As the account manager for my capstone team, I prepared a strategic plan to accomplish our secondary and primary research for Coca-Cola.

2. Research
Objectives:
Defining the
Market
Defining the
Brand:
• Selecting the target audi-
ence­­: Depending on whether
marketing objectives are to
build the category or increase
usage, will we focus on a trial
or repeat purchase audience?
• Where are sales or usage
to come from? Based on
whether we have a trial or
repeat purchase target audi-
ence objective, we can deter-
mine if our audience consists
of users or non-users.
1. Trial: New category
users or category users
that don’t use Coke?
2. Repeat: Coke loyals or
Coke switchers?
• What is known about the
target audience? What are
the attitudinal and behav-
ioral patterns of target? How
are they relevant to Coca-Co-
la’s marketing communica-
tion and media strategies?
How do their underlying atti-
tudes and motivations affect
their choices? • Understanding the indus-
try: What are the current
trends in the soft drink indus-
try? In regards to millennials?
• Roles in the decision pro-
cess: What roles does our
target play in the decision
process? Matching messages
with 5 roles encourages more
effective communication.
1. Initiators: Suggest
purchase
2. Influencers: Recom-
mend/discourage pur-
chase
3. Deciders: Make actual
choice
4. Purchasers: Do actual
purchasing (messages
to mothers may be very
different than to chil-
dren).
5. Users: Consume Coke
• Capturing the essence of
the decision process: How
do each of the decision-mak-
ers make their choices?
1. Where do they decide
on Coke? Location?
2. Timing? When is Coke
best served? Season?
3. How decision occurs?
What happens to stimu-
late the need? How will
target behave? Where
do consumers find
information about
brands? What goes
down when actually
making the purchase?
How is Coke used?
• What kind of decision is
purchasing Coke?
1. Low involvement, posi-
tive
• Understanding millenni-
als: How do millennials feel
about caffeinated beverages/
soft drinks? The red can prod-
uct? The overall brand? For
current users, why do they
drink coke and what does it
mean to them? For non-users,
why not? How can Coke reach
them organically?
• Understanding the
brand: What has Coke
been working on recently?
What is it doing to com-
bat recent health-concern/
other obstacles? How does
Coke position itself in the
market? What Coke prod-
ucts appeal to the majority
of millennials? Is there an
opportunity or market for
Coke in our target profiles?
Which ones?
• Competitive understand-
ing: Who are direct and in-
direct competitors? How do
direct competitors position
themselves in opposition to
Coke? What have relevant
direct competitors done
recently? Who appeals to
millennials most? Develop
a visual for Coke and com-
petitors current status.
3

3. Research
Methods:
Proposal
Team: Titles
& Responsi-
bilities
• Survey
• Focus groups: 18-24 males
and females; 25-34 males and
females
• Observation: World of Coke;
local grocery stores
• Interaction Diary: Select
participants record expe-
rience each time they pur-
chase/interact with Coke
• Interviews: Local bartend-
ers; restaurant owners
• Account Management &
Strategy:
1. Kyle (survey)
• Brand Planning, Market
& Consumer Insight:
2. Emily (focus group)
3. Haley (focus group)
• Consumer Connection &
IMC:
4. Christen B. (product and
brand interaction diary; gen-
eral research on Simmons,
IBIS, and other library re-
sources)
5. Kristin M. (focus group)
• Creative Direction & Exe-
cution:
6. Alex (bartender research)
7. Halle (bartender research)
8. Kevin (survey)
4 5