(A CASE STUDY OF COCA COLA)
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ABSTRACT
This study examined advertising as an effective tool for successful management, using Coca cola as a case study. The Coca Cola Company is a global manufacturer, marketers and seller of non-alcoholic beverages and syrups based in Atlanta, US. Range of brands owned by the company includes Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca Cola Zero, Sprite, Fanta, Powerade, Minute Maid, Aquarius, Dasani, Schweppers and others. This article focuses on marketing communication materials associated with one of its core products, the Coca-Cola drink. Advertising is a device which first arrest the attention of the passer-by and then induces him to accept a mutually advantageous exchange. The study is a descriptive research. 100 consumers of coca-cola products in Ken Poly, Bori was used as the population for the study. Both primary and secondary sources of data was used by the researcher. The research instrument used was the questionnaire. From the study it was revealed that different mediums of advertising were employed by the coca cola company which includes newspapers, television, the internet well as celebrities used in advertising. And that advertising is an effective tool for successful management in the coca cola industry, as it was tested using Pearson correlation and the t-calculated = 30.68 while the critical value = 0.232. The t-calculated is higher than the tt value, therefore, the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted. It was concluded, and recommended that in advertisement, companies should pay more attention to using advertisement that not just motivates consumers but also create personal relationship between the company and its consumers.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
The Coca Cola Company is a global manufacturer, marketers and seller of non-alcoholic beverages and syrups based in Atlanta, US. Range of brands owned by the company includes Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Coca Cola Zero, Sprite, Fanta, Powerade, Minute Maid, Aquarius, Dasani, Schweppers and others. This article focuses on marketing communication materials associated with one of its core products, the Coca-Cola drink.
Established in 1886, the company currently sells in more than 200 countries and beverage trademarks owned and licensed by the company account for 1.9 billion of approximately 57 billion beverage servings around the globe on a daily basis (Annual Report, 2013).
Today, advertising is a multi-billion industry, employing hundreds of thousands of people and affecting billions of people’s lives worldwide. Yet, seeing as advertising clutter has increased tremendously and is more intense than ever, it is vital that companies differentiate themselves from competitors by creating even more powerful, entertaining and innovative advertising messages, as well as sponsoring different events. The end point of any production or manufacturing activities is consumption. Therefore, whatever product or service that is produced must satisfy the needs of the consumer adequately. The consumer is said to maximize his satisfaction when his money utility equals the utility of the offer he receives in exchange for the money. Contemporary marketing calls for more than just developing a good product/service, Pricing it attractively and making it accessible to consumers. Companies must also communicate with their present and potential customers. Advertising is one of the major tools companies use to direct persuasive communications to target buyers and publics. The spender includes not only business firms but museums, professionals and social organization that advertise their causes to various target publics.
Organizations obtain their advertising in different ways. In small companies advertising Agencies are used. Large companies like the coca cola company set up their own advertising departments, who develop advertising strategy, approved advertising agency, advert and campaign and handle direct mail advertising, dealer display and other forms of advertising not ordinarily performed by the agency most companies use an outside advertising and to select and purchase media. Advertising objective is a specific communication and achievement level to be accomplished with a specific audience in a specific period of time. If, the desired results are to be achieved, the product must be good and acceptable to the consumer; advertising must be carefully planned in advanced; right appeals/claims must be adopted; the right type of media must be used; the cost must not be excessive; reasonable frequency must be provided; right distribution channel must be selected; and the price of the commodity must be right i.e. acceptable to the consumer (Anthony, 2009).
‘Share a Coke’ campaigned was one the best campaigns Coca-Cola has ever designed. It just shows how a brand like Coke which is such a reputed brand can engage with its consumers by allowing them to change the logo with their name.
“Moreover this campaign taught us that personalization can only be highly engaging and effective if it can be shared with a wide audience. It just doesn’t motivate the customer to share but also provides them the platform to explore their creative side through customization.
Moreover, this campaign taught us that social media can play a huge role to make an impact and can be utilized in a customized manner to suit the needs of the consumers as well as the company itself. The untold secret of this campaign was that Coke connected it with its consumers at a personal level.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In the year 2012, Coca-Cola had teamed with Oligvy and Mather Australia who were advertising agency partner, to launch their ambitious digital media campaign named ‘Share a Coke’. The campaign was first launched in Australia in 2012 and the later in Britain in 2013. .The campaign had a variety of Marketing contained ATL marketing strategies like TV Commercials, BTL strategies like billboards as well as an element of experimental marketing where customers could custom make their own bottles. The main success was attributed through the digital platform, wherein each bottle mentioned the hashtag #shareacoke, in order to pursue users to share bottles with their names on social media.
Many a time, consumers have turned down the content of advertisements due to various reasons. Some consumers maintain that the information content of the advert is not enough, while some say that the information content of the advert does not reveal the contents of the product.
In the light of the above exposition, this study focuses on advertising as an effective tool for successful management.
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF STUDY
The main objective of this study is to critically examine advertising as an effective tool for successful management. Specific objectives include;
- To identify the factors that motivates consumers to respond to coca cola ‘share a coke’ campaign.
- To find out specifically the different advertising campaign used by coca cola.
- To determine how the different campaigns used by coca cola has effect on the coca cola industry.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This study has these research questions.
- What are the factors that motivate consumers to respond to coca cola ‘share a coke’ campaign?
- What are the different mediums of advertising employed by the coca cola company?
- To what extent has the various campaigns affected the coca cola industry?
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
Ho: Advertising is not an effective tool for successful management in the coca cola industry
H1: Advertising is an effective tool for successful management in the coca cola industry
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The implications of this study will help the coca cola industry and other beverage industries to take advertising more seriously due to the benefits such as brand recognition, so as to give them a better exposure in the fast growing competitive markets.
Again, the study would serve as a reference material for students undergoing research on related topic as well as marketing practitioners.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY/DELIMITATION
This study was limited to consumers found drinking coca cola products in Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori due to time constraint. Only effects of the company’s advertising campaigns are researched in this study since all other components of advertising could not be researched due to lack of documented information on those components of advertising that also affects the company’s growth.
Despite the limited scope of this study certain constraints were encountered during the research of this project. Some of the constraints experienced by the researcher were given below:
- TIME: This was a major constraint on the researcher during the period of the work. Considering the limited time given for this study, there was not much time to give this research the needed attention.
- FINANCE: Owing to the financial difficulty prevalent in the country and it’s resultant prices of commodities, transportation fares, research materials etc. The researcher did not find it easy meeting all his financial obligations.
iii. INFORMATION CONSTRAINTS: Nigerian researchers have never had it easy when it comes to obtaining necessary information relevant to their area of study from private business organization and even government agencies.
Although these problems placed limitations on the study, but it did not prevent the researcher from carrying out a detailed and comprehensive research work on the subject matter.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Advertising: Is an audio or visual form of marketing communication that employs an openly sponsored, nonpersonal message to promote or sell a product, service or idea.
Consumer: A person who purchases goods and services for personal use.
Attitude: A settled way of thinking or feeling about something.
Slogan: A short and striking or memorable phrase used in advertising.
Behavior: The way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others.
Campaign: A series of military operations intended to achieve a goal, confined to a particular area, or involving a specified type of fighting.
Exposition: A comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory.
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