Competitor Analysis For years, PepsiCo has been Coca Cola main competition. This major competition led to a series of marketing campaigns since the 1980s; the Cola Wars. Today, Pepsi has been brought down to third place behind Coca Cola and Diet Coke, Diet Coke out-sold Pepsi in 2010. Coca Cola sold 1. 6 Billion cases of its regular soda, while Pepsi sold only 892 Million cases. (“As soft drink sales fall, Diet Coke passes Pepsi”, 2011) Local competition includes Kik Cola, a relatively new brand in the Sri Lanka market, Shaa Cola a previous brand which did not last in the competitive market. The rivalry between Coca-Cola and Pepsi is legendary. Although the feud really heated up with the Pepsi Challenge in 1975 —which prompted Coca-Cola’s horrific New Coke debacle — the brands have been fighting each other for more than a century. ” Kim Bhasin, (2011) 5. 1PepsiCo Details on competition from Pepsi – (Appendix 7) 5. 2Dr Pepper – Dr Pepper Snapple Group Dr Pepper is Coke’s third largest competitor with a market share of about 6. 3%. Details on Dr Pepper and its marketing – (Appendix 8) 6. 0Product – Coca Cola (Coke)
A product is “a bundle of attributes (benefits) that a seller offers the potential buyer to satisfy buyer’s needs and wants” (McColl-Kennedy & Kiel, 2000). Coke is the flagship brand of the company’s over 500 brands. It is a sweet, carbonated soft drink with its unique caffeine flavor sold in stores, restaurants and vending machines. The Coca-Cola Company has, on occasion to suit various sub-segments, introduced other cola drinks under the Coke brand name. The most common of these is Diet Coke, with others including Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola, Diet Coke Caffeine-Free, Cherry, Coca, Coca-Cola
Vanilla, and special versions with lemon, lime or coffee. Coke can be classified as a Fast Moving Consumer Good (FMCG); “Products such as weekly grocery items which are consumed in a single use or on a few usage occasions” (Kotler P, 2007). It may be further classified as a soft drink in the non-alcoholic beverage category. 6. 1Three Levels of a Product Products have three levels; core, actual and augmented. In case of Coke; ? The core product – is its ability to serve as a refreshing beverage. The actual products – are Coke’s attributes like taste, quality, the packaging, the brand name of Coke itself, etc. Coke has its distinct caffeine flavor. The packing includes the unique contour bottle and their reusable, eco-friendly packaging – “Aspire to our packaging a valuable resource for future use” (The Coca Cola Company, 2011) ?The augmented level – would include the Coca Cola Company website providing details about their products, event sponsorships, charitable contributions and the sustainability campaign; Live-Positively. Product Levels Diagram – (Appendix 9) 6. Branding Strategy Coke is regarded the world’s most valuable brand with a brand value of $71. 9 billion USD. (Interband’s best global brand, 2011) A brand is “a symbol, design, name, or combination of these that identifies a seller’s product and distinguishes it from the competition” (McColl-Kennedy and Kiel, 2000). The Coke brand is anchored in the consumer’s mind using consistent features such as red colour and the distinctive cursive style to write the brand name (trademark). Coke soft drink has even used packaging (e. g. traditional curved Coke bottle) to add recognition to its brand.
