Assessment of Bachelor Thesis – Academic Consultant
Study programme:International Economic Relations Field of study:International Business
Academic year:2020/2021
Bachelor Thesis Topic:Marketing Strategy of Coca-Cola Author’s name:Nadezhda Kolesnik
Ac. Consultant’s Name:Ing. Jaroslav Halík, MBA, Ph.D.
Opponent:doc. Ing. Ludmila Štěrbová, CSc.
Criterion Mark
(1–4)
1. Overall objective achievement 1
2. Logical structure 2
3. Using of literature, citations 1
4. Adequacy of methods used 2
5. Depth of analysis 2
6. Self-reliance of author 2
7. Formal requirements: text, graphs, tables 1
8. Language and stylistics 2
Comments and Questions:
The thesis focuses on the marketing strategy of Coca-Cola. The author firstly summarized the theoretical marketing concepts and terms, such as marketing strategy, market segmentation , targeting, positioning, marketing mix, and situational analysis. In this part, she proved deep knowledge, however, the text is too descriptive and has been compiled without any authors’ added value and personal comments. Then the Coca-Cola company was introduced – the history, financial position, and market share. Based on the gathered data the author assembles a SWOT matrix and the Porter’s Five Competitive Forces model, and described the company’s way of targeting and positioning. The problem of this part was that the scope of the assessment was too wide – the Coca-Cola global, which did not reflect the nuances and different approaches of this company towards local national markets. In the end, the author describes a ”glocal”
marketing mix strategy. I appreciate the ”textbook” approach and the number of interesting examples, as well as own research survey. Based on obtained data, the author comes to the conclusion that Coca-Cola creates a lifestyle for people with its products, emotions, tries to bring innovations to its strategy, and collaborate with other brands (clothes, cosmetics, etc.) to increase its brand awareness, and that its
“glocal” strategy pays off. The author recommends diversifying its product portfolio into the snacks segment, to promote its unpopular sugar and calorie-free drinks, and to create a new campaign related to one of the most social networks nowadays – TikTok. Formally, it meets all the requirements set by the relevant regulations. Therefore, I recommend the work for the defense before the relevant evaluation committee. Questions:1) Compare the selections of celebrities in Coca-Cola’s and Pepsi’s influencer marketing campaigns. 2)How can Coca-Cola take advantage of the trend of health lifestyle?
Conclusion: The Bachelor Thesis is recommended for the defence.
Suggested Grade: 2
Date: 07/06/2021 Ing. Jaroslav Halík, MBA, Ph.D.
Academic Consultant
