Introduction
Public relations refer to the act of maintaining, fostering, and improving relationships between an organization and other stakeholders. It involves raising the company’s authority, building connections with key people, and upholding the business reputation. An organization might be effective but will not have the desired impact if the public and consumers are not aware of its brand, successes or contributions. The coca-cola company is an example of a company that has applied the concept of public relations in its operations successfully. Public relations aim at educating and informing people about the contributions, or the business promotes its brand recognition and makes it more appealing in the public eye.
The coca-cola company is a manufacturer of non-alcoholic beverages. Below are some of the ways in which the organization used public operations to create a brand and influence public opinion.
Media Relations
Media strategies involve circulating information through media channels to control how the media portray an individual’s business. The coca-cola company uses media tools including releasing media statements and fact sheets, conducting on-site media tours to encourage media persons to paint a positive picture about the company, and attracting the attention of journalists through social media platforms and tracking those who report in the non-alcoholic beverages market (Gaither & Austin, 2016). The media can be used to promote business, manage risks and issues facing a company.
Advertorials
Advertorials are advertisements in the form prepared in the form of reviews or news stories in newspapers. They allow business people to link their adverts with the credibility of the newspapers. Like many other businesses, the coca-cola company employs advertising or marketing experts to assist them in developing television advertorials that are commonly used as adverts or product placements.
Social media
The popularity of using social media in business continues to grow every day. Social media allows organizations to bypass the media and interact directly with consumers. The coca-cola company uses social networking platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, to respond to customer issues and thus makes it possible for different individuals, including journalists, to follow the company. They help organizations to responds to criticisms or negative perceptions and even increase the exposure of a business brand.
Newsletters
The coca-cola company also uses print and emailed letters to promote their products, communicate with different stakeholders, and inform them of new products from the company. By maintaining regular newsletters, a business can strengthen personal relationships with customers and portray the right brand image and personality. Detailed but concise newsletters offer valuable information to customers.
Brochures and Catalogues
The company also issues “take-home” brochures or catalogues, which help customers to remember the products of the company and the different varieties that are available and which are suitable for different occasions. For instance, the company has recently focused on producing brochures and sending mail-outs advertising the suitability of the two-litre coca-cola drink, which is both cheap and convenient for family functions. Properly designed brochures instil confidence in the organization and the brand and thus motivate customers to visit the organization’s stores.
Business events
Different organizations take advantage of activities to promote their businesses and provide accurate information to the customers. Events give salespeople opportunities to clear customer doubts and enhance customer confidence. Business people use events to research the market, learn strategies of competitors, and prepare a mailing list. The coca-cola company develops and disseminates marketing materials during events as a way of collecting data and customers’ information.
Speaking engagements
Speaking at events is another public relations strategy of promoting a company as it helps the company with an opportunity to position itself as a leader. Business leaders build their reputation as it helps build the reputation of the company too and thus attracts more customers to the business. The company uses such engagements to deliver presentations about new products. Besides, speaking in engagements helps company representatives to interact with other stakeholders in the company, thus providing valuable networking opportunities.
Sponsorships or partnerships
Engaging and sponsorships are also a good way of selling the business to the public. For instance, supporting a not-for-profit organization can draw the feelings of the community members towards a company (Moss, Likely, Sriramesh, & Ferrari, 2017). The coca-cola company involves in community programs in various ways, including exchanging of funds or providing in-kind benefits to support particular communities or even sponsor sports activities in some regions. Conversely, partnerships help customers to identify a business brand with good ethics.
Employee relations
Employees are an integral part in developing and promoting a business brand. Experts encourage business owners to conduct employee relations and build an organization culture by sharing information to all employees of a company, promoting involvement, and encouraging employees to feel a sense of belonging in the organization. The strategy involves considering employees as ambassadors of the company and investing resources in promoting teamwork, staff productivity, and ensuring that staff are portraying a positive image and delivering the right message about the company to the community.
