Coca-Cola's PR Essay: Goals, Strategies, And Implementation. (70 Characters)

PESTEL Analysis for Coca-Cola

Public relations refer to the management function that evaluates public perceptions and attitudes, develops policies and strategies for either an individual or an organization with the public being the main subject of concern (Corporate Reputation, The Brand and the Bottom Line, 2005). The implementation of these policies and strategies is also a public relations function. A public relations plan is a written document that outlines the strategies that an organization will use to achieve its public relations objective and the budget required to implement this plan.

This report contains a public relations plan for Coca-cola. The plan begins with identifications of the goals and objectives of the organization concerning public relations. The report then analyzes the strategies that the company should use to achieve the set objectives and targets within a specified period. The plan contains the budget and recommendations on steps and actions that should be taken to improve the public relations function of the company.

The research and development function of the company is critical in designing a successful public relations plan. This is because research and development results to new products in the market which is vital in creating a good image for the organization among consumers. The research and development division of coca cola is very active (Argenti, 2013). There are new products being introduced into the market every other day due to the very effective research and development function of the organization. By developing new products and ideas, the consumers of the companies` products have a feeling that the company cares about their needs and this is very important in helping the company to maintain and improve its PR.

This report will use the PESTEL model of environmental analysis.

The analysis of the external environment of Coca-Cola Company begins with an analysis of the political context. This environment concerns factors such as government regulations and standards, peace in the operating environment of the company as well as all other factors related to politics that may affect the companies` activities in one way or the other. Changes in established laws in all the countries that coca cola operates may affect the distribution of the company’s products in the markets in which it operates (Argenti,2013).

Coca-cola products are distributed in hundreds of countries. The company has always made sure it manages all its regional and country operations are streamlined to be in line with the economic environment in which the company is operating. Factors such as inflation and economic the level of economic growth in a country may affect the consumption of a companies` products (Newson, 2008).

SWOT Analysis for Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola distributes its products in countries with very diverse cultures, traditions, and customs. The company strives to meet the needs of these consumers by designing special products to serve particular niche markets.

Evolution of technology has helped Coca-Cola in a bigger and better way. The uses of new machines in manufacturing, bottling and packaging of its products have helped the company to become more efficient in its production activities.

Factors connected to the environment that affects the operations of Coca-cola limited include the availability of water which is a major ingredient in the manufacturing of many of the company’s products, especially at the bottling stage. Water is, therefore, one the most crucial environmental issue that affects coca cola since it is a soft drinks company (Bernays, 2008). The issue also affects the company’s main competitor, Pepsi. Cola also adheres to all litigation and environmental standards set in the countries in which it operates.

The company retains all rights related to its copyrights, trademark and all patented products belonging to the enterprise. The coca cola company also adheres to all laws set concerning trade and labor laws are set in the countries in which it operates. 

Table1:PESTEL analysis for coca cola

Coca-Cola, unlike its competitors, tries to win the hearts of its Customers. Coca-Cola marketing mainly targets people of all ages while its competitors like Pepsi primarily focuses its marketing on children. The company puts a lot of emphasis on the message carried by its adverts because; it helps them communicate effectively with its customers (Lopez, 2013).

Strength of coca cola also lies in its distribution system. The franchised distribution system is very strategic for coca cola since it enables the company to concentrate on production and marketing and to delegate the rest of the supply chain to partner companies. The main weakness of coca cola is its low product diversification. This is very noticeable when compare to its competitor Pepsi. Pepsi has diversified into snacks market segment with the launch of its Lays and Kurkure products. Coca-Cola has strictly maintained its focus on the soft drinks industry.

Another weakness of coca cola is the fact that most of its products are not very healthy given the sugar levels in them and the increasing sensitivity of consumers on their health. This, therefore, means that the company needs to keep on innovating products that will help it to keep up with this market trend.

Goals and Objectives

There are various opportunities available for coca cola exploit. One of these opportunities is diversification which will enable the company to raise more revenue and spread risk further. Another opportunity for the company is further investment in developing nations with huge potential for market growth such as India.

The threats for Coca Cola Company include the intense competition from Pepsi. The stiff competition means that the market share of the company is under threat and this may lead to decrease in revenues for the company. Threat from substitute products such as coffee is also a major threat for the company. The following is an illustration of SWOT analysis for Coca Cola

Fig.2: Table demonstrating SWOT analysis for Coca cola

The goal of the PR plan for Coca-Cola is to improve the consumption of the company’s products globally over the next one year by changing some consumer’s perceptions on the health concerns of our products. This goal is measurable since its achievement will be measured by observing the increase in sales volumes over the past year. The goal is also timely since it clearly outlines the period within which the PR goal should be achieved (Yaverbaum, 2013).

Informing consumers that the companies` carbonated drinks do not have any negative health implications on the consumer.

Informing the consumers of the ingredients that are used to make each and every product to assure them there is no hidden harmful substance that could be used to make the drinks.

Convincing the consumers on the importance of consuming the companies` products and not those of the consumers and how the products fulfill their needs.

The PR plan for Coca-Cola will target its entire base of consumers globally. However, the messages to be carried in the media will be different depending on various factors that are in play. The primary targets for this PR plan are consumers who are very sensitive to matters of health. This group of people mainly includes people who are between the ages of 37-65 years.

