Brand Metamorphosis: Mutation of Brand DNA in the process of glocalization A case of Coca Cola in India.

Arup Kumar Baksi Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, BITM, Santiniketan Email: arup_bakshi@rediffmail.com Mobile: 9434155575

Abstract Post globalization branding strategies focus on hybridization of cultures and incorporating the same to mutate the brand DNA. Globalization has given birth to a jargon namely glocalization which is a measure of local adaptability of a global brand. The basic concept of branding has undergone a paradigm shift while taking into consideration the cultural and ethnic aspects while spreading across global markets. Once in a global market, a brand undergoes a metamorphosis, often a triggered one, depending on the degree of change sought to fit local conditions. Academic researches on Brand DNA analysis and Brand Metamorphosis are still at the neonatal stage and enough literature support is still not available. This article (in a Case Study format) tries to analyse the metamorphosis undergone by the number one global brand Coca Cola, in Indian market. Key words Brand, Brand DNA, glocalization, metamorphosis, hybridization, adaptability, culture.

Introduction Globalization has had a huge impact on the branding strategies of international companies. Since the early 1990s many multinational companies, such as Unilever, have moved from a

multidomestic to a global marketing approach including global branding strategies (Schuiling and Kapferer 2004). Cost-cutting due to economies of scale and benefiting from a strong worldwide image have been suggested as the most important reasons in favour for a global brand strategy (Schuiling and Lambin 2003). Moreover, the alleged convergence of consumption patterns across borders (Levitt 1983) challenge the concept of brands adapted to local needs and conditions. However, from a consumer perspective, reactions to the prevalence of global brands seem to be quite heterogeneous. On the one hand, consumers seem to value and admire global brands as illustrated by their sometimes even iconic status. On the other hand, global brands are often criticized for threatening local differences and for imposing an objectionable consumer culture on societies (Holt 2002). This criticism culminates in the antibranding movement represented by renowned spokespersons like Naomi Klein or George Ritzer. This paper aims to examine how consumers perceive and evaluate global brands. We define global brands as brands that consumers can find under the same name in multiple countries with generally similar and centrally coordinated marketing strategies (Steenkamp, Batra and Alden 2003, p. 53).

Literature Review So far, consumer research has focused on positive effects of a global brand image, i.e. of the perceived brand globalness. Research indicates that consumers value global brands especially for their assumed high quality and prestigious image (e.g., Nguyen, Barrett and Miller 2005; Steenkamp, Batra and Alden 2003). An internationally well-established brand name can act as a "halo" construct that effects quality beliefs (Han 1989). If a brand is perceived as globally available, consumers are likely to attribute a superior quality to the brand, since such quality is thought of as a prerequisite for international acceptance. Furthermore, prestige and status benefits have been shown to constitute one of the primary motivations of consumers to choose global brands. Especially in Non-Western countries, international brands are more expensive and scarcer than local brands and, therefore, have an exclusive appeal (Batra et al. 2000; Steenkamp, Batra and Alden 2003). In addition, the consumption of internationally recognized brands demonstrates a cosmopolitan and modern lifestyle an association highly desirable for some consumer segments (Alden, Steenkamp and Batra 1999). So far, the disadvantages of global brands from a consumer perspective have not attracted as much interest in the marketing community. One exception is provided by Schuiling and Kapferer (2004) who give evidence that local brands are perceived as better value, more trustworthy, down to earth and reliable than their global rivals. Deeper insights about the "dark sides" of global brands are offered by interpretive researchers. A widespread concern about global brands at least in some consumer segments is the advancement of a global homogenization of cultures and the promotion of a global consumer culture (Belk 1995; Thompson and Arsel 2005). As a consequence, consumers sometimes challenge the authentic- ity of global brands. Consumers may view brands that are highly standardized and calculated as inauthentic in contrast to local alternatives, which are understood as distinctive expressions of local cultures (Thompson, Rindfleisch and Arsel 2006). Furthermore, the lack of authenticity is stressed by polished and expensive marketing techniques that global brand companies typically use because commercialization is negatively related to perceived authenticity (Holt 2004). Similarly, since global brands are often pushed into markets with enormous marketing budgets, while being produced at ever lower cost in low-income countries, they could also be thought of as aggressive or even reckless. Beliefs about and reactions to global brands seem to be quite heterogeneous indicating the relevance of

additional explaining factors in that context. Relevant variables can be identified on a product/brand, individual and cultural/country level. Apart from a few constructs, e.g. consumer ethnocentrism (CET), most of these variables have not been empirically researched in the given context so far. On a product level, especially the product category should have a strong influence on the favorability of the type of the international branding strategy. Johansson and Ronkainen (2004) suggest that global brands are more successful in high profile and high-involvement categories with pronounced symbolic functions. An important distinction has also been made between culture-free and culture-bound products (Wind and Douglas 1972). Thus, for example, food would be regarded as strongly culturebound products and therefore as difficult to standardize, while high-tech products would be regarded as essentially culture-free products and consequently as easy to standardize (Baalbaki and Malhotra 1993). Another important brand related variable is the country-oforigin or country image. Global brands from countries with a bad publicity are likely to have acceptance problems and vice versa. With regard to individual variables, consumers of global brands have been characterized as younger, more educated, wealthier and more urban than the average consumer (Quelch 1999). Apart from demographics some studies have dealt with the influence of consumer ethnocentrism (CET) on the preference for global versus local brands (e.g., Aysegul 2006; Steenkamp, Batra and Alden 2003). According to Shimp and Sharma (1987, p. 280) CET is defined as "the beliefs held by consumers about the appropriateness, indeed the morality, of choosing foreign-made products". Steenkamp, Batra and Alden (2003) showed that low-CET consum- ers from the U.S. and Korea showed a higher tendency to buy global brands compared to high-CET consumers. Similar effects should be caused by related constructs, e.g. consumer animosity (Klein, Ettenson and Morris 1998), nationalism and patriotism (Druckman 1994). Consumer cosmopolitanism should also influence the acceptance of global brands. In a recent definition, a cosmopolitan consumer is defined as "an open-minded individual whose con- sumption orientation transcends any particular culture, locality or community and who appre- ciates diversity including trying products and services from a variety of countries (Riefler and Diamatopoulos 2006). Cosmopolitan motives are expressed through the search for "au- thentically distinctive social and aesthetic experiences" (Thompson, Rindfleisch and Arsel 2006, p. 56). Since global brands stand in contrast to authentic local brands, cosmopolitan consumers should therefore avoid global offerings. In addition, since global brands can be viewed as symbols of a globalized and materialistic world, general attitudes towards global- ization and consumption as well as materialism may be important in the given context (Wit- kowski 2005). More generally, global brands can be associated with either the benefits or the drawbacks of globalization depending on globalization attitudes. Similarly, global brands, such as Nike, seem to be especially vulnerable to a change in people's attitudes toward consumption and materialism, because they represent a favourite target of the growing antimaterialistic, anticonsumption and anticorporate movement (Holt 2002) Glocalization Different Perspectives According to the dictionary meaning, the term glocal and the process noun glocalization are formed by telescoping global and local to make a blend (The Oxford Dictionary of New Words, 1991 quoted in Robertson, 1995). The term was modeled on Japanese word dochakuka, which originally meant adapting farming technique to ones own local condition. In the business world the idea was adopted to refer to global localization. The word as well as the idea came from Japan (Robertson, 1995). According to the sociologist Roland

