Brands & Branding and Private Labels Case Study

Coca-Cola: Targeting Niche Market through Brand Extension

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Abstract:
Coca-Cola, one of the world's largest soft drink manufacturers became famous for its flagship product Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola adopted different marketing strategies and built a strong brand among the consumers. But the company was faced with stagnating sales in the 1980s due to shift in consumer preferences from carbonated drinks to healthy drinks like juices and green tea. With an aim to attract health conscious consumers Coca-Cola introduced fortified carbonated drinks terming them as 'sparking beverages'. To strengthen its efforts to gain competitive advantage in this emerging segment, Coca-Cola initiated a new marketing campaign for its new product 'Coke Zero' and simultaneously launched 'Diet Coke Plus'. The case analyses whether Coca-Cola would be able to revive its sales through this brand extension strategy.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To analyse the dynamics of non-alcoholic beverage industry
• To understand growth of Coca-Cola
• Evaluation of brand extension strategies by Coca-Cola
• To analyse competitive scenario and it impacts.

Keywords : Coca-Cola, growth and Evolution, Brand Extension, Brands and Branding Case Study, Diet Coke Plus, US Soft drinks industry, Non-Alcoholic Beverage Industry, Sparking Beverages, Carbonated Soft Drinks, Non-Alcoholic Refreshment Liquid Beverages, The global soft drinks industry, Health and wellness drinks, Obesity