Coke To Embark On Marketing Blitzkrieg

Come summer, and Coca Cola is all set to embark on a marketing blitzkreig. To begin with, it has chalked out strategies on the basis of a recent global tracking study made by conducted by MARG and Audits & Surveys (New York) for Coca Cola India.

The cola major has set its task around extending reach and availability of all its brands to Indian consumers through aggressive promotional and ad campaigns and doubling the number of retail outlets.

The brand tracking reflected a great deal on the various brand positions in the country. Coca Cola viewed Thums Up as the core brand in the total brand portfolio. Coke officials said, as a focussed total beverage company, it respected and recognised the regional brand preferences of Indian consumers. These regional preferences were based on a variety of differentiating factors like taste, carbonation, age, focus, gender appeal and a battery of image indicators.

 

It was the in the last three years that Thums up showed a 50 per cent growth in volumes. The brand preference measures carried out by the tracking study indicated that Thums up is preferred as the favourite brand over Pepsi in the major soft drinks markets of Mumbai, Calcutta, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

A combination of three indicators including advertising persuasiveness, brand preferences and purchase intent apart from retail audits that measure the case stock in retail outlets formed basis of the study.

While advertising persuasiveness measures the ability of the commercial to persuade consumers to buy brands for consumption, brand preference indicates the extent of preference of particular brands over competing brands in the market place. Purchase intent measures the likelihood of purchase of each brand at the next consumption occasion.

The company, as part of its marketing extravaganza plans to push sales through various promotions and events. Positioning itself with a strong expression I want my thunder, Thums up now wore a new look a blue extension with striations indicating speed.

The company recently launched its half-litre bottle in Mumbai. Coca Cola is expected to increase its strategic volume opportunity by using both its brands, Thums Up and Coke in a focussed pincer move to target the larger group of consumers who prefer other commercial beverages, said an official.