Robertson, glocalization describes the tempering effects of local conditions on global pressures. At a 1997 conference on "Globalization and Indigenous Culture," Robertson said that glocalization "means the simultaneity (co-presence) of both universalizing and particularizing tendencies (Raimi, 2003)." Glocalization is a concept that explains the interactions between global and local dimensions in any strategy i.e. political governance strategies, business marketing strategies, media and communication strategies etc. This concept also explains the failure of some strong strategies, as they do not consider the effect of cultural diversity and strength of local dimensions. It is considered as creation or distribution of products or services intended for a global or transregional market, but customized to suit local laws or culture James D. Wolfensohn (World Bank president 1995-2005), stated: Glocalization is of enormous importance because it brings us from the global question down to issues at the human scale, and to issues of humanity and people. Ritzer has added another term globalization while discussing glocalization. He refers to it as growth imperative for organizations and nations to expand globally and to impose themselves on the local, for him globalization is the sum total of glocalization and grobalization (Khondker, 2004). Glocalization is important in all types of businesses from automobiles to comic books and mass merchandisers to fast food restaurants. Comics on Spiderman were launched in India by modifying the original version to suit the Indian markets. The real life name has been changed from Peter Parker to Pavitra Prabhakar, he wears a loincloth worn by hindu men in India. The other aspects of the comic book have also been modified (The Hindu, 2004). These modifications help consumers in the host country relate with the character in a much better and effective way. Similarly a recent Indian movie KRRISH portrayed a superohero, who can be considered a glocalized version of Batman or Superman. In Germany, Ayurveda style of medication has been glocalized and has been successfully implemented by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Group. He has softened the harsh Indian purgation therapy and concentrated on nutrition advices, on massages and oil applications (Stollberg, 2005). Cultural differences affect efficient working of digital networking environments and several localized communities are formed. These communities are being managed with the help of glocalized strategies to facilitate the working of the digital environment (Boyd, 2006). The concept of glocalization is particularly important to the food and agribusiness industry because of the seamless challenges this industry faces due to the typical differeces that exist in the food habits of people belonging to various regions/religions/cultures across the globe. There are numerous examples of companies doing extremely well in their local markets, but when go global, these fail completely. Glocalization is seen in the communication aspect of marketing strategy as well, like Coca-Cola airing different advertisements in India with actor Amir Khan in different characters, i.e. Hyderabadi, Punjabi, Lucknowi, Bombay-Bhai and as a Gorkha as well. Glocalization is indeed the most important concept that is being taken up by the MNFEs. In fact, the success of any food firm, to a large extent, is determined by the trust that it is able to gain from the residents of a region.

Brand Building Models Kapferer (1997) mentions that before the 1980s there was a different approach towards brands. Branding and brand building focused on developing brand value. Kapferers view of brand value is monetary, and includes intangible assets. Four factors combine in the mind of the consumer to determine the perceived value of the brand: brand awareness; the level of

perceived quality compared to competitors; the level of confidence, of significance, of empathy, of liking; and the richness and attractiveness of the images conjured up by the brand. Urde (1999) presents Brand Orientation as another brand building model that focuses on brands as strategic resources. Brand orientation focuses on developing brands in a more active and deliberate manner, starting with the brand identity as a strategic platform. The brand becomes a strategic platform that provides the framework for the satisfaction of customers wants and needs (Urde 1999, p. 129). The point of departure for a brand oriented company is its brand mission. Urdes Brand Hexagon (1999), shown in Figure 1, integrates brand equity and brand identity with a companys direction, strategy and identity. The right side of the model reflects the reference function -product category and product, which are analyzed rationally-, while the left side of the model reflects the emotional function -corporate and brand name, which are analyzed emotionally. A brand is experienced in its entirety (p. 126), which means that both emotions and rational thought are involved. The lower part of the model- mission and vision- reflects the companys intentions towards the brand, while the upper part reflects the way that target consumers interpret the brand. At the center of the model lies the core process of brand meaning creation, which includes the positioning and core values.
Target Audience Loyalty Company Name Awaren Product Category

Communicatio Positioning :Core values Personalit Quality

Brand Name Associatio

Product

Vision & Mission

Fig:1 Brand Hexagon, Urde, 1999.

Concept of Brand DNA

A brand, like a living organism, has a unique genetic profile, its "DNA." This is made up of specific attributes, intricately balanced, which act instantaneously on the minds of customers. These attributes are organized into five different but related dimensions: 1. Brand Category (What exactly is it? What category does it fit into?) (Evocations and Culture) 2. Brand Character (What's it look and feel like?) (Personality) 3. Brand Benefit (What's the Primary Overt Benefit to me?) (Perceived image) 4. Brand Difference (What makes it stand out against competitors?) [Positioning and Linguistics] 5. Brand Credibility (What allows me to believe the claims made about the brand?) (Brand image & Preference) Brands seem like complex organisms, partly because each one of these basic attributes can act in a different way on each customer or group in the brand's environment (the Brandscape.) But, like a biological organism, Brand DNA must exhibit a certain baseline simplicity in order to be intelligible to customers and to evolve by rapid transmission from host to host. In other words, there must be a compelling story to be told about the brand if people are going to talk about it. Brand Sequencing makes sure not only that the story is compelling, but that it's the right story in the first place. Brand DNA attributes are inextricably linked and constantly replicate and mutate - in a way, a brand is always a moving target. But since Brand DNA attributes come exclusively from the minds of customers, you need to get accurate customer feedback in order to evolve your brand competitively. BrandSequencing helps you exert greater control over this seemingly random process of replication. The DNA of a brand represents its basic nucleus centering which the entire brand grows up. The essential brand DNA elements are Image, Evocations, Perceived Quality, Familiarity, Preference, Personality, Culture, Positioning strategy and Brand Linguistics. The hexagonal transposition model of Brand Identity proposed by J.N. Kapferer literally shows us the nodal areas in brand DNA elements where mutation can take place if a brand is laterally stretched and launched in a different country other than the home nation by virtue of globalization.

Brand Image Evocation s Personalit y Brand Positioning

Perceived Quality Familiarity & Preference Culture Brand DNA element where mutation takes place during globalization

Brand Linguistics

Fig:2 Brand DNA elements and locus of mutations. Metamorphosis of a brand starts at the DNA level once globalized and it is visually communicated through brand linguistics by using Phonic [alliteration : eg. Coca Cola], Orthographic, Morphologic and Semantic elements. Enabling the customers to decode the brand DNA is the key to survive and succeed in an alien market. The strategic metamorphosis takes place once the globalization issue is finalized. The makeover of the brand takes place by maintaining the key DNA elements (Image, Evocations, Personality and Positioning) of the brand unchanged and deliberately mutating the other paired elements like Perceived quality, Familiarity & Preference and Culture. The basic instrument that is used in triggering this mutation is Brand Linguistic. What one gets after this brand mutation is a replica of the mother brand in a mutated (glocalized) form.

