Market
even if it were broken, would communicate
what it contained.
In Sri Lanka, the brand debuted in April 1961,
when Coca-Cola was introduced in 300-millilitre
packs. Since then, Sri Lankan consumers have
embraced Coca-Cola as their favourite soft
drink, and the popularity of the brand and its
sales have enjoyed rapid growth. The local
operation set up new production facilities with
modern technology in Kaduwela and Biyagama
to meet the increasing demand.
Emphasising the need to provide an ice-cold
Coca-Cola, the Sri Lankan operation introduced
Visi Coolers for the first time in 1990. This was
followed by the launch of Coca-Cola in 175millilitre packs, in February 1993. This pack grew
in popularity and volume, as it addressed the
vital need for affordability. Today, the pack is
fondly known as the Buddy pack. With more
consumers embracing Coca-Cola, the packs
have grown to also include take-home versions.
The beverage market is a highly competitive
one: it is broad, but narrowly segmented, and it
can range from hot and cold drinks to alcoholic
beverages and, of course, plain water. But not all
products across these segments compete for
the refreshments market as fiercely as
carbonated soft-drink brands, including CocaCola.
Coca-Cola is a widely recognised brand
across the world, but its iconic status is no
accident. Rather, it is a result of careful branding
and communications. Over the last half a
decade, Coca-Cola has been the world’s most
valuable brand. In Sri Lanka, millions of
consumers have been refreshed and the brand
enjoys a legacy of having won the hearts of
consumers. It is the largest soft-drink brand in
Sri Lanka today.
Coca-Cola may be a century-old brand, but it
continues to be an icon of refreshment among
the youth. It has, in fact, become part and parcel
of Sri Lanka’s social fabric, by tapping into
youthful passions and positioning itself as an
aspirational brand.
It is through this highly focused, dedicated
strategy that Coca-Cola has been able to grow
its sales volume year after year.
This, despite operating in a market that is
highly fragmented and has a preference for
sweet flavours.
Product
Achievements
Coca-Cola is not only the world’s most valuable
brand, it is a global icon and an instantly
recognisable symbol of refreshment to youth all
over the world. But it is much more than that: it
is a non-alcoholic beverage with an everexpanding portfolio of choices to meet
consumers’ needs.
The brand is also a global citizen committed
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SUPERBRANDS
to making a difference, leveraging on the most
extensive bottling and distributing network on
the planet.
History
Coca-Cola was invented in 1886 by John
Pemberton, a pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia,
who originally brewed the syrup. Even at this
early stage, the power of branding was
important to the pharmacist and his partner.
Pemberton’s partner, Frank M. Robinson, named
the dark-brown liquid Coca-Cola because he
thought the two Cs would work well in
advertising. Having laid the foundation for the
product and the brand, the two men sold their
interests to an Atlanta businessman, Asa G.
Candler, in 1891.
The famous signature flourish of Coca-Cola
was registered as a trademark in 1893. Candler
was a marketing genius and ensured that the
Coca-Cola trademark appeared on countless
products, from clocks to glass chandeliers. By
1895, thanks to Candler’s skills, Coca-Cola was
available in every state across the US.
The design for the famous Coca-Cola glass
contour bottle was created in 1916. It was
introduced to protect the brand from a growing
army of imitators who were determined to cash
in on its success.
The company wanted to communicate to its
consumers that there was only one authentic
Coca-Cola. Designers were briefed to create a
bottle that people would recognise and
associate only with Coca-Cola, even if they
consumed it in the dark. The bottle, they
believed, should be shaped in a manner that,
Coca-Cola as a drink needs no introduction.
With the exception of a handful of countries, it
is enjoyed in just about every part of the world.
It is probably the most ubiquitous brand on the
planet today.
Coca-Cola is consumed at a rate of more
than one billion servings each day – quite an
achievement for a band whose unit sales at
inception totalled no more than 3,200 servings
in its Atlanta pharmacy! It is currently the
world’s most valuable and most recognised
brand.
Recent Developments
In April 2004, Coca-Cola SABCO, a South
African based bottler, acquired the Sri Lanka
operation, which is now known as Coca-Cola
Beverages Sri Lanka. Coca-Cola SABCO is an
emerging market specialist with core
competencies in efficient and low-cost
distribution. This began a new chapter for the
local company, as the brand gained a new
impetus through a highly focused strategy
backed by aggressive market initiatives.
