The concept of branding has been around for years and serves the human need for distinction. From the very early days, goods that were branded bestowed an aura of status or sophistication on its user. For example, a sword made by a skilled swords maker had a greater appeal than one made by the town’s blacksmith.A branded good was sold based on its perceived functional superiority. In today’s modern world, everyone agrees that branding is a powerful tool in the world of marketing. Branding focuses on the functional benefits of a product. Itcommunicates superior quality and differentiates a product from the competition. It helps in building a reputation for quality. It takes deliberate effort to build an effective brand. This paper presents an assessment of how branding has improved in the last few decades. It also examines how Coca-Cola developed its brand equity and how branding has affected its integrated marketing communications (IMC).

The concept of branding for businesses entails developing and managing relationships with its stakeholders and the general public. While the concept has been around from as early as the 17^th century, it became more sophisticated 70s and 80s when brands started promising everything from happiness to sexiness. Never in history has the concept of branding been as powerful as it is today. The last few decades have witnessed brands competing aggressively for a share of consumers’ lifestyles. There is a brand for every aspect of human life including clothing, food, personality, and even leisure. Branding has now gone beyond marketing and advertising.Nowadays, celebrities and politicians have become brands and there are strategic communications to sustain them in their markets. With the growth of social media platforms, a minor misstep can have a devastating impact on the brand image. Advertising agencies are now all over with one promise: to build and sustain brands.

Brand equity refers to the value that consumers attach to a specific brand. Coca-Cola is one company that has been very successful in developing its brand equity. Marketing at Coca-Cola has always been intense, helping the company to build strong relationships with consumers. It has taken years to build Coca-Cola’s strong brand equity. The brand always focuses on giving customers a delightful experience. From as early as the 1920s, their advertising campaigns such as “Enjoy” and “The Real Thing” show how important customers are to the company. Coca-Cola was the first company to create a Santa Claus ad in the 1920s. In 1998, it came up with the infamous Window Washer advertisement for diet Coke which elevated the brand. The company has continued to actualize ingenious ideas, enhancing its brand value. A classic example is their ‘Happiness Campaign’ that communicates how the brand brings happiness to people’s lives (Gehani, 2016). Coca-Cola has a unique way of turning marketing tactics into enjoyable user experiences. These effective marketing campaigns have strengthened brand equity over the years.

Apart from highly elaborate marketing campaigns, Coca-Cola has also been using corporate social responsibility initiatives to strengthen its brand. Coca-Cola has launched several initiatives to empower women. There are also other philanthropic activities supporting education, arts, and even medical research. Other corporate priorities include water conservation and community development. Coca-Cola has adopted water stewardship bearing in mind that it is a crucial raw material. This initiative is in line with the millennium development goal of promoting access to water and sanitation to the poor populations. Over the last decade, Coca-Cola has altered its manufacturing processes in different plants all over the world to include the use of recycled PET and biodegradable bottles which have further helped strengthen brand equity (Gehani, 2016). The consistent marketing campaigns and CSR initiatives have helped to position Coca-Cola strongly in the soft drink market segment. This consistency reflects excellent integrated marketing communications (IMC) that have enhanced the company’s equity.

Branding has affected every aspect of Coca-Cola’s IMC. The communication planning process at Coca-Cola is highly detailed and takes account of numerous variables that serve as entry points into the consumers’ psyche. Every contact made between the brand and the market is strategic and communicates positive attributes of the company. IMC at Coca-Colahas been consistent in positioning the brand as accessible to everyone. This appeal has helped to build a positive attitude and strong brand equity that has evolved into strong customer loyalty (Ogden & Ogden, 2014). Most consumers of soft drinks prefer Coke over Pepsi because marketing communications has built a positive brand attitude in their minds. Coca-Cola marketing communications always carry the same message for the targeted audience regardless of the location. The marketing strategies for the brand are well coordinated to optimize the impact. Coca-Cola is not willing to risk its brand equity through inconsistent marketing and advertising. It has been positioned broadly as the worlds’favorite soft drink, selling over two billion drinks a day. When most people need to quench their thirst, Coca-Cola comes to mind because of powerful branding and effective IMC.

References

Gehani, R. R. (January 01, 2016). Corporate Brand Value Shifting from Identity to Innovation Capability: from Coca-Cola to Apple. Journal of Technology Management & Innovation, 11(3), 11-20.

Ogden, J. R., & Ogden, D. T. (2014). Integrated marketing communications: Advertising, public relations, and more. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.