History of Coke: The Early Days Coca-Cola was created in 1886 by John Pemberton, a pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia, who sold the syrup mixed with fountain water as a potion for mental and physical disorders. The formula changed hands three more times before Asa D. Candler added carbonation and by 2003, Coca-Cola was the worlds largest manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, with more than 400 widely recognized beverage brands in its portfolio. Coca-Cola was sold in bottles for the first time on March 12, 1894. The first outdoor wall advertisement was painted in the same year as well in Cartersville, Georgia. Cans of Coke first appeared in 1955. The first bottling of Coca-Cola occurred in Vicksburg, Mississippi, at the Biedenharn Candy Company in 1891. Its proprietor was Joseph A. Biedenharn. The original bottles were Biedenharn bottles, very different from the much later hobble-skirt design that is now so familiar.

1899-

1900-

191

195

196

199

199

Fig 3: The evolution of Coca Cola Bottle The famous Coca-Cola logo was created by John Pemberton's bookkeeper, Frank Mason Robinson, in 1885. Robinson came up with the name and chose the logo's distinctive cursive script. The typeface used, known as Spencerian script, was developed in the mid 19th century and was the dominant form of formal handwriting in the United States during that period. With the bubbles making the difference, Coca-Cola was registered as a trademark in 1887 and by 1895, was being sold in every state and territory in the United States. In 1899, it franchised its bottling operations in the U.S., growing quickly to reach 370 franchisees by 1910. Headquartered in Atlanta with divisions and local operations in over 200 countries worldwide, Coca-Cola generated more than 70% of its income outside the United States by 2003. With rapid brand proliferation, The Coca Cola Company, as it stands today is a transnational giant with its operation spreaded across more than one hundred countries covering all the continents. The strategic expansion of coke saw a range of concentric and semi concentric diversification in its product range. [Exhibit1, Exhibit2, Exhibit3]. The global performance of the company is astounding representing a not only a serious growth for the company itself but also for the local beverage markets, its strategic partners (bottlers and distributers) and the community as a whole [Exhibit 4]. Coca Cola owns four of the worlds top five non-alcoholic beverages : Coca Cola, Diet Coke, Sprite and Fanta. Coca Cola has been adjudged as the numero uno global brand by Forbes as well as by Fortune in the year 2008 [Exhibit 5] and the performance has been quite consistent over the years. International expansion Cokes first international bottling plants opened in 1906 in Canada, Cuba, and Panama. By the end of the 1920s Coca-Cola was bottled in twenty-seven countries throughout the

world and available in fifty-one more. In spite of this reach, volume was low, quality inconsistent, and effective advertising a challenge with language, culture, and government regulation all serving as barriers. Former CEO Robert Woodruffs insistence that Coca-Cola wouldnt suffer the stigma of being an intrusive American product, and instead would use local bottles, caps, machinery, trucks, and personnel contributed to Cokes challenges as well with a lack of standard processes and training degrading quality. Coca-Cola continued working for over 80 years on Woodruffs goal: to make Coke available wherever and whenever consumers wanted it, in arms reach of desire. The Second World War proved to be the stimulus Coca-Cola needed to build effective capabilities around the world and achieve dominant global market share. Woodruffs patriotic commitment that every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for five cents, wherever he is and at whatever cost to our company was more than just great public relations. As a result of Cokes status as a military supplier, Coca-Cola was exempt from sugar rationing and also received government subsidies to build bottling plants around the world to serve WWII troops. Coke in India Coca-Cola was the leading soft drink brand in India until 1977 when it left rather than reveal its formula to the government and reduce its equity stake as required under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) which governed the operations of foreign companies in India. After a 16-year absence, Coca-Cola returned to India in 1993, cementing its presence with a deal that gave Coca-Cola ownership of the nation's top soft-drink brands and bottling network. Cokes acquisition of local popular Indian brands including Thums Up (the most trusted brand in India21), Limca, Maaza, Citra and Gold Spot provided not only physical manufacturing, bottling, and distribution assets but also strong consumer preference. This combination of local and global brands enabled Coca-Cola to exploit the benefits of global branding and global trends in tastes while also tapping into traditional domestic markets. Leading Indian brands joined the Company's international family of brands, including Coca- Cola, diet Coke, Sprite and Fanta, plus the Schweppes product range. In 2000, the company launched the Kinley water brand and in 2001, Shock energy drink and the powdered concentrate Sunfill hit the market. From 1993 to 2003, Coca-Cola invested more than US$1 billion in India, making it one of the countrys top international investors.22 By 2003, Coca-Cola India had won the prestigious Woodruf Cup from among 22 divisions of the Company based on three broad parameters of volume, profitability, and quality. Coca-Cola India achieved 39% volume growth in 2002 while the industry grew 23% nationally and the Company reached break- even profitability in the region for the first time.23 Encouraged by its 2002 performance, Coca-Cola India announced plans to double its capacity at an investment of $125 million (Rs. 750 crore) between September 2002 and March 2003. Coca-Cola India produced its beverages with 7,000 local employees at its twenty-seven wholly-owned bottling operations supplemented by seventeen franchiseeowned bottling operations and a network of twenty-nine contract-packers to

manufacture a range of products for the company. The complete manufacturing process had a documented quality control and assurance program including over 400 tests performed throughout the process (See Exhibit 5). The complexity of the consumer soft drink market demanded a distribution process to support 700,000 retail outlets serviced by a fleet that includes 10-ton trucks, open-bay three wheelers, and trademarked tricycles and pushcarts that were used to navigate the narrow alleyways of the cities.25 In addition to its own employees, Coke indirectly created employment for another 125,000 Indians through its procurement, supply, and distribution networks. Brand localization strategy Brand Mutation of Coke: Rearrangement of Brand DNA: The two Indias Indias diversity can be somewhat attributed to its lengthy history, extensive size, extreme range of climatic and geographic conditions and the absorption of the prolonged influence of traders, invaders, immigrants and colonizers. Although Hindi is the native language of 30% of the population, there are 24 languages spoken by more than a million people followed by numerous further languages and dialects. It is worth noting that India possesses the worlds largest English speaking/ understanding population. Alongside the diversity of language are the variety of religious beliefs (6 with over 1 million believers: Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain and Christian) and local customs which flourish in its 29 states. Urban dwellers, including those of the six key areas (metros) of Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore, Chennai and Pune are countered by a rural dwellers that comprise more than two thirds of the population. Add to this issues of literacy (52%) and extremities of class and caste and one sees that India presents a potent mix for transnational marketers to contend with. (CIA, 2001 & Wikipedia, 2006). In 1977 Coke was forced out from operations in India by a socialist government as part of a drive for national self-sufficiency. After a 16year absence, neo-liberation policies in India allowed for its return in 1993 but to a very different cultural and economic landscape. During their absence local company Parle Brothers had formulated an alternative cola, Thums Up, alongside a number of other beverages like the lemon flavoured soda Limca and mango flavoured Maaza. Coke bought the complete Parle operations in 1993 and presumed that they could use their tried and tested method of taking their biggest competitors out of action. But a generation had grown up without Coke and wasn't pining for its return. (Deogun & Karp, 1998) It also seems that locals feel that unlike Coke, Thums Up tastes fine even when not refrigerated which has obvious significance for less affluent consumers. Although Pepsi, with their 6-year head start had paved the way in renewing demand for global cola, it was not so easy for the returning international soda-superstar. Pepsi embraced youth in its campaigning whereas Coke mistakenly focused on the American way of life. (Kaye, 2004) It has been argued that such errant focus by global companies had undermined the popular conception of commercial imperialism. Such de-localisation resulted in a situation where multinationals were being interpreted as a kind of recapitulation of the

