Dana Hawkins
BA 2196 Section 36/Elizabeth Matthew
Writing Assignment: Analyzing the Annual Report
Companies’ annual reports provide financial information, promote the company, highlight
achievements, and a letter to shareholders normally outlining the company’s plans for the coming year.
The annual report is written for investors and securities analysts, and should be written in plain and
understandable language, because most of the investors and analysts aren’t familiar with the company’s
industry or any specialized terminology. To attract young investors, Coca-Cola’s 2013 Annual Report
uses the following verbal and visual strategies: pictures of people from different countries using CocaCola machines to show the company’s global presence; phrases from the company’s mission statement
and repeats them throughout the annual report to make investors feel like they are making a difference
by investing in Coca-Cola; videos of a woman in Africa with her new business to show that Coca-Cola
uses its resources to help small businesses.
In its annual report, Coca-Cola uses pictures of people from different countries using Coca-Cola
machines to show the company’s global presence. In the “Highlights” section of the annual report there
is a picture of a Pakistani man and an Indian woman using the “friendship portal” that Coca-Cola
created. This portal was created to connect cities in Pakistan and India, where you must pair with
another person from the opposite city, and simultaneously complete a task in order to get your Coke
from the machine. Using this picture, Coca-Cola tries to show investors how its “friendship portal” is an
example of its global presence. Also in the annual report, there is a picture of small children from the
Borneo Island in East Malaysia drinking Coke, and a video that accompanies it showing how Coca-Cola
help create water access to the island. This is another example of Coca-Cola showing its global presence
to investors.
In its annual report, Coca-Cola uses phrases from the company’s mission statement and repeats
them throughout the annual report to make investors feel like they are making a difference by investing
Dana Hawkins
BA 2196 Section 36/Elizabeth Matthew
Writing Assignment: Analyzing the Annual Report
in Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola’s mission statement states “To refresh the world, inspire moments of optimism
and happiness, create value and make a difference. “ The mission statement is included in the letter to
shareholders. The letter uses the phrases “create value” and “make a difference” many times, which
come directly from the mission statement. These phrases induce a sense of responsibility to investors,
and make them feel like they have a role in creating value through Coca-Cola. This sense of
responsibility makes investors feel like they make a difference by investing in Coca-Cola.
In its annual report, Coca-Cola uses videos of a woman in Africa with her new business to show
that Coca-Cola uses its resources to help small businesses. In the section “Building Better Communities”
of the annual report there is a video of an African woman, Malehlohonolo Moleko standing next to her
small restaurant and convenience truck given to her by Coca-Cola. In the video it shows Moleko selling
Coca-Cola sodas and cell phone airtime, as well as other convenience items to the factory workers. This
shows investors that Coca-Cola uses its resources to help small businesses.
Coca-Cola uses pictures of people from different countries using Coca-Cola machines to show
the company’s global presence, phrases from the company’s mission statement and repeats them
throughout the annual report to make investors feel like they are making a difference by investing in
Coca-Cola, and videos of a woman in Africa with her new business to show that Coca-Cola uses its
resources to help small businesses, in its annual report to attract young investors. The most effective
strategy used was the visual strategies that showed Coca-Cola’s global presence through pictures. This is
the most effective strategy because it appeals directly to young investors, by showing other young
adults from all over the world.