Marketing Communication Mix

As defined by Gary Armstrong and Philip Kotler, "A company's promotion mix consists of the specific blend of advertising, public relations, personal selling, sales promotion, and direct-marketing tools that the company uses to persuasively communicate customer value and build customer relationships." Coca-Cola uses a marketing communication mix to communicate customer value and build customer relationships. Coca-Cola's marketing communications mix consists of:

Advertising: According to Gary Armstrong and Philip Kotler, "Advertising is any paid form of nonpersonal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods, or services by an identified sponsor." Coca-Cola has used advertising to build an image for it's company. Here are some of the types of advertising that Coca-Cola uses:

• Coca-Cola uses the television for advertisements, such as this television commercial : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Sz56mtQB1M. By using the television for advertising, Coca-Cola can gain good marketing coverage by appealing to consumer's senses.


• The company has also used magazines as a form of advertising, such as this 1950's ad in Time Magazine: http://www.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19500515,00.html. By advertising in magazines, Coca-Cola can geographically and demographically select consumers that it wants to target.


• Outdoor advertising is also a form that Coca-Cola uses. According to allbusiness.com, Coca-Cola, among other business, ranks one of the top users of outdoor media (http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/marketing-advertising/11817449-1.html). Here are some of the outdoor advertisements that Coca-Cola has used: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Coca_Cola_Billboard.jpg, http://pro.corbis.com/images/RA006112.jpg?size=67&uid=%7BADCA644E-0CED-4F63-9FC8-DA11CFA86E8D%7D, http://www.toxel.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/cocacolaads12.jpg, and http://www.zoomdisplay.co.uk/img/products/large/flying_banner_cocaCola.jpg. By advertising outdoors, Coca-Cola can strategically position it's advertisements and also achieve high repeat exposure.


• Coca-Cola uses the internet to promote it's products. The company has it's own website, which is quite simple to navigate through. The website allows customers to become interactive through various games, contests, shopping, and through a special section of the website that enables consumers to find out how they can help their community. That part of the website can be found here: http://www.livepositively.com/

Public Relations: As stated by Gary Armstrong and Philip Kotler, "Public relations allows companies to build good relations with the company's public by obtaining favorable publicity, building good corporate image, and handling or heading off unfavorable rumors, stories, and events." Coca-Cola handles public relations by including a press center on its website: http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/presscenter/index.html. This section of the website allows consumers to view press releases, executive speeches, and statements made by the company regarding current information. In the statements, Coca-Cola can address law suits, rumors, stories, new products, and activities. There is also a section of the website devoted to investors. Here, current, or future, investors can access financial statements and up-to-the-minute stock information.

Personal Selling: Coca-Cola has many salespeople, who are individuals representing the company to communicate, sell, service, and build relationships with customers. These salespeople promote their product to different customers within their regions, and once they sustain a customer, they sell their products to them and service them many times per week. These individuals form close relationships with the customers in order to continue business with them.

Sales Promotion: A sales promotion is an activity that is implemented to boost the sales of a product or service temporarily. Coca-Cola often runs sales with stores to quickly increase sales. Coke gives its product to the retailer for a lower price, and in-turn the retailer sells the product on sale. To advertise for these sales, the retailer generally runs an ad in their store sales circular at attract consumers.

Direct Marketing Tools: Coca-Cola uses direct marketing in many ways. First, the company partners with various restaurants, movie theaters, ect. to carry it's product. This way, when a customer orders a drink, the only brand they are offered is Coca-Cola, which forces them to buy a drink from that brand. By doing this, Coke forces out other competition, and keeps the restuarants, or other businesses, purchasing their product over and over again. Coca-Cola also uses it's name for sporting events, like the Allentown Iron Pigs baseball field. The Coca-Cola Field offers a fun time for family and friends while only serving Coke products. This also allows for salespeople to invite retailers to one of the many Coca-Cola boxes for great food, fun, and some "business talk", as well. Next, Coca-Cola has begun to use mobile advertising. According to mobilemarketingmagazine.com, Coke uses mobile graphics and texts to appeal to markets on a more personal level (http://www.mobilemarketingmagazine.co.uk/2007/05/cocacola_goes_m.html). Last, Coca-Cola uses viral marketing. The brand became a giant because of individuals telling their friends, family, or coworkers about how great Coke products were. Today, the company can still use viral marketing to their advantage. For instance, when Coke produces a new product, and someone on their lunch break purchases that new product, and enjoys it, they will tell others in the office about how great the new product is. This will cause others to purchase the product, and in-turn increase sales.