colonial encounter, in which Indians were proving resistant to the best laid plans that the finest marketing minds of the West had to offer. (Mazzarella, 2003a) Although their intensive investment in the first five years back in India gave them the credit of being one of Indias largest investors (Kaye, 2004) Coca Colas dismal sales results during this period begged significant re-strategising Hindustan Lever, global giant Unilevers local arm, was among the first producers and distributors of FMCGs to realise the potential of India's rural market by introducing small size packets of washing powder that would last several washes. By reducing margins but increasing turnover, profit-seeking in India by global players was unleashed. It was seen that FMCGs in India require employment of the 3As of availability, affordability and acceptability. (Balakrishna, 2003) Coca Cola acknowledging its lack of comprehension of local particularities, launched upon extensive research in India. It realised that it was competing with traditional refreshments such as narial-pani (coconut-water), nimbu-pani (lemon-water), chai (tea), lassi (yoghurt drink) and fruit juices. Competitive pricing in such a scenario was imperative. (Kaye, 2004) Additionally one could note that affordability was a driver in the Indian context for desirability so Coke launched a 200ml returnable glass bottle at a lower prices of Rs. 5 with accompanying advertising campaigns. (Businessline, 1998) It was also noted that soft drink consumption was somewhat limited to special occasions like outings, parties, festivals and weddings in contrast to more affluent countries where daily consumption occurred. Within consumers Coke located two distinct target markets: urban youth which they called India A and rural Indians which were called India B (Balakrishna, 2003). Worth noting is that India A only made up 4% of Indias total population (Kaye, 2004) although could be seen as a lucrative market in terms of influence, income & consumption habits. In line with decentralising thrust of Coke internationally, local managers and advertising teams were recruited and regional teams were established in a multi-local network system. Such embracing of transnationality has been commended as encouraging local responsiveness. (Gajendar, 2003) Further investigation of regionally segmented audiences have resulted in advertisements currently being in more than six languages reflecting Indias linguistic diversity (Businessline, 1998). Southern states often require markedly different strategies such as alternate celebrity endorsements (Tamil vs. Bollywood stars) and promotion of Coke accompanying regionally relevant food combos. Further to such localised efforts were the national television commercial and print campaigns which took a turn from earlier American style aspiration value to a much more vernacular style which will be discussed in detail in the following section. Collectively such cultural mediation of marketing, based on greater insights of local specifici ty, contributed to the doubling of rural penetration from 2001 to 2003 and the pushing of Coke ahead of former leaders Pepsi and Thums Up in rural markets. (Businessline, 2003 & IBEF, 2004) India A: Life ho to aisi

India A, the designation Coca-Cola gave to the market segment including metropolitan areas and large towns, represented 4% of the countrys population. This segment sought social bonding as a need and responded to aspirational messages, celebrating the benefits of their increasing social and economic freedoms. Life ho to aisi, (life as it should be) was the successful and relevant tagline found in Coca-Colas advertising to this audience. India B: Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola Thanda Matlab Coca Cola (Thanda Means Coca Cola) played on the Northern Indian vernacular use of thanda (cold) as a generic term for a cold drink. Guests are commonly asked garam? thanda? on arrival, implying that they state their preference for tea or cold drinks. In this manner one can see that the Thanda campaign attempts to embed Coca Cola in local tradition rather than inserting a foreign one. Rather than highlighting aspirational distance it focuses on proximity to the familiar with the intention of appealing to rural sensibilities. Emphasis on cold is also a strategic position in the annual summer cola wars which take place between Coke and Pepsi to the backdrop of searing temperatures. The Thanda print ads show a series of scenes in which Coca Cola is subsumed by Indianess[Exhibit- . The ads are shot to look unconstructed in a way that embraces the local and celebrates the common-man. Drinking Coca Cola is not emphasised but cooling connotations are evident in the complete series. The concept of creolisation, which is usually equated with errant decoding of brand value, is here harnessed by the advertisers. Creolisation refers to the mixture of meanings and forms from ambivalent sources in transcultural contexts. (Hannerz, 1992 in Belk & Ger, 1996) In this way it can be seen that consumers often appropriate the meanings of global brands to their own ends, creatively adding new cultural associations, dropping incompatible ones, and transforming others to fit into local cultural and lifestyle patterns. (Arsel & Thompson, 2004) Whereas examples of creolisation are usually frowned upon by brand producers, Prasoon saw it as effective to produce virtue from such necessity that commonly underpins the Indian rural sector (Majumdar, S. 2005). In this way the specifically Indian concept of juggard is captured which entails localised ingenious improvisation [Exhibit-. Although the campaign was aimed at India B, the way that it seems to intentionally undermine the conventional advertising project itself created an additional appeal with India A. This operates in the same way that ironic campaigns by Benetton and Diesel capture more affluent international audiences that have become jaded by incessant advertising. In fact the Shade of Crates ad attracted favourable international attention in winning a Golden Lion at Cannes in 2003 (Majumdar, S. 2005) . Coca-Cola India believed that the first brand to offer communication targeted to the smaller towns would own the rural market and went after that objective with a comprehensive strategy. India B included small towns and rural areas, comprising the other 96% of the nations population. This segments primary need was out-of-home thirst-quenching and the soft drink category was undifferentiated in the minds of rural consumers. Additionally, with an average Coke costing Rs. 10 and an average days wages around Rs. 100, Coke was perceived as a luxury that few could afford. Cokes advertising and promotion strategy pulled the marketing plan together using local language and idiomatic expressions. Thanda, meaning cool/cold is also generic

