Forbes.com September 18, 2017
The Amazing Ways Coca-Cola Uses Artificial Intelligence and Big Data to Drive Success
Bernard Marr, Contributor
Sep. 18, 2017
The Coca Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company selling more than 500 brands of soft drink to customers in over 200 countries. Every single day the world consumes more that 1.9 billion servings of their drinks including brands like Coca Cola (including Diet and Zero) as well as Fanta, Sprite, Dasani, Powerade, Schweppes, Minute Maid and others.
Of course, this also means that it generates mountains of data – from production and distribution to sales and customer feedback, the company relies of a solid data-driven strategy to inform business decisions at a strategic level.
In fact, Coca Cola was one of the first globally-recognized brands outside of the IT market to speak about Big Data, when in 2012 their chief big data officer, Esat Sezer, said “Social media, mobile applications, cloud computing and e-commerce are combining to give companies like Coca-Cola an unprecedented toolset to change the way they approach IT. Behind all this, big data gives you the intelligence to cap it all off.”
More recently, Greg Chambers, global director of digital innovation, has said “AI is the foundation for everything we do. We create intelligent experiences. AI is the kernel that powers that experience.”
Product development
Coca Cola is known to have ploughed extensive research and development resources into artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure it is squeezing every drop of insight it can from the data it collects.
Fruits of this research were unveiled earlier this year when it was announced that the decision to launch Cherry Sprite as a new flavor was based on monitoring data collected from the latest generation of self-service soft drinks fountains, which allow customers to mix their own drinks.
As the machines allow customers to add their own choice from a range of flavor “shots” to their drinks while they are mixed, this meant they were able to pick the most popular combinations and launch it as a ready-made, canned drink.
Coca Cola is also looking to follow the lead of tech giants by developing something similar to their “virtual assistant” AI bots such as Alexa and Siri. The AI will reside in vending machines, allowing greater personalization – for example, users will be able to order their favorite blend from any vending machine, with the machine mixing it to their individual preference. The AI will also adapt the machines’ behavior depending on its location. This could mean more lively and excitable vending machines in malls or entertainment complexes, and more somber, functional behavior in a hospital.
Healthy options
As sales of sugary, fizzy drink products have declined in recent years Coca Cola has also hooked into data to help produce and market some of its healthier options, such as orange juice, which the company sells under a number of brands around the world (including M ...
Forbes.comSeptember 18, 2017The Amazing Ways Coca-Cola Uses Art
1. Forbes.com September 18, 2017
The Amazing Ways Coca-Cola Uses Artificial Intelligence and
Big Data to Drive Success
Bernard Marr, Contributor
Sep. 18, 2017
The Coca Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage
company selling more than 500 brands of soft drink to
customers in over 200 countries. Every single day the world
consumes more that 1.9 billion servings of their drinks
including brands like Coca Cola (including Diet and Zero) as
well as Fanta, Sprite, Dasani, Powerade, Schweppes, Minute
Maid and others.
Of course, this also means that it generates mountains of data –
from production and distribution to sales and customer
feedback, the company relies of a solid data-driven strategy to
inform business decisions at a strategic level.
In fact, Coca Cola was one of the first globally-recognized
brands outside of the IT market to speak about Big Data, when
in 2012 their chief big data officer, Esat Sezer, said “Social
media, mobile applications, cloud computing and e-commerce
are combining to give companies like Coca-Cola an
unprecedented toolset to change the way they approach IT.
Behind all this, big data gives you the intelligence to cap it all
off.”
More recently, Greg Chambers, global director of digital
innovation, has said “AI is the foundation for everything we do.
We create intelligent experiences. AI is the kernel that powers
that experience.”
Product development
Coca Cola is known to have ploughed extensive research and
development resources into artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure
it is squeezing every drop of insight it can from the data it
2. collects.
Fruits of this research were unveiled earlier this year when it
was announced that the decision to launch Cherry Sprite as a
new flavor was based on monitoring data collected from the
latest generation of self-service soft drinks fountains, which
allow customers to mix their own drinks.
As the machines allow customers to add their own choice from a
range of flavor “shots” to their drinks while they are mixed, this
meant they were able to pick the most popular combinations and
launch it as a ready-made, canned drink.
Coca Cola is also looking to follow the lead of tech giants by
developing something similar to their “virtual assistant” AI bots
such as Alexa and Siri. The AI will reside in vending machines,
allowing greater personalization – for example, users will be
able to order their favorite blend from any vending machine,
with the machine mixing it to their individual preference. The
AI will also adapt the machines’ behavior depending on its
location. This could mean more lively and excitable vending
machines in malls or entertainment complexes, and more
somber, functional behavior in a hospital.
