Coca Cola: global strategy

Course Contents:

The Coca Cola Company
SWOT analysis
Brand strategy
The local bottling system
Strategy for Americas, Asia and Africa.

Available Languages:

Learning Unit Summary:

Founded in 1886, Coca Cola is the world's leading manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, used to produce more than 300 beverage brands. The corporate headquarters are in Atlanta, with local operations in over 200 countries around the world.

More than 70 percent of they income comes from outside the U.S., but the real reason they are a truly global company is that the products meet the varied taste preferences of consumers everywhere.

Coca-Cola has been an intricate part of American culture for over a century. The product's image is laden with sentimentality, and this is an image many people have taken deeply to heart. The Coca-Cola image is displayed on T-shirts, hats, and collectible memorabilia.

This extremely recognizable branding is one of Coca-Cola's greatest strengths. "Enjoyed more than 685 million times a day around the world Coca-Cola stands as a simple, yet powerful symbol of quality and enjoyment" (Allen, 1995).

Additionally, according to Bettman, et. al, (1998) Coca-Cola's bottling system is one of their greatest strengths. It allows them to conduct business on a global scale while at the same time maintain a local approach.

The bottling companies are locally owned and operated by independent business people who are authorized to sell products of the Coca-Cola Company. Because Coke does not have outright ownership of its bottling network, its main source of revenue is the sale of concentrate to its bottlers (Bettman, et. al, 1998).

Think local, act local. From the world's largest cities to its most remote villages, the bottling system is made up of locally rooted enterprises committed to quality. The Coca-Cola Company bottling partners are always local businesses, exerting a strong influence on economic development and actively participating in community life through local events and philanthropic activities.

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