for cold beverages and gave Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola delicious multiple meanings. Literally translated to Coke means refreshment, the phrase directly addressed both the primary need of this segment for cold refreshment while at the same time positioning Coke as a Thanda or generic cold beverage just like tea, lassi, or lemonade. As a result of the Thanda campaign, Coca-Cola won Advertiser of the Year and Campaign of the Year in 2003 [Exhibit- ] The comical characters do not patronise Indians as the ads employ the Bollywood genre feature of self- effacing male characters. All use regionally specific language though this is able to be decoded by most Indians. All include a song which ties in the Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola tag line usually related in style, language or manner to the location. Most ads show common-men in a favourable light than more elite characters. The exception being the gangster, but he would also not be considered elite so in this case rebel wisdom is celebrated. Hybridisation is further emphasized by mixture of Anglo and Indo scripts which reflects everyday speaking in which local languages like Hindi are peppered with English. Adaptation to distribution in diverse conditions includes use of branded rickshaw vans, tricycles and lahris (pushcarts) that can cope with congested Indian urban roads and an extensive network and hub system has been devised for rural delivery. (Kaye, 2004) Additionally lahris mobilise supply, as fixed shops are often not apparent in popular locations such as parks, colleges and even slums. Such vehicles are commonly branded by local sign-writers who also produce numerous wall advertisements another way in which the Coca Cola visual marketing has become localised. Rural Success Comprising 74% of the country's population, 41% of its middle class, and 58% of its disposable income, the rural market was an attractive target and it delivered results. Coke experienced 37% growth in 2003 in this segment versus the 24% growth seen in urban areas. Driven by the launch of the new Rs. 5 product, per capita consumption doubled between 2001-2003. This market accounted for 80% of Indias new Coke drinkers, 30% of 2002 volume, and was expected to account for 50% of the companys sales in 2003.36 Corporate Social Responsibility As one of the largest and most global companies in the world, Coca-Cola took seriously its ability and responsibility to positively affect the communities in which it operated. The companys mission statement, called the Coca-Cola Promise, stated: The CocaCola Company exists to benefit and refresh everyone who is touched by our business. The Company has made efforts towards good citizenship in the areas of community, by improving the quality of life in the communities in which they operate, and the environment, by addressing water, climate change and waste management initiatives. Their activities also included The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation created to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS through partnership with governments, UNAIDS, and other NGOs,

and The Coca-Cola Foundation, focused on higher education as a vehicle to build strong communities an enhance individual opportunity (See Exhibit 8).37 Coca-Colas footprint in India was significant as well. The Company employed 700 citizens and believed that for every direct job, 30-40 more were created in the supply chain.38 Like its parent, Coke Indias Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives were both community and environment-focused. Priorities included education, where primary education projects had been set up to benefit children in slums and villages, water conservation, where the Company supported community-based rainwater harvesting projects to restore water levels and promote conservation education, and health, where Coke India partnered with NGOs and governments to provide medical access to poor people through regular health camps. In addition to outreach efforts, the company committed itself to environmental responsibility through its own business operations in India including39: Environmental due diligence before acquiring land or starting projects Environmental impact assessment before commencing operations Ground water and environmental surveys before selecting sites Compliance with all regulatory environmental requirements Ban on purchasing CFC-containing refrigeration equipment Waste water treatment facilities with trained personnel at all company-owned bottling operations Energy conservation programs 50% water savings in last seven years of operations

Conclusion Much academic research centres around the notion that globalisation can be likened to cultural colonization though more recent anthroplogically-leaning findings suggest that global branding provides a site of negotiation between local cultures and global products. (Arsel & Thompson, 2004) Such positions can be exemplified by Gujendar (2003) and Mazzarella (2003) respectively. In the late 80s the term glocalisation first appeared in the Harvard Business Review as used by a Japanese economists. Sociologist Roland Robertson popularized the term in the 90s as the the simultaneity --- the co-presence --- of both universalizing and particularizing tendencies. (Robertson, 1997) which is used to describe the reciprocal tempering effects of global and local forces. Some like journalist Thomas Friedman defines glocalisation as a cultural ability (Friedman, 1999) which views globalisation through the lens of localization. Others look the other way through the same lens to justify local awareness and adaptation as a successful strategy in international product marketing. (Raimi, 2003 and Svensson, 2002) It is worth noting that Robertsons notion lay between these extremes which framed glocalisation as interpenetration and co-presence of the local and global (1997) which is further supported by the concept of heterohybridization

as discussed by Asel & Thompson (2004). In regards to this more central position on glocalisation, I propose use the term to discuss visual branding as a site of negotiation between the duality of foreign company and local consumer. Although it is commonly noted that there is an international imbalance of power that favours more affluent countries (Belk & Ger, 1996), the case of the turnaround of Coca Cola sales in India demonstrates that economic gain is not necessarily at the cost of a direct transferal of such countries values to passive less affluent consumers. Viewing globalisation as an essentially homogenizing force seems nonrepresentative. Rather, as Appadurai (1990) suggests, the central problem of today's global interactions is the tension between cultural homogenization and cultural heterogenisation. One could see the Thanda press ads in India mediate such tension. Indian advertising can be seen as negotiation between the past, present and future of Indian global modernity and local tradition (Mazzarella, 2003b) which is exemplified by Coca Colas campaigns. In this way we can see that advertising is a process of transculturation (synthesis of hybrid cultural forms) and that as much as cultures can be perceived as globalising, introduced products frequently themselves become indigenised. (Lull, 1995) Furthermore advertising can been seen as a contemporary form of myth-making which bridge contradictions as an anxiety reducing mechanism. (Leymore, 1975) The Coca Cola Thanda campaign can be seen to attempt resolve Indian ambivalence of class, status and modernity . Hybridising of introduced products seems to come naturally to resilient Indian consumers who have fared a lengthy legacy of foreign influences. In a country where tandoori-chicken pizzas compete with McDonalds it is the ability to absorb and transform that seems to constitute the contemporary Indian (Mazzarella, 2003a) The insertion of global products into local cultures can paradoxically result in diversity as such products are reconfigured through more localised meanings. (Arsel & Thompson, 2004)

REFERENCES 1. Ahmed, A., & Manohar, G. Glocalization: IIPM knowledge center. Available at: http://www.iipm.edu/iipm-old/iipm-glocalization.html 2. Boyd, D. (2006). "Glocalization: When Global Information and Local Interaction Collide." O'Reilly Emerging Technology Conference, San Diego, CA. March 6. 3. Campbell, M. (2002). Asterix Promoting McBurgers in France: McDonald in the 'glocalization' of fast food marketing, Toronto Globe & Mail, January 24. 4. Hye-won, J. (2006). Is globalization succumbing to glocalization?, The Korean Times, July 18.

5. Kappan, R. (2004). Web man in a new weave, The Hindu. Available at: http://www.gothamcomics.com/html/spiy_desi_2.htm. Accessed on: September 26, 2006 6. Khondker, H. (2004) Glocalization as Globalization: Evolution of a Sociological Concept, Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology, Vol. 1. No. 2. 7.Raimi, S. (2003). Glocalization. Available at: http://searchcio.techtarget.com/sDefination/0,,sid19_gci826478,00.html. Accessed on: September 25, 2006.