Healthy options
As sales of sugary, fizzy drink products have declined in recent
years Coca Cola has also hooked into data to help produce and
market some of its healthier options, such as orange juice,
which the company sells under a number of brands around the
world (including Minute Maid and Simply Orange).
The company combines weather data, satellite images,
information on crop yields, pricing factors and acidity and
sweetness ratings, to ensure that orange crops are grown in an
optimum way, and maintain a consistent taste.
The algorithm then finds the best combination of variables in
order to match products to local consumer tastes in the 200-plus
countries around the world where its products are sold.
Augmented reality
Augmented reality (AR) where computer graphics are overlaid
on the user’s view of the real world, using glasses or a headset,
3. is being trialed in a number of the company’s bottling plants
around the world.
This allows technicians to receive information about equipment
they are servicing, and get backup from experts at remote
locations who can see what they are seeing and help to diagnose
and solve technical problems. It is also used to inspect problems
with vending machines and dispensers in remote or difficult-to-
reach locations, including cruise ships while they are at sea.
Social data mining
With 105 million Facebook fans and 35 million Twitter
followers, social media is another hugely important source of
data for the company.
Coca Cola closely tracks how its products are represented
across social media, and in 2015 was able to calculate that its
products were mentioned somewhere in the world an average of
just over once every two seconds.
Knowing this gives insight into who is consuming their drinks,
where their customers are, and what situations prompt them to
talk about their brand. The company has used AI-driven image
recognition technology to spot when photographs of its
products, or those of competitors, are uploaded to the internet,
and uses algorithms to determine the best way to serve them
advertisements. Ads targeted in this way have a four times
greater chance of being clicked on than other methods of
targeted advertising, the company has said.
Looking further ahead, the company is also interested in the
idea of using AI to create adverts.
Speaking at Mobile World Congress this year, global senior
digital director Mariano Bosaz said “content creation is
something that we have been doing for a very long time – we
brief creative agencies and then they come up with stories …
what I want to start experimenting with is automated
narratives.”
Digital transformation
The Coca Cola company is a shining example of a business
which has re-ordered itself based on data and intelligence. It has
4. long shown an appreciation of the fact that today’s technology
offers unprecedented opportunity to reassess just about every
aspect of how business is conducted. Rethinking itself as a
technology driven company with a focus on strategic
implementation of data and AI means it is likely to retain its
place at the head of the pack for the foreseeable future.
Bernard Marr is a best-selling author & keynote speaker on
business, technology and big data. His new book is Data
Strategy. To read his future posts simply join his network here.
Source:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2017/09/18/the-
amazing-ways-coca-cola-uses-artificial-intelligence-ai-and-big-
data-to-drive-success/#3cc2fe8c78d2 (accessed 9/21/2017)
2
Responding Example
Examples of interactive discussion with classmates
Hypothetical Scenario: Review the memorandum,
“International vs. Domestic Hiring and Recruitment” that
discusses Company A’s new international hiring and
recruitment policy that replaces its domestic hiring and
recruitment policy. Do you believe the new international hiring
and recruitment policy is beneficial or detrimental to Company
A? Why or why not?
Superior Example: Substantive, comprehensive, justified
Interactive response that promotes further discussion:
Hi, Susie and Classmates: You clearly explained why you
believe Company A's international hiring and recruitment policy
is detrimental to the company. However, I disagree with this
position. Yes, A's new hiring policy is more costly in the short
term, but I believe it is positive for the company and, in the
long term, financially efficient.
The company I work for is not an international one, but 5 years
ago it changed from a regional recruitment policy to a national
one. This enabled the company to cast the net more widely to
5. hire more qualified, experienced personnel which saved on
training costs. Also, according to a 2016 internal study,
employee retention in my company increased 25% under the
new national hiring policy as my company was able to hire
employees who were a better fit in skills, expertise,
professional goals and work style. Hiring and training are
costly for any company, so increasing employee retention is
inevitably a cost savings for businesses.
I believe similar beneficial changes in reduced training costs
and savings resulting from employee retention could apply to
A’s new international hiring policy. What do you think?
Samuel’s post
Compensation Laws
1. Analyze whether Thomas can recover his medical expenses
under Maryland's workers' compensation law.
