Coca-cola company
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants and vending machines worldwide (The Coca-Cola Company claims that it is sold in over 200 countries). It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta, Georgia and is often referred to simply as Coke or (in European and American countries) as Cola or Pop. Originally intended as a patent medicine when it was invented in the late 19th century by John Pemberton, Coca-Cola was bought out by businessman Asa Griggs Candler, whose marketing tactics led Coke to its dominance of the world soft drink market throughout the 20th century.
The company produces concentrate, which is then sold to various licensed Coca-Cola bottlers throughout the world. The bottlers, who hold territorially exclusive contracts with the company, produce finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate in combination with filtered water and sweeteners. The bottlers then sell, distribute and merchandise Coca-Cola in cans and bottles to retail stores and vending machines. Such bottlers include Coca-Cola Enterprises, which is the largest single Coca-Cola bottler in North America and western Europe. The Coca-Cola Company also sells concentrate for fountain sales to major restaurants and food service distributors.
The Coca-Cola Company has, on occasion, introduced other cola drinks under the Coke brand name. The most common of these is Diet Coke, which has become a major diet cola. However, others exist, including Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola, Diet Coke Caffeine-Free, Cherry Coke, Coca-Cola Zero, Vanilla Coke and special editions with lemon and with lime and even with coffee.
In response to consumer insistence on a more natural product, the company is in the process of phasing out E211, or sodium benzoate, the controversial additive linked to DNA damage and hyperactivity in children, of Diet Coke. The company has stated that it plans to remove the controversial additive from its other products — including Sprite, and Oasis - as soon as a satisfactory alternative is discovered.
Source: http://wikipedia.org/
Label: coca-cola
The main fear of Coca-Cola is to loose the market shares to huge competitor Pepsico (producer of the other cola, Pepsi) and in the United States, the war between these two is well established (through communication and commercials).
I believe that, as Coca-Cola is more focused on beverages than Pepsico, which owns snacks and food brand as well as beverages, it will be easier for the company to react and act during these tough economical times. On the two main points these companies are trying to fight, Coca-Cola seems to be the one which has the most room of maneuver. Indeed, the reasonable diversification of Coca- Cola allows it to have a critical size and be present in various beverages markets. It also allows it to
have more control over the brands, have more accurate feedbacks on the financial statements of each, and simply manage them more easily.
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