8.

Stollberg, G. (2005). Ayurvedic medicine in Germany. Available at: http://www.uni- bielefeld.de/soz/pdf/PaperStollberg.pdf. Accessed on: September 25, 2006
th rd

9. The Economic Times. 16 and 23 June 2002 Glocalization: Globalization plus Localization. 10. Towers, D. (2004). Wal-Mart: A glocalized company. Managing Global Business- Self-Program, Universite Jean Mouline, Lyon 3. 11. World Bank Institute & The Glocal Forum (2003). Glocalization: Research study and policy recommendations. Aaker, D., Joachimsthaler, E., 1999. The Lure of Global Branding. Harvard Business Review, 77(6), 137-144. Alden, D., Steenkamp, J. B., Batra, R., 1999. Brand Positioning Through Advertising in Asia, North America, and Europe: The Role of Global Consumer Culture. Journal of Market- ing, 63(1), 75-87. Baalbaki, Imad B., Naresh K. Malhotra, 1993. Marketing Management Bases for International Market Segmentation: An Alternate Look at the Standardization/Customization Debate. Inter- national Marketing Review, 10(1), 19-44. Batra, R., Ramaswamy, V., Alden, D.L., Steenkamp, J.-B., Ramachander, S., 2000. Effects of Brand Local and Nonlocal Origin on Consumer Attitudes in Developing Countries. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 9(2), 83-95. Belk, R., 1995. Collecting in a Consumer Society, London, Routledge. Belk, R., 1996. Hyperreality and Globalization: Culture in the Age of Ronald McDonald. Journal of International Consumer Marketing, 8(3&4), 23-38. Crockett, D., Wallendorf, M., 2004. The Role of Normative Political Ideology in Consumer Behavior. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(December), 511-528. Druckmann, D., 1994. Nationalism, Patriotism, and Group Loyalty: A Social Psychological Perspective. Mershon International Studies Review, 38, 43-68. Friedman, J., 1990. Being in the World: Globalization and Localization. In: Featherstone, M. (Ed.), Global Culture: Nationalism, Globalization and Modernity, Sage, London, 311328. Ger, G., Belk, R., Lascu, D.-N., 1993. The development of consumer desire in marketing and developing economies: The cases of Romania and Turkey. Advances in Consumer Research, 20(1), 102-107.

Han, C. M., 1989. Country Image: Country Image: Halo or Summary Construct? Journal of Marketing Research, 26(May), 222-229. Hofstede, G. ter, 2001. Cultures Consequences Comparing Values, Behaviors, nd Intstitutions and Organizations Across Nations, 2 ed., Sage, Thousand Oaks. Holt, D.B., 2002. Why Do Brands Cause Trouble? A Dialectic Theory of Consumer Culture and Branding. Journal of Consumer Research, 29(1), 70-90. Holt, D.B., Quelch, J., Taylor, E.L. 2004. Managing the Global Brand A Typology of Con- sumer Perceptions. In: Quelch, J., Deshpande, R. (Eds.), The Global Market: Developing a Strategy to Manage Across Borders, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 181-201
A AKER, DAVID A. (2004a), Brand Portfolio Strategy. Creating Relevance, Differentiation, Energy, Leverage and Clarity. New York, Free Press. ----- (2004b), Leveraging the Corporate Brand California Management Review, 46 (3), 6-18. A AKER, DAVID A. AND ERICH JOACHIMSTHALER (2000), Brand Leadership, London, Free Press. A AKER, JENNIFER L. (1997), Dimensions of Brand Personality, Journal of Marketing Research, 34 (August), 347-356. BALDAUF, A RTUR, KAREN S. CRAVENS, AND GUDRUN BINDER (2003), Performance Consequences of Brand Equity Management: Evidence from Organizations in the Value Chain, Journal of Product and Brand Management, 12 (4), 220-236. BALMER, JOHN M.T. AND EDMUND R. GRAY (2003), Corporate Brands: What Are They? What of Them?, European Journal of Marketing, 37 (7/8), 972-997. BALMER, JOHN M.T. AND STEPHEN A. GREYSER (Eds.) (2003), Revealing the Corporation: Perspectives of Identity, Image, Reputation, Corporate Branding and Corporate-Level Marketing, Routledge, London. BENDIXEN , M IKE , KALALA A. BUKASA , AND RU SSELL A BRATT (2003), Brand Equity in the Business -toBusiness Market, Industrial Marketing Management, 33, 371-380.

BLUMENTHAL , DANNIELLE AND A LAN J. BERGSTROM (2003), Brand Councils That Care: Towards the Convergence of Branding and Corporate Social Re sponsibility, Brand Management, 10 (4/5), 327-341. CHEN, A RTHUR C.H. (2001), Using Free Association to Examine the Relationship Between Characteristics of Brand Associations and Brand Equity, Journal of Product and Brand Management, 10 (7), 439 -451. DAVIS, SCOTT M. (2002), Brand Asset Management: Driving Profitable Growth through Your Brands, San Francisco, Josey Bass. DAVIS, SCOTT M. AND MICHAEL DUNN (2002), Building the Brand-Driven Business: Operationalize Your Brand to Drive Profitable Growth, San Francisco, Josey Bass.
DE CHERNATONY , LESLIE (1999), Brand Management Through Narrowing the Gap Between Brand

Identity and Brand Reputation, Journal of Marketing Management, 15, 157-179.

DE CHERNATONY, LESLIE AND SUSAN SEGAL-HORN (2001), Building on Services Characteristics to

Develop Successful Services Brands, Journal of Marketing Management, 17, 645-669. DOYLE, PETER (2001a), Building Value-Based Branding Strategies, Journal of Strategic Marketing, 9, 255-268. ----- (2001b), Shareholder-Valu e-Based Brand Strategies, Brand Management, 9 (1), 20 -30. DYSON, PAUL, A NDY FARR, AND NIGEL S. HOLLIS (1996), Understanding, Measuring, and Using Brand Equity, Journal of Advertising Research, 36 (6), 9 -21. FARQUHAR, PETER H. (1989), Managing Brand Equity, Marketing Research, 1 (September), 24 -33. FARQUHAR, PETER H., J. Y. HAN, AND Y. I RIJI (1991), Recognizing and Measuring Brand Assets, Report 91-119, Marketing Science Institute, Cambridge, MA. FOURNIER, SUSAN (1998), Consumers and Their Brands: Developing Relationship Theory in Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research, 24 (March), 343-373. GOB , M ARC (2001), Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People, New York, Allworth Press. ----- (2002), Citizen Brand: 10 Commandments for Transforming Brand Culture in a Consumer Democracy, New York, Allworth Press. HATCH, M ARY JO AND MAJKEN SCHULTZ (2003), Bringing the Corporation into Corporate Branding, European Journal of Marketing, 37 (7/8), 1041-1064. HUSTED, BRYAN W. (2003), Governance Choices for Corporate Social Responsibility: to Contribute, Collaborate or Internalize?, Long Range Planning, 36, 481-498. KAPFERER, JEAN-NOL (1997), Strategic Brand Management, Great Britain, Kogan Page. KELLER, KEVIN LANE (1993), Conceptualizing, Measuring, and Managing Customer-Based Brand Equity, Journal of Marketing , 57 (January), 1 -22. ----- (2003a), Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity, Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall. KIM , HONG-BUMM, W OO GON KIM , AND JEONG A. A N (2003) , The Effect of Consumer-Based Brand Equity on Firms Financial Performance, Journal of Consumer Marketing , 20 (4), 335-351. KING, STEPHEN (1991), Brand Building in the 1990s, Journal of Marketing Management, 7 (1), 3 -13.

