1. Name a company and describe its marking mix.
Coca Cola, established in 1886 in Atlanta, is now a world’s leading company of soft drink sales. It owns more than 300 kinds of beverage brands, with a sales range of more than 200 countries and regions. In general, the company has relatively solid and stable suppliers, and it constantly adjusts its own supply and value chain according to the market. The company puts a lot of efforts in advertising. For example, it continuously strengthens its brand image: in almost all Coca Cola advertisements and posters, red is presented as the main color. It is in this kind of imperceptible influence that consumers have a deep memory of the brand image.
Different from the blind entry of some beverage enterprises into the market, Coca-Cola conducts detailed market research and analysis before entering the local market, according to the consumption capacity and demand of the market.
Studying Coca Cola’s marketing strategy, it is easy to find that its marketing means are rich, using the form of TV media, market posters, network, e-forum, etc., in product marketing and publicizing the company through a series of public relations activities, such as sponsoring sports, improving the brand awareness and social identity, and creating a good social atmosphere to promote the sales of its products.
Its product strategy is to promote the growth of benefits by selectively expanding Coca Cola’s beverage brand series; to achieve common growth in all aspects through innovation and consistent hospitality; to invest in the most potential areas of the market. Its pricing starts with consumers, and reflects the “value equation” of consumers; respects the customer’s profit proposal and competitive environment.
The distribution channels are various, through retailers to end-user consumers. In terms of promotion, it uses methods including sales with prizes, free tasting, reality shopping, and joint promotion. Through the application of these promotion methods, Coca Cola not only quickly occupied the market, but also greatly saved the cost of marketing.
2. International Marketing
Various challenges have been seen in the international marketing. The major factors include economic globalization, the development of experience economy, the strengthening of green-conscious, new trade protectionism and so on.
Economic globalization not only changes the international market but also affects the marketing activities and means international companies implementing them in the market. Under the background of economic globalization, enterprises all over the world are constantly improving their marketing strategies, which have a profound impact on customer demand, product strategy, pricing strategy, and distribution strategy.
The information and science and technology revolution has also brought significant alternations to the global marketing environment. If a multinational company wants to successfully raise brand awareness in a place that has never been set foot in, it needs a long-term investment and spending time to study the cross combination of local culture, politics, economy, society, education, environment, and many other factors.
It means that a multinational enterprise, according to the specific situation of each aspect of a certain region, makes appropriate transformation of its own brand, culture, management, product and other characteristics, so as to maximize the integration of the enterprise and the local environment, to maximize the product to meet the special needs of local consumers, and to maximize the interests of the enterprise.
At the same time, the localization of human resources is also the basis for the success of enterprises. Other measures will play the most effective role, only when the localization of human resources is truly realized because the local people in all aspects are always the most familiar with the similar situation of people in a region.
The general trend of consumption in international marketing is the change from consumption generality to consumption individuality. To gain a marketing advent in the global arena, we need to take all the factors stated above into account. For example, if I’m the senior manager of Apple, famous telecommunication and technology multinational company in the world, I will take at least three steps to ensure its success in the Chinese market.
First of all, users’ demands and expectations for Apple are different from those of other mobile phone manufacturers. Other mobile phone manufacturers can follow the trend. But only if Apple keeps a leading-edge can it meet users’ expectations. The iPhone has been a more important cultural and fashion symbol in China than elsewhere for decades. Therefore, it should continue adopting the concept of “product is the king” and making innovations.
Second, price setting for products should be another major consideration of Apple’s strategy. Nowadays, Chinese consumers tend to purchase cost-effective products due to the slowing down of economy. Apple should launch more mid-end