It is imperative for the company t o put in place strategies that will propel it towards the goals and objectives set by the organization concerning PR. This involves identifying actions that should be taken to achieve goals and objectives set by the organization (Chew, 2013). The following are the strategies that coca cola will use to achieve the above-listed goals and objectives:

The first strategy for the company will be identifying the best form of media to communicate its message to the customers. The communication method to be used should be able to reach as many target customers as possible. Since this campaign is global, the company will delegate the responsibility of choosing the suitable media to the regional managers of the company. This is because different markets have different needs and therefore they need to be served in a special way (Scott, 2007). The media of communication that will be used to convey the message will be mostly through television advertisements.

Target Audience

Another strategy the company will use is that it will keep re-designing the message carried in the adverts. This will help to improve the sustainability of the project and keep the customers on their toes concerning the healthy nature of the company’s products. Continuous use of one message for one year would be boring and would lose the weight it carried initially.

To maintain the good image of the company among its consumers, Coca-Cola will always strive to improve the quality and safety of the products it offers its customers through continuous research on new and existing products (Bivins, 2013).

Another strategy that will help in achieving the PR objectives set out by the company is the use of promotional techniques such as road shows, event sponsoring and extensive use of point of sale materials by collaborating with retailers and wholesalers. This will help the company to reach a large number of customers and convince them on the safety of the company’s products.

Social media promotion through the use of face book and twitter to achieve at least 30 million likes in the first one month. The strategy will be implemented by offering prizes for customers who have shared the company’s promotional message many times. The prizes will be in the form of cash reward.

Internet advertising through YouTube and other companies like Google with an intention of making sure more than 10 million customers get the message through this means

Tactics involve doing what is right to achieve predetermined objectives. The following tactics will be applied in the process of trying to achieve the PR goals of the organization:

Product always giveaway to bloggers

Tailoring the message to be used in advertisement to show people who are very health and joyous after consuming coke products.

Carrying out intense social media campaign and advertisement where people can win prizes by re-tweeting and liking the page of the company. The company will use its Twitter account @CocacolaCo to spread its public relations message.

Another tactic that the company will use will be collaborating with top companies through event sponsorship (Gregory, 2010). Sports event sponsorship will be very crucial in this tactic to improve the public relation of the company. The coca cola diet brand which is very health conscious and does not cause obesity will be well publicized during such events.

Media releases or press release refers to information that is sent to media outlets by an organization with the objective of conveying a particular message to a given target audience. This is a very important component of public relations plan. Coca-Cola will interact with the media a lot to improve its public relations. The company will make media releases to the broadcasting media outlets including international broadcasters such as CNN and BBC through videos that are well designed and which are very creative to convey the message effectively (Batty, 2016). The media releases will not target children under the age of 12 years. The media releases will also be targeting to influence the perception of coca cola concerning the health benefits and effects of the products made by the company.

Strategies

The PR plan should be implemented and achieved within a particular period. This PR plan will is to be implemented within a period of one year. By one year, the company should have achieved the objectives set out in this plan. Constant evaluation of the progress of the plan will be made on a quarterly basis to establish how whether the activities being undertaken by the company are in line with the public relations objectives and goals(Scott, 2007).

The PR budget will be developed in such a way that it will enable the company to achieve its supply chain objectives while at the same time being as economical as possible. The following is the PR budget for Coca-Cola.

Table: PR budget

Evaluation will be done by the public relations manager of the company to establish how much the company will be doing to accomplish the objectives set at the beginning of plan implementation. If the management finds out that the company is deviating from the plan, corrective action will be taken to return to the right path. Evaluation will be done on a continuous basis and a progress report will be prepared after every 3 months.  

References

Scott, D. M. (2013). The new rules of marketing & PR: how to use social media, online video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases, and viral marketing to reach buyers directly. https://www.dawsonera.com/depp/reader/protected/external/AbstractView/S9781118711200.

Bivins, T. H. (2013). Public relations writing: the essentials of style and format. New York, NY, McGraw-Hill.

Chew, R. Z. (2013). The Fundamentals of Public Relations: a Practical Overview Of The Art and Business of Public Relations. Cork, BookBaby.

Batty, C. (2016). Media Writing. Palgrave Macmillan. https://www.myilibrary.com?id=976973.

Yaverbaum, E., Bly, R. W., Benun, I., & Kirshenbaum, R. (2011). Public Relations For Dummies. Hoboken, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://rbdigital.oneclickdigital.com.

Newsom, D., & Haynes, J. (2008). Public relations writing: form & style. Belmont, CA, Thomson Wadsworth.

Gregory, A. (2010). Planning and managing public relations campaigns: a strategic approach. London, Kogan Page.

Scott, D. M. (2009). The new rules of marketing and PR: how to use news releases, blogs, podcasting, viral marketing, & online media to reach buyers directly. Hoboken, N.J., John Wiley & Sons.

Bernays, E. L. (2008). Public relations. Norman, University of Oklahoma Press. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=620574.

Argenti, P. (2013). Corporate communication (1st ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Corporate Reputation, The Brand and the Bottom Line. (2005) (1st ed.).

Scott, D. (2007). The new rules of marketing and PR (1st ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.