Case Study: Coca Cola Integrated

Marketing Communications
Professor L. Wills, Instructor
This case study examines the Coca Cola IMC approach as described in the Cola War blog.
Factors considered will include an examination of which components are expended in regards
to the integrated approach, the comparative importance of the components, component
efficiency, and the overall success of the IMC approach.

Integrated Components Used

The integrated components used by Coca Cola employed a mass media methodology
which included television advertising, print media and banner ads. The approach utilized a
marketing mix of advertising, direct marketing, as well as Web based interactive and social
media marketing and sales promotion.
Coca Cola advertising has historically been among the most prolific in marketing
history. The various ad campaigns throughout the company’s one hundred twenty nine year
history have often had a major impact on culture and society, including a hit song which
received airplay on popular radio stations in 1971. The logo and bottle designs are immediately
recognizable throughout the world, and are integral to brand’s image and recognition in the
marketplace (Wikipedia, 2015). In the southern U.S. the beverage is so pervasive that all soft
drinks, typically referred to variously as soda, pop, or soda pop, are called Coke (Mc Conchie,
2015). Coca Cola has repeatedly been ranked as the number one soft drink in the world as a
direct result of their aggressive advertising campaigns, and was even the first soft drink
consumed by astronauts in space (Hartlaub, 2015).
Direct marketing efforts by Coca Cola are myriad. The devices operated incorporate
vendor company partnerships designed for exclusivity, i.e. restaurants and movie theatres only
offer Coke products, eliminating any direct competition. They sponsor sporting events via use
of the company, c.g. baseball fields, again offering attendant consumers the brand's products
solely. This allows for one-to-one sales to important clients in especially reserved seating areas.
Mobile marketing endeavors send out text messages in an attempt to personalize promotions,
and viral marketing exertions rely heavily on word-of-mouth communication from brand
loyalists (Wilkin, 2009).
Web based and social media marketing campaigns constitute industry benchmarks.
Because the brand is so universally recognized throughout the world, little if any audience
building is necessary. Fans number over eighty six million across social media channels
engaged by the brand. Differing tactics are provided on individual social networking sites, yet
a consistently unified message is upheld. Crowd-sourced content as well as direct engagement
are hallmarks of Coca Cola's social media marketing (Shively, 2014).
 Web based interactive marketing is focused on design and functionality, relying on
banners, video and public relations. New products, online games, and social, cultural and
sporting events are the focus of the Coca Cola Website content (Darakeva, 2013). Coca Cola's
commitment to a campaign of audience engagement throughout their online marketing
crusades is well recognized.
Sales promotion for Coca Cola is aimed at two strategies, retail and food service. Retail
efforts are directed toward company partnerships, direct store delivery and point-of-sale (POS)
techniques. Reliance on exclusive company partnerships wherein restaurants only offer Coke
products eliminates competition. Direct store delivery is a crucial link in the value chain, and
offers mobile advertising with bright red delivery trucks emblazoned with the brand logo. POS
displays include brand specific coolers for in-store sales along with vending machines which
carry Coke products. Food service activities emphasize Coke products in food pairings, menu
optimization, and specialty beverages. Meals comprised of convenience foods such as
hamburgers, hot dogs, French fries, etc., are often supplemented by the suggestion of Coke
products for accompaniment. Such foods may be combined with Coca Cola brand drinks for
menu optimization, which may include specialty beverages such as Diet Coke, Cherry Coke,
and others (Coke Solutions, 2014).

Comparative Importance of the Components

A comparison of the relative importance of the Coca Cola IMC components reveals a
marketing communications mix which is iconic. So much of the brand image is immediately
recognizable, right down to the bright red and white lettering of the names Coke and Coca
Cola. This imagery is carried out globally, and is so established and acclaimed world-wide that
even in languages that may not be familiar in local markets are readily known by consumers
(Wikipedia, 2015). Multi-lingual ad use was in fact the case during the recent airing of the NFL
Super Bowl Championship, in which the use of English, Spanish, Tagalog, Hebrew, Hindi,
Keres, and Senegalese-French languages were incorporated along with the song America the
Beautiful (Indian Country Today Media Network, 2015).
The Coca Cola IMC messaging has established a longing for the product that supersedes
the desire for that typically associated with a drink to quench one’s thirst (Dudovskiy, 2015).
The rank and positioning of the elements used as part of the integrated marketing approach
cannot therefore be overstated. The resultant international presence of Coca Cola is a direct
outgrowth of the marriage of the advertising, direct marketing, as well as Web based interactive
and social media marketing and sales promotion efforts that have been included over the years
in their IMC endeavors. Coca Cola has established itself as a player on the large-scale stage as
a direct outcome secondary to the comparative importance of the components of the integrated
marketing communications mix.
 Component Efficiency
The efficiency of the combined IMC elements has proven to be quite lucrative. Revenue
has recently been listed at forty six billion USD, with a profit margin of 15.43% and a book
value per share of six dollars and ninety five cents USD (Yahoo! Finance, 2015). Annual sales
in excess of forty six billion USD and a ranking of #4 of the World’s Most Valuable Brands
place Coca Cola squarely on the global market. The company, which was incorporated on
September 5. 1919, now carries over five hundred different beverages which are marketed on
six continents (Forbes, 2014).
The competence of the combined components used in the Coca Cola integrated
marketing communications exemplifies the excellence that can be achieved by a single brand.
The achievement can further be evaluated by examination of media metrics such as advertising
equivalency, the sum total audience which has been attained through particular media outlets.
Statistical figures of journalists hosted, number of articles published etc. In terms of market
share benchmarks, Coca Cola is promoting and selling its products in over two hundred
countries, and employs almost one hundred forty thousand associates, lending credence to the
consideration of the company as a market leader in the majority of these marketplaces.
Assessment of unique Website visitors, length of visit, search engine results (both free and
paid) numbering in the billions on both Google and Bing and others offer insight to the
combined component efficacy (Dudovskiy, 2015).

Overall Success of the IMC Approach

An effective integrated marketing communications approach that is deployed and
maintained is an essential modern business requirement (Perner, 2008). In terms of successful
outcome, Coca Cola’s IMC approach has set a standard that offers a point of reference of
desired triumph that is enviable across the industrial landscape. Record-setting sales and
revenues, brand visibility and recognition and positioning on the global market are indicative
of the Herculean levels of accomplishment achieved by the company. Coca Cola products are
consumed world wide as a direct result of retail and in-store marketing efforts which are
meticulously detailed. In the almost one hundred thirty years of business practice in the soft
drink trade, Coke has risen to the top of the industrial food chain.
The elements which are expended in regards to the integrated approach, the
comparative importance of the components, component efficiency, and the overall success of
the IMC approach have combined to create a sensation that customers have warmly embraced.
As long as this integrated marketing communications strategy is utilized there is no doubt that
Coca Cola will continue to be a market leader that is universally recognized.