According to Maryland's workers' compensation law, Thomas is
not a qualified beneficiary of medical expenses (Maryland
Thurgood Marshall State Law, 2021). An employee who should
receive medical expenses must meet two conditions. First, they
must be engaging with job activities and second, the injury must
be a result of the employer's fault (Maryland Thurgood Marshall
State Law, 2021). In understanding why Thomas will not
receive medical expenses, it is essential to understand the
relationship between Clean and Maryland Helpers. Thomas got
the injury while loading masks and respirators. Loading was a
service contracted to Maryland Helpers, and therefore, Thomas
was not within his jurisdiction. At the same time, Thomas was
not an employee of Maryland Helpers meaning that he was not
covered by the insurance of Maryland Helpers (Maryland
Thurgood Marshall State Law, 2021). An employee can only
receive medical expenses from their employer.
1. Analyze whether Sarah can recover her medical expenses
under Maryland's workers' compensation law.
Sarah qualifies for medical expenses from Maryland Helpers.
The reason behind it is that she was within the jurisdiction of
her position as an employee for Maryland Helpers. First, the
6. Maryland Compensation Law covers employees who suffer
injuries while attending organizational tasks (University of
Maryland Baltimore, n.d). The accident occurred when
Maryland Helpers' employees were loading masks and
respirators. Based on the contract between Maryland Helpers
and Clean, loading was a responsibility for Maryland Helpers,
and therefore, Sarah was within her jurisdiction. Second, the
materials that caused harm were in possession of Maryland
Helpers. It was the company's responsibility to load the goods
meaning that accidents associated with the products were the
responsibility of Maryland Helpers. Given that Maryland
Helpers is an organization that offers mobile services, the
working space translates to its workplace (University of
Maryland Baltimore, n.d). For example, if the company is
moving goods from the warehouse of a client, the activities
during that process are covered by the Maryland compensation
laws.
Tracy’s post
1. Analyze whether Thomas can recover his medical expenses
under Maryland's workers' compensation law.
Thomas can recover his medical expenses under
Maryland’s worker’s compensation law. Thomas is an
employee for Clean. Clean is located in Maryland. Thomas
works in Maryland for the company Clean. The incident
occurred during Thomas’ normal working hours on the job at
the job site. The injury that Thomas received would be covered
under the Maryland’s worker’s compensation law because it is
an accidental personal injury that occurred out of and in the
course of employment (Maryland Workers’ Compensation
Commission, 2011). The accident occurred while Thomas was
performing his job duties, at the job site, during normal hours,
all of which satisfy the requirements for compensation.
2. Analyze whether Sarah can recover her medical expenses
under Maryland's workers' compensation law.
Sarah is eligible to recover her medical expenses under
7. Maryland’s worker’s compensation law, depending on a few
factors. Sarah is an independent contractor for Maryland
Helpers. It does not state in the scenario whether Maryland
Helpers offers worker’s compensation insurance or if Sarah has
to obtain it on her own, which she could have done as well. If
Sarah has insurance, either through her employer or
independently, she would be covered and would recover her
medical expenses. The only difference between Thomas and
Sarah is the employer/employee relationship (Maryland
Workers’ Compensation Commission, 2011). Everything else is
the same. Sarah was also acting in the capacity of her job, at
the job site in Maryland where she was directed to be at, and the
incident occurred during normal working hours. The incident
occurred while Sarah was performing her required duties.
14 people like this. Sign Up to see what your
friends like.
Like
Masterton, New Zealand – a town where sheep outnumber
people – is the
unassuming home to a Coca-Cola Amatil office housing one of
the most innovative
hotbeds of technical talent in the global Coca-Cola system.
In these humble offices tucked away next to a bus station,
sandwiched between
mountains and hills, Andy Kerr and his team are shaping the
future of vending
8. machines.
And the future is smart with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Amatil Australia and Amatil NZ have nearly 26,000 vending
machines in their
Smart Vending: Coke Readying AI-Powered Drink Machines:
The Coca... http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/smart-
vending-coke-readying-...
1 of 5 9/1/17, 1:51 PM
combined territories.
Updating one of these machines can require up to 45 minutes of
on-site
reprogramming.
Kerr, Amatil’s general manager of vending systems services,
pursued a vending
revamp that would not only improve the programming process,
but also redefine the
user experience.
The idea began in 2015 when Kerr’s team was challenged to
transform customer
interactions with vending machines into experiences comparable
to what people
9. might have in a retail store.
