Sun Tzu describes positioning as: 19 ‘Effective executives defend positions that cannot be attacked. Effective executives initiate actions from positions of supreme advantage. Thus they achieve victory without the risk of being defeated.’ J. W Strydom (Editor) 2004; 92.
Coca-Cola as a product brand is positioned in various market segments. Coke is positioned first and foremost merchandised and positioned as a soda-cola in the American market. This positioning strategy is aimed at competing brands especially Pepsi. Coke falls under food and beverages in restaurants and commercial kitchens.
Coke target market; the Coke brand product is aimed at everyone who love Happiness, Refreshing moments of togetherness and fun. The Coca-Cola beverage product must be the most widely distributed soft drink the world over. Visibility is a very powerful tool in creating brand awareness or to remind consumers that the brand still exists. I am a Coca-Cola consumer and so are most people the world over. There is always a Coca-
Cola product at almost every event’ be it corporate event or social gathering.
The positioning and differentiation strategy of Coca-Cola are almost intertwined and inseparable. The brand Coca-Cola has a marketing and advertising strategy that the brand has followed almost religiously and consistently for over a century now. The iconic and distinct Cokes red and white brand identity has not changed that much over many years.
Coke is positioned first and foremost merchandised and positioned as a soda-cola in the American market. This positioning strategy is aimed at competing brands especially Pepsi.
Marketing and Advertising message of Coca-Cola emphasises happiness, refreshing moments, and social connections. The “Open Happiness” campaign was very successful because it reinforced what consumers know and believe about the Coca-Cola brand. Most Coke ads will depict a moment of family social gatherings at a dinner table or any form of social gathering and coke will be the main dress of the occasion. People family unity and for Coke to reinforce this valuable aspect, it make the brand to relevant, relatable to consumers and hence they resonate with it. People value friendships and happiness the same values that Coke promotes and hence they relate with the brand. Which brand can do this netter than coke, Nike and Apple? These brands do not necessarily talk about their product features as better than that of their competitors; no they use well crafted emotional marketing strategies. It should not be surprising why they are leaders in their respective industries and categories.
We live in the information age and content era. In marketing circles there is an expression that content is king and engagement is queen. Coke is good at providing and promoting content that engages its consumers at very highly emotional levels. In some marketing circles they say emotion is the equation, emotion is the selling formula. Which cola drink can do it better than Coca-Cola? I say emotion is the dominant denominator in the marketing strategy formula of all successful brands.
The Coca-Cola brand has invented and mastered its marketing strategy to a point where no copy cats can do anything. The Coke brand has grown significantly over the years in brand equity while Coke consumers continue to enjoy their preferred soft drink each and every day.
The other strategy is that Coca-Cola likes to own its place and space. Coke like a male lion king marks its territories and defends them viciously. The brand has clearly marked fridges that store Coca-Cola brand products only. These are found in various outlets nationwide. This setup and arrangement makes easy to pick a Coca-Cola brand product over others because it would be easy and convenient to do so. This strategy places the Coca-Cola brand in better position and clearly not only differentiate it from competition, but also separates Coke from the rest of competition.
In conclusion Sun Tzu in paraphrasing says strategy without tactics is the slowest way to victory and tactics without strategy is the loud noise before victory. Coke masters this tactic strategy combination than any other brand on planet earth.
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