KNOX, SIMON AND DAVID BICKERTON (2003), The Six Conventions of Corporate Branding, European Journal of Marketing, 37 (7/8), 998-1016. KOHLI, CHIRANJEEV AND M RUGANK THAKOR (1997), Branding Consumer Goods: Insights form Theory and Practice, Journal of Consumer Marketing , 14 (3), 206-219. KOTLER, PHILIP (2000), Marketing Management. The Millennium Edition, Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall. LASSAR, W ALFRIED, BANWARI M ITTAL , AND SHARMA A RUN (1995), Measuring Customer-Based Brand Equity, Journal of Consumer Marketing , 12 (4), 11 -19. LOGMAN, M ARC (2004), The LOGMAN Model: A Logical Brand Management Model, Journal of Product and Brand Management, 13 (2), 94-104. M CA DAM, RODNEY AND DENIS LEONARD (2003), Corporate Social Responsibility in a Total Quality Management Context: Opportunities for Sustainable Growth, Corporate Governance, 3 (4), 36 -45. M CA LEXANDER, JAMES H., JOHN W. SCHOUTEN, AND HAROLD F. KOENIG (2002), Building Brand Community, Journal of Marketing , 65 (January), 38-54. M CW ILLIAM, GIL AND A NGELA DUMAS (1997), Using Metaphors in New Brand Design, Journal of Marketing Management, 13, 265-284. M OTAMENI , R. AND M. SHAHORKHI (1998), Brand Equity Valuation: A Global Perspective, Journal of Product and Brand Management, 7 (4), 275-290. M UNIZ , ALBERT M. JR. AND THOMAS C. OGUINN (2001), Brand Community, Journal of Consumer Research, 27 (March), 412 -432. PARK, C. W HAN, BERNARD J. JAWORSKI, AND DEBORAH J. M ACINNIS (1986), Strategic Brand ConceptImage Management, Journal of Marketing, 50 (October), 135-145. SCHMITT , BREND H. (1999), Experiential Marketing: How to Get Customers to Sense, Feel, Act and Relate to Your Company and Brands, New York, Free Press. SHOCKER, A.D., R.K. SRIVASTAVA , AND R.W. RUECKERT (1994), Challenges and Opportunities Facing Brand Management: An Introduction to a Special Issue, Journal of Marketing Research , 31 (May), 149158. SCHULTZ, MAJKEN AND M ARY JO HATCH (2003), The Cycles of Corporate Branding: The Case of the LEGO Company, California Management Review, 46 (1), 6-26. SIMON, CAROL J. AND M ARY W. SULLIVAN (1993), The Measurement and Determinants of Brand Equity: a Financial Approach, Marketing Science, 12 (Winter), 28-52. SMITH, CRAIG N. (2003), Corporate Social Responsibility: Whether or How?, California Management Review, 45 (4), 52 -76. SMITH, SCOTT M. AND DAVID S. A LCORN (1991), Cause Marketing: A New Direction in the Marketing of Corporate Responsibility, Journal of Services Marketing, 5 (4), 21-37. SPEAK , KARL D. (1998), Brand Stewardship, Design Management Journal , Winter, 32 -37. SRIVASTAVA , R.K AND A.D. SHOCKER (1991), Brand Equity: A Perspective on its Meaning and Measurement, Report 91 -124, Marketing Science Institute, Cambridge, MA. THAKOR, M RUGANK V. AND CHIRANJEEV S. KOHLI (1996), Brand Origin: Conceptualization and Review, Journal of Consumer Marketing, 13 (3), 27-42.

THAKOR, M RUGNAK V. AND A NNE M. LAVACK (2003), Effect of Perceived Brand Origin Associations on Consumer Perceptions of Quality, Journal of Product and Brand Management, 12 (6), 394-407. UNDERWOOD, ROBERT , EDWARD BOND, AND ROBERT BAER (2001), Building Service Brands Via Social Identity: Lessons From the Sports Marketplace, Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 9 (Winter), 1-13. URDE, M ATS (1999), Brand Orientation: A Mindset for Building Brands into Strategic Resources, Journal of Marketing Management, 15, 117-133. ----- (2003), Core Value-Based Corporate Brand Building, European Journal of Marketing, 37 (7/8), 1017-1040. YOO, B. AND N. DONTHU (2001), Developing and Validating a Multidimensional Consumer-Based Brand Equity Scale. Journal of Business Research, 52, 1-14.

Bibliography

Argenti, Paul A.. Collaborating with Activists: How Starbucks Works with NGOs. California Management Review, Vol. 47, No. 1, Fall 2004. Bhatia, Gauri. Multinational Corporations: Pro or Con? Out look India, October 29, 2003. Business Week Online, Things Arent Going Better with Coke, June 28, 1999 Centre for Science and Environment (CSE): Analysis of Pesticide Residues in Soft Drinks, August 5, 2003. Coca-Cola India. Market ing: Questioning Paradigms, Internal Company Presentation. Coke, Pepsi challenge India pesticide claim: h ttp :// ww w. ajc.com/bu siness/co n tent/bu siness/coke /0803 /06pe sticide .h tml Coke, Pepsi India deny pesticides in soft drinks: htt p://ww w.forbe s.co m/ho me _europe /news wire/2003 /08 /05/rtr1049160 .ht ml Coca-Cola, Philips Win Marketing Awards: htt p:/ /ww w. fin anci al exp ress .com 10/7/04 Daw ar, Niraj and Nancy Dai. Cola Wars in China: The Future is Here. HBS Case, August 21, 2003. Dey, Saikat. Interview on Indian history and economic liberalization. January 10, 2005. h ttp :// ww w.coc a -col a.co m/ fl ash Ind ex1 .h tml h ttp :// ww w2.coc a -col a.co m/pressce nt er/vie wpo ints_ind i a _si tu at ion .h tml h ttp :// ww w.coc a -col aind i a. co m/