Kerr’s team wanted a vending machine that could offer specials,
track sales, preempt
maintenance and refill needs, and accept mobile payments. They
wanted a vending
machine people would never need to touch to retrieve their
drink purchase.
The solution, it turned out, was in the vending machines already
in use. The units
just needed to get smarter.
Kerr's team of eight built a retrofit kit, compatible with the
most popular machines
on the market, which would allow the company to control
existing vending systems
digitally through the cloud. Once the machines are cloud-
connected, Amatil can
digitally adjust their pricing from afar, and consumers can buy
drinks via phone
before reaching the machine.
Coud integration opens up a new realm of global
interconnectivity. Because the
machines operate on a unified digital system, customers can
push a button on their
10. phone in Atlanta and have a drink appear at a vending machine
in Masterton, New
Zealand.
“What we’ve done is common sense," Kerr says, humbly. "It
just took us a while to
figure it out.”
Smart Vending: Coke Readying AI-Powered Drink Machines:
The Coca... http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/smart-
vending-coke-readying-...
2 of 5 9/1/17, 1:51 PM
Greg Chambers, Coca-Cola’s global group director of digital
innovation, is less
hesitant to boast about the game-changing nature of this
technology and the brains
behind it.
“These guys put me in awe,” he says of Kerr’s team. “They are
still hand making
circuit boards, when probably not five people in the United
States can do that. I’ve
never seen anything like Andy Kerr.”
Inspired by Kerr’s innovation, Chambers’ team
11. at Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta, set out to create
a digital user experience to complement these newly-
digital vending machines.
Chambers imagined sitting on a hot train and having a
phone notification appear announcing a Coca-Cola
happy hour special – buy a Coca-Cola and get a
discounted DASANI, for example. More than a
notification, he envisioned this message as an
invitation to join a conversation with the brand.
Consumers could jump into personalized chats
with Coca-Cola, as if they were communicating with a
familiar bodega operator. As soon as they reached
their final destination, their mobile-made purchases
would appear in their chosen vending machine.
Chambers’ vision is soon to be a reality when it rolls out in
Amatil’s New Zealand
market, before making its way to the U.S.
The first step in enabling this experience was creating a
platform to host these digital
12. conversations. Recognizing consumers’ desire for an experience
already built into
their devices as opposed to one requiring a new app, Chambers’
team partnered with
Facebook Messenger and Pandorabots, an AI Web service that
designs Internet
robots (bots) capable of personalized conversations.
Users can opt into conversations with the vending bot via
Facebook Messenger.
Using data gathered through the consumer's Facebook activity,
current location and
tone of conversation, the AI bot will adopt a local dialect and
attitude tailored to
each user. Every interaction with these responsive AI bots
promises a unique
experience, as the bots develop a cognitive understanding of
what’s being said in
each conversation and respond accordingly.
Smart Vending: Coke Readying AI-Powered Drink Machines:
The Coca... http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/smart-
vending-coke-readying-...
3 of 5 9/1/17, 1:51 PM
13. Embed
Tweets by @CocaColaCo
@draznnl Sorry to hear
Please call 800-438-265
8007039265. Thank you
Still a bit skeptical about
why tasting is believing:
The Coca-Cola Co.
The Coca-Cola Co.
Just like the contour Coca-Cola bottle became a visual icon of
the company,
Chambers believes these digital vending engagements can
become a quintessential
part of the Coca-Cola experience.
“The spirit of The Coca-Cola Company is about surprising
people through
experience,” says Chambers. “Our goal with this vending
process is to create
experiences only Coca-Cola can create.”
0 Comments Subscribe RSS
Smart Vending: Coke Readying AI-Powered Drink Machines:
The Coca... http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/smart-
15. 3 of 3 11/20/2017, 12:49 PM
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To
order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your
colleagues, clients or customers visit
http://www.djreprints.com.
http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2017/03/07/coca-cola-targets-small-
retailers-with-coke-on-demand-app/
Small retailers use the app to send requests for Coca-Cola
products to local distributors, which bid on the deal.
Winners promise a price and a certain time period for delivery,
enlisting help from gig workers with motorbikes.
PHOTO: COCA-COLA CO.
Coca-Cola Targets Small Retailers With Coke on Demand App -
CIO Jo... http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2017/03/07/coca-cola-targets-
small-retailers-wit...
1 of 2 3/12/2017 3:19 PM
http://on.wsj.com/2mUrriD
Copyright 2014 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights
Reserved
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only.
