Coca-Cola (KO, Financial) and Starbucks (SBUX, Financial) are among the most well-known brands in the world. The old winning recipe for refreshment companies was to assemble brands, create flagship products and hold up for the cash registers to ring.
Reinvented
Coca-Cola's numbers speak for themselves, with Coca-Cola's piece of the overall industry of U.S. carbonated soft drinks (CSDs) having stayed stable for the past few decades. Yet even a titan like Coca-Cola was unavoidably influenced by the pattern of consumers moving far from sodas because of increased health consciousness.
Coca-Cola has taken a shot at staying applicable with consumers. One such activity is the dispatch of its Freestyle machine, which dispenses 146 remarkable flavors. This works because it's confronted with another era of consumers.
Coca-Cola also took item customization and individualization to an entire new level with its 2013 U.K. "Share a Coke" fight, where it supplanted the names of Coca-Cola brands with 150 mainstream English names. This set consumers on the chase for Cokes conveying their names. A similar battle in Australia in 2011 resulted in 7% development in grown-up consumption.
In the event that Coca-Cola is to hold its 40% piece of the overall industry of the U.S. CSD business sector, it is probable such initiatives will be the standard as opposed to the special case. In any case, it won't help Coca-Cola if there isn't sufficient awareness about its strategic initiatives focused at consumers.
Not just an espresso chain any longer
Starbucks has also changed. While it was known as a separate espresso drinking experience for espresso lovers, it is presently more adept to call Starbucks an '"any place, whenever beverages organization." If you would prefer not to pay premium prices for a glass of latte, Starbucks has a mass-business sector brand called Seattle's Best Coffee, which offers a similar espresso drinking experience at a lower value point.
Then again, in the event that you are a busy office laborer who wants a speedy perk boost and would prefer not to stroll to the nearest Starbucks outlet, Starbucks VIA, its instant espresso brand, will permit Starbucks fans to have a mug of freshly prepared Starbucks espresso whenenever it seems best. For those ready to pay more and hold up more, Starbucks introduced Verismo, its single-serve espresso creator item, which promises to convey Starbucks espresso of similar quality to the ones accessible at its physical outlets. As indicated by its inward estimates, Starbucks' piece of the overall industry of the domestic at-home espresso business is roughly 13%.
Although there are numerous individuals who are no-nonsense espresso addicts, there is presumably an equivalent number of consumers who will just give espresso a miss. Starbucks wants to catch this business sector of non-espresso drinkers as well by leveraging its notoriety for quality.
Starbucks has been one of the fastest-developing refreshment companies in the past few years. It has developed its earnings in excess of 15% in the past four years. Its share price has increased by close to 1,000% over the same period. With Starbucks' historical development originating from filling the world with its physical outlets, its future development prospects look much more appealing.
Conclusion
In this new nature's turf, drink companies with the capability and willingness to adjust to changing consumer preferences will have a greatly improved shot of rising as winners. For the time being, I am putting down my bets with Coca-Cola and Starbucks.