Community relations
Community relations are a method of gaining customer loyalty. Organizations endeavour to build good connections within the community within which the company is located. The process also involves researching how your customers in the community live and engaging in activities aimed at improving the living conditions of members of the community. Companies also engage local stakeholders and influential people in the community to help build the profile of the company, promote the level of influence, and thus help attract more customers. The coca-cola company engages in various community activities, especially sports and singing and dancing competitions as a way of promoting community activities.
The coca-cola company has identified new ways of remaining relevant in the non-alcoholic beverages industry even though the market seems to be slowly turning away from sugary drinks like soda. The company has integrated marketing techniques employing both traditional and new media to create unique advertisements that promote a brand story across several channels. Using social media in marketing has allowed the company to engage younger generations and initiate a call of action. The company has perfected the art of using personalized content and innovative delivery system to increase the company’s popularity. Below are some of the social media tactics employed by the company.
Furthermore, the company understands the negative impact that may result from the misuse of social media and thus has the guidelines below those representatives of the company have to follow to help protect the reputation of the company. The representatives are reminded that:
Crisis at Coca Cola Company
Recently, the company came under criticism after a local newspaper charged that the company was funding obesity research which attempted to disprove the connection between obesity and diet and that the condition resulted from lack of exercise (Gertner & Rifkin, 2018). The article indicated that the company was desperate to stop the campaign as it was affecting their sales and thus funded a non-profit organization. The company aimed to deflect the issue that soft drinks enhanced the spread of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
In response, the company CEO admitted that they had taken actions to fund scientific research and well-being programs, but the move had resulted in more mistrust and confusion. The company used the strategy below to handle the crisis.
Compare and Contrast Characteristics of Public Relations Campaigns for Coca Cola and Not-for-profit organizations.
Similarities
Specific Objective
An excellent public relations campaign for both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations must have a clear objective. The main goals of public relations campaign include creating awareness of a specific product or brand. For instance, the Coca Cola company could conduct a public relations campaign to promote the sales of the two-litre coke drink or the National women’s alliance campaigning for the government to reduce taxes.
Deliver a message
Public relations requires the provision of a clear message for the organization to communicate.
Target audience
Public relations need to target a particular audience. A specific campaign should target a specific group of individuals who are most likely to take the desired action. For a company, this could be a group of consumers that are likely to buy a particular product. For example, the coca-cola company targeted the teenagers with the “share a coke” campaign as teens use the internet more than other age groups.
Differences
1. Products from non-organizations are more useful when they target the overall audiences and not specific audiences. For example, a campaign to control road accidents would target all drivers to drive safely. On the contrary, products from for-profit organizations target a particular group of people who are most likely to consume the product.
2. The focus of for-profit organizations is mainly on consumers and shareholders whereas the focus of non-profit organizations is on a broad group of stakeholders including shareholders, regulatory bodies, customers, supply chain partners, and employees among other parties.
References
Ashley, C., & Tuten, T. (2015). Creative strategies in social media marketing: An exploratory study of branded social content and consumer engagement. Psychology & Marketing, 32(1), 15-27.
Gaither, B. M., & Austin, L. (2016). Campaign and corporate goals in conflict: Exploring company-issue congruence through a content analysis of Coca-Cola’s twitter feed. Public Relations Review, 42(4), 698-709.
Gertner, D., & Rifkin, L. (2018). Coca‐Cola and the Fight against the Global Obesity Epidemic.
Delivering a high-quality product at a reasonable price is not enough anymore.
That’s why we have developed 5 beneficial guarantees that will make your experience with our service enjoyable, easy, and safe.
You have to be 100% sure of the quality of your product to give a money-back guarantee. This describes us perfectly. Make sure that this guarantee is totally transparent.
Read moreEach paper is composed from scratch, according to your instructions. It is then checked by our plagiarism-detection software. There is no gap where plagiarism could squeeze in.
Read moreThanks to our free revisions, there is no way for you to be unsatisfied. We will work on your paper until you are completely happy with the result.
Read moreYour email is safe, as we store it according to international data protection rules. Your bank details are secure, as we use only reliable payment systems.
Read moreBy sending us your money, you buy the service we provide. Check out our terms and conditions if you prefer business talks to be laid out in official language.
Read more