Following the devastation caused by the
tsunami in December 2004, the Coca-Cola
operation in Sri Lanka immediately deployed
resources to provide relief assistance in the
form of providing safe drinking water. In
addition, Coca-Cola was involved in the
reconstruction of devastated areas, by
undertaking to completely rebuild a school in
Hikkaduwa to house more than 500 students.
Furthermore, work continues to provide
housing for affected people through a
partnership with Habitat for Humanity and a
water-sanitation project through a partnership
with UNDP. Work is also continuing – via the
Sisu Diriya project – to improve facilities in
schools in Sri Lanka, with rural and underdeveloped areas being the primary focus.
Promotion
The enormous value and global appeal of the
Coca-Cola brand is a result of the company’s
excellence in marketing. Advertising has been a
key ingredient throughout its history: the brand’s
slogans, radio jingles, songs, TV commercials and
signature characters have been acclaimed
worldwide.
Coca-Cola’s first advertising theme was
established way back in the early 1900s. Since
then, a wealth of popular themes have been
assimilated into popular culture. These include,
Things Go Better With Coke (1963), It’s The
Real Thing (1942 and 1969), Coke Adds Life
(1976), Coke Is It (1982), Can’t Beat The Feeling
(at the end of the 1980s) and the Always
campaign in the 1990s.
Sponsorships have been an important facet of
its advertising strategy. Of these, sports
sponsorships have taken precedence, with
Coca-Cola sponsoring major global sporting
events such as the Olympic Games and the FIFA
World Cup. This has ensured that the brand not
only taps in to the national passions of youth,
but that the global brand is ever present when
nations come together. Its association with the
Olympics dates back to 1928, when 1,000 cases
of Coca-Cola accompanied the US Olympic
team aboard a freighter bound for Amsterdam
harbour, for the ninth Olympiad. Coca-Cola has
also been an official partner of the FIFA World
Cup since 1974. Both partnerships continue to
refresh sportsmen and women, and fans around
the world.
In Sri Lanka, Coca-Cola has led the way in
terms of sports sponsorships, music marketing,
innovative promotions, advertising and
consumer activation. In 1985, Coca-Cola
introduced the first fully-integrated consumer
promotion for any consumer brand through an
under-the-crown promotion. One such venture
was the very popular yo-yo promotion, where
the brand was intrinsically tied to this rising
youth phenomenon. And in 1996, when Sri
Lanka won the cricket World Cup, Coca-Cola
was the title sponsor of the event – and it
introduced a slew of new commercials, including
the famous red chilli campaign and other
integrated promotions.
For over four decades, the brand has grown
through advertising and promotional efforts that
excite consumers. Older consumers are known
to link their youth or a particular time of their
life to Coca-Cola’s promotional events. Such is
the level of the brand’s involvement in everyday
life.
Brand Values
Coca-Cola is the original, authentic, irresistibly
popular brand.
Not only does it quench your thirst with its
unique taste, it also rejuvenates and inspires,
providing instant physical and emotional
upliftment.
The core values of the brand are optimism,
togetherness, uplifting vitality and authenticity.
Indeed, Coca-Cola delivers more than mere
refreshment.
It catalyses optimism among youth and the
young at heart – drinking Coke helps them to
make a lifestyle statement.
www.coca-cola.com
THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT
Coca-Cola
®
If all the Coca-Cola ever produced replaced
the water in the Niagara Falls, to flow at the
rate of 1.5 million gallons per second, it
would flow for 38 hours and 46 minutes.
If all the Coca-Cola ever produced were
poured into a six-foot-deep swimming pool,
the pool would have to be 22 miles long and
eight miles wide.
If all the Coca-Cola ever produced was filled
into 236ml bottles and distributed around the
world, everyone would get 678 bottles each.
If all the Coca-Cola bottles ever
manufactured were kept in a row, they would
reach the moon and back 1,057 times.
Coca-Cola has been the longest continuous
sponsor of the Olympic Games – the brand
began sponsoring the Games in 1928.
Coca-Cola is the world’s best-recognised
trademark. It is recognised in countries, the
people of which make up 98% of the world’s
population.
SUPERBRANDS
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