Distribution and use of this material are governed by our
16. Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For
non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact
Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit
www.djreprints.com.
Coca-Cola Chief Innovation Officer Alan Boehme PHOTO:
COCA-COLA CO.
Coca-Cola Targets Small Retailers With Coke on Demand App -
CIO Jo... http://blogs.wsj.com/cio/2017/03/07/coca-cola-targets-
small-retailers-wit...
2 of 2 3/12/2017 3:19 PM
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. To
order presentation-ready copies for distribution to your
colleagues, clients or customers visit
http://www.djreprints.com.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cokes-new-ceo-james-quincey-to-
staff-make-mistakes-1494356502
CEO James Quincey, 52, in his office at Coca-Cola's
headquarters in Atlanta PHOTO: MELISSA GOLDEN FOR
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
▲
Coke’s New CEO James Quincey to Staff: Make Mistakes - WSJ
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cokes-new-ceo-james-quincey-to-
staff-ma...
18. manufacturing and distributing the product to consumers; it
refers to this portion of its business as "concentrate operations."
The company also generates revenue from the sale of finished
beverages to retailers, distributors, and wholesalers.
John Stith Pemberton, a pharmacist living in Atlanta, created
the flagship soda Coca-Cola in 1886. The company was
incorporated in 1892, having operated under a franchise
distribution model since 1889. Today, Coca-Cola has risen to
global prominence and is currently the largest nonalcoholic
beverage company in the world. Besides the original Coca-Cola
product and a host of related beverages, the Coca-Cola
Company now produces roughly 500 beverages grouped into
categories such as sparkling soft drinks, sports drinks, juices,
energy drinks, and tea and coffee.
Coca-Cola released its 2018 annual report in Feb. 2019. The
beverage distributor and manufacturer reported net operating
revenues of nearly $31.9 billion for the year 2018, compared to
$35.4 billion over the same period last year. As of July 9, 2019,
the company's market capitalization is just under $224 billion.
The Coca-Cola Company's Business Model
In 1894, Mississippi businessman Joseph Biedenharn installed
bottling machinery behind his soda fountain store. The idea was
to make Coca-Cola portable. Five years later, three
entrepreneurs in Tennessee purchased the exclusive rights to
bottle and sell Coca-Cola for $1. The number of Coca-Cola
bottlers soon exploded to over 1,000 plants. This posed many
problems for the company from imitations by competitors and
the need for consistency across the product line. In 1916, Coca -
Cola bottlers agreed to the famous contour design bottle that
still remains iconic today. As of November 2015, the company
had over 900 bottling and manufacturing facilities located
around the globe. Those facilities are owned by over 250
independent franchises and Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola reports its net revenue in two segments: concentrate
operations and finished product operations.
The Coca-Cola Company's Concentrate Business
19. Coca-Cola manufactures and sells syrup to authorized bottlers
to make finished Coca-Cola products, and to manufacture
fountain syrups. This revenue is reported under the company's
concentrate operations.
Coca-Cola has supported the consolidation occurring among its
bottlers. Having too many small independent bottlers created
several challenges for the company. Challenges can stem from
micro- to macroeconomic factors and they vary around the
globe. When faced with economic challenges, some smaller,
independent bottlers lacked the financial assets to continue
operations and fund necessary investments. When bottlers face
financial problems, it creates logistical and image issues for
Coca-Cola.
To solve this problem, Coca-Cola created the Bottling
Investments Group (BIG). The goal of BIG is to identify and
help bottling franchises that need financial and institutional
support. BIG targets struggling franchises and provides them
with the resources they need to remain a part of the Coca-Cola
franchise network. Coca-Cola then sends in teams of experts
and resources to drive growth and return the franchise to
profitability. Once profitability and stability in the local market
is achieved, the company finds a qualified bottler to assume
operations.
The BIG program operates in dozens of countries and is
responsible for managing over 25% of the total system bottling
volume. Combined, the BIG program is the largest global
bottler in the company. In 2004, bottlers in the BIG program
took in $11 billion in revenue. In Q3 2018, Coca-
Cola completed refranchising company-owned bottling
operations in North America, which cost $275 million.
The Coca-Cola Company's Finished Product Business
The company also manufactures its own fountain syrups,
manages several bottling operations, and collects revenue on
finished products. This revenue is reported under the finished
product operations.
In 2018, 36% of Coca-Cola's business was categorized as
20. finished product operations, while 64% was classified as
concentrate operations. This was significantly more biased
toward concentrates over 2017, when the division was 51%
concentrate operations and 49% finished product.