h ttp :// ww w.ind i aresou rce.or g/ h ttp :// ww w.killercoke .or g h ttp :// ww w.m yenjo yzo ne. co m/press1/truth .h tm Global Brand Scorecard 2003: Special Repo rt. Interbrand, as seen in Business Week 8/04/03. Kaul, Nymph. Interview of Sanjiv Gupta, President and CEO of Coca-Cola India, June 200 4. Kaul, Nymph. Rai University, multiple interviews Kaul, Nymph. Rai University, Coca-Cola India. Keller, Kevin Lane. Strategic Brand Management. Prentice Hall, 1998. Kochan, Nicholas, editor. The Worlds Greatest Brands: an International Review by Interbrand. New York University Press, 199 7. Peoples Forum Against Coca-Cola, Brochu re. Pen dergrast, Mark: For God, Country and Coca-Cola. Charles Scribners, 199 3. Sanghvi, Rish. Interviews on Cola in India before liberalization and marketing/advertising of Coke and Pepsi in India, November 200 4. Society for Environmental Communications: Colanisations Dirty Dozen: Deadly pesticides found in 12 leading brands of soft drinks, 8/15/03. Soft drink sales up 10.4%, PTI, 9/29/04. Srivastava, Amit: Coke with a New Twist: Toxic Cola, India Resource Center, February 15, 2004. The Corporate Web Site as an Image Restoration Tool: The Case of Coca-Cola Yoffie, David B. and Yusi Wang, Cola Wars Continue: Coke versus Pepsi in the Twenty-First Century. HBS Case, January 11, 2002. Yoffie, David B. and Richard Seet, Internationalizing the Cola Wars: The Battle for China and Asian Markets. HBS Case, May 31, 1995

Exhibit 1: Brand portfolio of Coca Cola Sl. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Name Coca Cola Caffeine-free Coca Cola Coca Cola Cherry New Coke/Coca Cola II Coca Cola with Lemon Coca Cola Vanilla Coca Cola C2 Coca Cola with Lime Coca Cola Raspberry Coca Cola Zero Coca Cola M5 Coca Cola black Cherry Vanilla Coca Cola Black Coca Cola Citra Coca Cola light Sango Coca Cola Orange Coca Cola Classic Year launched 1886 1983 1985 1985 2001 2002 2003 2005 2005 2005 2005 2006 2006 2006 2006 2007 2008

Exhibit 2: Chronological introduction of New Product- A Product Churning strategy of Coca Cola spreading across the time horizon : 2004-2010 Sl. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Name of the Brand VIO Vitingo Burn NESTEA Odwalla Sprite Green Gold Peak Full Throttle Nature of Product Fizzy Milk Drink Vitamin enriched drink Energy drink Red Tea Pomegranate Reduced-Calorie quencher IInd version of soda enhanced drink SPRITE Chilled Variety Tea Energy Coffee Drink Year of introduction To be launched in 2010 To be launched in February, 2010 To be launched in February, 2010 March, 2009 December, 2008 December, 2008 November, 2008 June, 2008

9 10 11 12 13 14

Simply Orange NESTEA Green Ilko Simply Grapefruit DASAN Glaceau (acquired) Name of the Brand Minute Maid enhanced Enviga Far Coast Vault Zero Indulgent (in collaboration with Godiva Chocolatier) POWERADE Coca Cola with Lime Fanta-J-Melon ZU

Juice Antioxidant enriched green tea Ready-to-drink espresso based coffee beverage Juice Enhanced water beverage Mineral water

May, 2008 May, 2008 March, 2008 2007 2007 2007

Exhibit 2: Contd. Sl. No. 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Nature of Product Pulp-based juice Calorie burn product Soda drink Chocolate based beverage Energy Sports Drink Lime enhanced Coke Fanta Water melon version Ready-to-drink coffee with Ginseng Year of introduction 2007 2006 2006 2006 2006 2005 2005 2004 2004

Exhibit 3: No. of Products Beverage variety 2800 [worldwide] Operational reach Company associates Consumer servings 400 No. of Brands Range of products Carbonated soft drinks, juices, juice drinks, sports and energy drinks, teas and coffees, milk & soy-based beverages, mineral water, spring water, chocolate based beverages More than 150 countries 90,500 worldwide 1.5 billion bottles per day

Exhibit 4: 5 and 10 years Compound Annual Growth Rate [CAGR] Nation 5 year CAGR 10 year CAGR

Australia China India Japan Philippines Thailand

4% 15% 18% 2% 8% 10%

4% 19% 17% 3% 8% 4%

Exhibit 5: Coca Cola Best Global Brand,Summary Annual report: ASIA Source : The Coca Cola Company 2008
OPERATING SEGMENT

Sl. No. 1 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Exhibit 6:

Brand Coca cola IBM Microsoft GE NOKIA Toyota Intel McDonalds Disney Google

Brand Value $66.60 bn. $59.00 bn. $59.00 bn. $53.00 bn. $35.00 bn. $34.00 bn. $31.2 bn. $31.00 bn. $29.2 bn. $25.5 bn.

THANDA MATLAB COCA COLA The retooling of Indian Marketing professionals as cultural consultants, Mazarella, 2003a Thanda Print Ad detail.

Exhibit -- 7 Sample of Thanda campaign television commercial sysnopses: MUMBAI GANGSTER Arrogant gangster enters bar and asks for a thanda. Barman gives him a soft drink. He asks again, same problem. Explains that by thanda he means Coca Cola leading into song and product focused shots.

MUMBAI GANGSTAR COCA COLA TVC

PUNJABI FARMER Three metro girls get stranded in country due to car breakdown. They

venture into field and ask farmer for a thanda. He proceeds with poetically, rural, flirtatious banter. He draws up a bucket from the well which is full of Coke, leading into the tag-line and a song which parodies a traditional Punjabi folksong. The common-man wows the elite women.

PUNJABI FARMER COCA COLA TVC

HYDERABADI SHOP-OWNER Khan feigns disappointment as beautiful customer calls him bhai (brother) which quashes his hopes of romantic development. He goes on to explain that thanda means Coke which leads into a song. The local and class-based characteristics of paan chewing and tying of the lungi add a vernacular humor. The ad places Coke within reach of the elite (woman) and the common-man (Khan).

HYDERABADI SHOP OWNER COCA COLA TVC

NEPALI TOURIST GUIDE Nepali guide shows honeymoon tourists through the mountains. Husband asks for a thanda and wife gives him Coke. Guide asks for thanda and they give him a boxed juice of inferior quality. He is insulted and starts giving them an obviously misguided tour which they find confusing. Khan then announces that this is all as real as the juice is thanda to which they look embarrassed and hand over a Coke, leading into the tag-line and a comic song. The common-man gets the better of the middle-class couple.

NEPALI TOURIST GUIDE COCA COLA TVC

Exhibit-8 : Believe it !, Its COKE.

 There are 27 different varieties of Coca Cola

First bottle of Coke was sold 123 years ago on May 8th., 1886 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Coke was first advertised as a remedy for flu, headache and exhaustion. Coca Cola sold only 25 bottles in the first year, at present it is selling 1.5 billion bottles per day. If you stack all of the bottles of Coke that had ever been made end to end, it would reach the moon and back, 1045 times.