COCA COLA

Coca Cola

Executive Summary

Research on brand communities identifies several dimensions on which they differ, including social context, size, temporality and geographic concentration (Dholakia et al., 2004; McAlexander et al., 2002:36-69). Interactions within a brand community may be rich in social context or nearly devoid of it. Community members may have a great deal of information about one another, including such data as age, sex, and attractiveness, or they may know nothing of one another. Regarding the size, Dholakia et al. (2004:45) found interesting differences between big communities and small group-based communities in terms of motivation to participate. Another dimension of communities is their temporality, some are stable and others are temporary. The temporal stability can be an asset to marketers inasmuch as longevity equates with a long-term, stable market. Finally, communities may be either geographically concentrated or scattered. A community is likely to form around brands with a strong image, with a rich and lengthy history, and threatening competition. Traditionally, only brands that operated in niche markets and required consumers to make major investments in time or money (i.e. Mercedes, Harley Davidson, etc.) had a noticeable brand community. However, recent research (Cova and Pace, 2006; McWilliam, 2000:65) has shown that brand community management might be an option for brands mainly offering convenience products such as soap, tools, toys or soft drinks (as for example Coca-Cola).

Table of Content

Executive Summaryii

Introduction1

Company Analysis1

Products1

Major Markets, Major Customer Groups, Organizational Structure2

Mission and Vision of TCCC3

Company's Current Corporate-Level Strateg3

Enterprise's Major Business Unit And That Unit's Life-Cycle Stage4

Create Opportunities4

Michael Porter's 5 Forces Model5

The threat of entry.5

The power of buyers.6

The power of suppliers.6

The threat of substitutes7

Competitive Rivalry7

The Power of Suppliers7

The Threat of Substitutes7

Drawbacks8

Need to become a multi-task expert8

Finding customers can be difficult8

SWOT Analysis9

Strengths9

Weaknesses9

Opportunities9

Threats10

Fnanial Analysis10

Balanced Scorecard Analysis11

References14

Introduction

Community is a core construct in social thought. A review of the sociology literature reveals at least three core components of community (Muniz and O'Guinn, 2001:25). The first and most important element of community is consciousness of kind, which represents the intrinsic connection that members feel toward one another, and the collective sense of difference from others not in the community. This factor is redefined as social identity by Bagozzi and Dholakia (2006:55). It consists of three interrelated parts: cognitive identification with the group, affective commitment towards it and collective self-esteem. The second indicator of community is the presence of shared rituals and traditions, also called group norms. The third marker of community is a sense of duty to the community and its members which is often, but not always, shared by group members.

Company Analysis

The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) was established in 1886 and is one of the most recognized brand names than any other product on the planet. TCCC sells more than 400 types of beverages including diet or light beverages, sports drinks, water, teas, and coffee. The company's headquarters are in Atlanta, Georgia where it employs more than 70,000 people. Coca-Cola's inspired mission statement has helped the company achieve its rise to the top of the soft drink industry (MarketLine, ...