Future Plans
The unique franchise bottling system developed over 100 years
ago continues to be a valuable asset for Coca-Cola. A long-term
company goal is to end the BIG program by having zero need
and further consolidate its bottlers. Ideally, bottlers should be
profitable and possess the financial assets to fund investments
and help drive growth for the parent company.
As global revenue in sugary soft drinks falls, it will be
important to ensure bottlers have the financial means to
transition with consumer tastes. Coca-Cola has set several
sustainability goals to achieve by 2020 that will require
commitments from bottlers. These goals include a reduction in
carbon emissions, recycling 75% of the bottles and cans used in
developed markets, improving water efficiency, and returning
the equivalent of 100% of the water used in bottling to
communities and nature.
Key Challenges
One of the Coca-Cola Company's biggest challenges is the
obesity epidemic and corresponding shifts in public taste away
from sugary beverages. The company must focus its product
development and other efforts on matching customer tastes as
they change. Additionally, the nonalcoholic beverage industry is
a highly competitive one. Although Coca-Cola enjoys brand
recognition that is essentially unrivaled on a global scale, the
company must nonetheless be vigilant in ensuring that it
continues to connect with potential customers.
Because nearly every Coca-Cola product is made using water,
issues with water supplies and quality could also impact the
business. Finally, because Coca-Cola relies on retail
distribution to ensure that it is able to deliver its products to
consumers worldwide, disruptions to or transformations of the
retail landscape could introduce new challenges as well.
21. Key Takeaways
· The Coca-Cola Company generates revenue by selling
concentrates and syrups to bottling facilities around the world,
and by selling finished products to retailers and other
distributors.
· Unlike many other beverage companies, Coca-Cola does not
complete and bottle the majority of its products.
· Coca-Cola owns four of the five top nonalcoholic sparkling
soft drink brands: Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, and Sprite.
· Of the roughly 61 billion servings of all beverages consumed
worldwide on a daily basis, close to 2 billion are Coca-Cola
products.
Source:
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/markets/112515/how-
does-cocacola-actually-make-money.asp?utm_campaign=quote-
yahoo&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&yptr=yahoo
(accessed 7/25/2019)
3
MKT 4800W Spring 2022
Coca-Cola: Answer Form
Student Name:
Grading Criteria
1) This assignment requires formal business writing. Your
writing tone should be formal.
2) All sentences must be complete. Bullet points are not
acceptable.
3) Use proper grammar.
4) You must use your own words in your answers. Do not copy
and paste sentences from the textbook case or the assigned
articles.
5) The majority of your grade will be based on correctness and
22. quality. Regarding quality, an answer with fewer than four (4)
lines on computer viewing (not on smartphone viewing) will be
considered as a poor-quality answer.
Q1) Identify key players (e.g., customer groups, supplier
companies, major organizations) that Coca-Cola deals with in
its operation and, from the marketing perspective, describe what
Coca-Cola exchanges with each of the key players in order to
make money in its business.
Q2) Visit Coca-Cola’s website and its official Facebook and
Twitter pages and browse the contents. How are the three parts
of Coca-Cola’s mission statement reflected on its website,
Facebook, and Twitter? You need to list the three parts of its
mission statement first and then answer the above question.
Your answers should be specific with examples. General
statements are discouraged. (9 points)
[Tip: Coca-Cola’s mission statement is on p. 536 of the
textbook. Do not include Coca-Cola’s purpose and vision from
its website.]
[How to find the official Facebook and Twitter pages: (1) Sign
in to Facebook and Twitter. (2) Visit Coca-Cola’s website
(coca-cola.com). If this is your first time to its website, choose
North America and then the United States. (3) Scroll down to
the bottom of its website. (4) Identify the Facebook and Twitter
icons. (5) Click on these icons, which will take you to its
official pages on Facebook (@CocaColaUnitedStates) and
Twitter (@CocaCola).]
23. Q3) From a strategic point of view, why is Olympic sponsorship
such a crucial part of Coca-Cola’s marketing strategy?
Q4) Based on the fourth assigned article, what approaches does
Coca-Cola take to promote its products to online/digital
shoppers?
Q5) Based on the last two assigned articles, how does Coca-
Cola use Big Data and AI to offer better customer experience
(CX)?
Q6) What is the role of new information technologies in Coca-
Cola’s marketing strategy in (a) consumer markets and (b)
business markets?
(a)
(b)
