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Home--News
Coke to Increase Marketing in India, Brazil, China, Russia
By Kathleen Sampey
Adweek
November 11, 2004
NEW YORK Coca-Cola worldwide CEO E. Neville Isdell today said the
company will increase its global marketing expeditures by $350-400
million in 2005 and successive years.
Most of that money will be spent outside North America in high-growth
markets such as Brazil, China, India and Russia, he said.
Isdell discussed the increase today in a presentation to Wall Street
analysts. He laid out a plan he called "The Coca-Cola Manifesto for
Change." He promised global volume growth over the long term, a clear
point of view in the company's marketing, an increase in morale and
cultivation of talent within the company's ranks.
"This is something I believe this company deserves," Isdell said in
opening remarks to about 200 analysts, consultants and business reporters
who attended. "A manifesto is a call to action," not a radical change
in strategy but in execution, all centered around "the revival of
an icon," he said.
The Atlanta-based company annually has spent an estimated $1 billion
in global measured media. Through September, Coke spent $375 million
on all products in the U.S., per Nielsen Monitor-Plus. About $230
million of that amount was spent on media for Coca-Cola trademarked
products.
Three other executives also made presentations: CFO Gary Fayard, worldwide
CMO Chuck Fruit, and worldwide vp, Coca-Cola Franchise Marc Mathieu.
Coke is in the midst of hearing ideas concerning its global "iconic"
brief for the flagship brand, Fruit and Mathieu acknowledged. Two
holiday-themed spots for Coke Classic reflecting that strategy were
shown at the meeting.
One broke overseas in October to coincide with the Muslim holy days
known as Ramadan. A Christmas-themed spot will break later this month
in North America.
In the first spot, a female narrator speaks about the kindred spirit
of human beings as scenes containing the cycles of life are played
out, ending with an onscreen super that reads: "The power of one."
In the second ad , a grunge-rock version of "White Christmas" plays
over traditional, contemporary Christmas scenes in which people are
shown creating small acts of kindness. That spot's onscreen super
reads: "Let's make this season a little better."
Fruit said both spots were produced by Interpublic Group's McCann
Erickson. The agency's Kuala Lampur, Malaysia, office created the
Ramadan-themed spot, while McCann's Madrid outpost crafted the Christmas
spot.
"Our advertising has not been as consistently effective in recent
years," Fruit said. The iconic brief asks for communications about
simple, human insights around one big idea, he added.
McCann is still contributing ideas for "iconic" Coke marketing, as
are WPP Group's WM/Red Cell in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Berlin
Cameron/Red Cell in New York; the Madrid and Johannesburg, South Africa,
offices of IPG's McCann Erickson; Publicis in Paris; independent Mother
in London; and undisclosed others, according to sources. Coke will
choose a handful of ideas to test, with the goal of going into production
at the end of the year.
Fruit declined to comment on the agencies involved in the process,
but said that Berlin Cameron/Red Cell is in production on new spots
for Coke Classic's "Real" campaign that will break in the first quarter.
While Isdell called brand Coke "a decent thing, honestly made," Mathieu
said in his presentation that marketing would seek to reinforce that
idea and what consumers associate with the trademarked products: uplifting
refreshment, stubborn optimism, and universal connections. "Carrying
that message of optimism in everything we do is essential," Mathieu
declared.
But Isdell cautioned that it would be 18-24 months before shareholders
saw significant results, saying that the marketing strategy "is not
just about throwing money against ad campaigns because we've underspent."
He said spending would go behind targeted consumers and media and
be monitored closely for success in each country.
Fayard declined to provide guidance on projected share prices, but
Isdell said he foresaw worldwide volume growth of up to 4 percent
over the long-term, operating income increases of 6-8 percent, and
earnings per share growth in the "high single digits."
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