several regulators globally. The case concludes with thoughts on how the ‘One Brand’ global communication initiative of Coca-Cola could be made more effective to ensure it strikes the right chord with consumers and boosts sales. Can the ‘One Brand’ strategy boost sales while strengthening the overall Coke brand? Can it shift consumer metrics in the right direction and change consumer perceptions of the brand?

Marketing Case Studies | Case Study in Management, Operations, Strategies, Business Environment, Case Studies

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Issues

The case is structured to achieve the following teaching objectives:

	Study the brand positioning strategies adopted by of Coca-Cola over the years.
	Understand how its advertising campaigns helped Coca-Cola consistently maintain its No.1 position among global brands.
	Understand the reasons behind Coca-Cola’s shift in marketing strategy
	Understand the role of perception in consumer behavio.r
	Compare and contrast the “Open Happiness” and “Taste the Feeling” campaigns.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND NOTE

“OPEN HAPPINESS” CAMPAIGN

MOVING FROM SUB-BRANDS TO ONE BRAND

“TASTE THE FEELING”: FROM EMOTION TO FUNCTION

Keywords

Consumer Behavior, Perception, Brand Positioning, Brand Management, One Brand Strategy, Multi Brand strategy, Customer-based brand equity model, Brand Relationship, Differentiation, Rebranding, Rational Marketing, Emotional marketing, Brand Image, Marketing communication, Advertising

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