Analysis Of Cola War Case Based On Porter 's Five Competitive Forces Essay

The existing concentrate business is largely controlled by Coca-Cola Company (Coca-Cola) and PepsiCo (Pepsi), together claiming a combined 72% of the U.S. carbonated soft drink (CSD) market sales volume in 2009. Refer to Exhibit 1 for an illustration of the CSD industry value chain. For more than a century, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have maintained growth and large market shares through mastering five competitive forces, shown in Exhibit 2, that drive profitability and shape the industry structure.

The competition between Coke and Pepsi reached its peak to become a real war battle by the year 1980. This war had affected the industry profit for both concentrate producers and bottlers, while the effect of bottlers was much higher. After the successful “Pepsi Challenge” (blind taste tests: sales shot up) in 1974, Coke countered with rebates, retail price cuts and significant concentrate price increases. Pepsi followed of a 15% price increase of its own. During the early 1990’s bottlers of Coke and Pepsi employed low price strategies in the supermarket channel in order to compete with store brands. The concentrate producers were always able to increase their profits by increasing the concentrate price, while the bottlers, especially the

For more than a century, Coca Cola and PepsiCo have been the major competitors within the soft drink market. By employing various advertising tactics, strategies such as blind taste tests, and reward initiatives for the consumer, they have grown to become oligopolistic rivals. In the soft-drink business, “The Coca-Cola Company” and “PepsiCo, Incorporated” hold most of the market shares in virtually every region of the world. They have brands that the consumers want, whether it be soft-drink brands or in PepsioCo’s case, snacks. With only one soft-drink market, the two competitors have no choice but to increase sales by stealing the other competitor’s clients. This led to the term, the “cola wars” which was first used

Soft drink industry is very profitable, more so for the concentrate producers than the bottler’s. This is surprising considering the fact that product sold is a commodity which can even be produced easily. There are several reasons for this, using the five forces analysis we can clearly demonstrate how each force contributes the profitability of the industry.

The aim of this report is to analyse the main forces driving the market for any specific product of our choice. In details, we will research about the product’s background information, the special characteristics and the market it belongs to. We will also explain the market structure, the supply conditions and barriers of entry, giving an insight of competition and government policies, too. Furthermore, we are going to point out the price elasticities, determinants of demand and sizes of income. Lastly, we will be assessing how this market will develop and the future opportunities for both existing and new firms. For the purpose of this report, we have decided to use Coca-Cola from the Coca-Cola Company, the world leading beverage company. We have discovered that although Coca-Cola is not performing very well in terms of income, it is still the market leader in the soft drink industry. Thus, new rivals’ entrants may be discouraged to compete because of the uncertainty and the competition present in the market.

Porter (2008) argues that the threat of entry “puts a cap on the profit potential of an industry … [and] incumbents must hold down their prices or boost investment to deter new competitors” (p. 81).

The objective of this report is to evaluate the Organizational Resources and Competitive Strategies of The Coca Cola Company in the USA. This study is conducted in order to carry out the company’s overall strategic Marketing reasoning. The report will highlight the Marketing capabilities, Competitive strategies adopted and the competitive Advantage Coca Cola USA has over its competitors in the country.

Threat of new entrants is the second weakest force for the CP industry. One of the major reasons is that it is difficult to access a bottler since like Pepsi and Coke are taking control of most of the packagers. Another reason is, although capital required to establish a soft drink concentrate plant with the capacity of serving the entire US market is low, costs for advertising, promotion, market research and bottler relations are a heavy burden and specialized know-how, such as brand management, is a natural barrier to penetrators. However, the fact that customers' loyalty is becoming weaker makes the force not as weak as bargaining power of buyers.

Threat of New Entrants – The threat of new competitors entering an industry is high when initial

Coca-Cola is the number one non-alcoholic beverage in the world and is also the golden standard in the beverage industry. Over the pass decade carbonated beverage sales has decrease which has lead Coca-Cola to seek for new opportunity and investor. Contribution of US soda sales in Coca-Cola’s revenue could decline to less than 15% by 2020. By the end of 2017 Coca-Cola is looking to refranchise two-thirds of its bottling territories in North America. The outcome of Coca-Cola refranchise two-third of its bottling territories will reduce the revenue to Coca-Cola sales of its products, however the operating margin will increase. Also, this could reduce the percentage contribution by the U.S to Coca-Cola overall revenue.

The threat of new entrants: According to our text, the threat of new entrants is the possibility that the profits they make in an area may be eroded by new competition. The McDonald’s by me competes with Burger King, Wendy’s, Dairy Queen, and other smaller places like Zel’s. Each time a new place opens the less business they will have. For the other company, there will be a barrier to entry. They will have to use product differentiation to bring in the customers…to make them overcome their loyalty to McDonald’s (Dess, p. 53).

The intense competition results in downward pressures on the price. Dr Pepper, the oldest major soft drink in America, continues its 125th Anniversary celebration with the release of Dr Pepper made with real sugar in six collectible cans, inspired by the beloved brand’s rich history. Consumers can enjoy the 23 flavors of Dr Pepper in this new packaging beginning in early July through early September. However, in chapter two a detailed analysis of PepsiCo competitors in such matrices, models and graphs like porter's model, strategic groups and Completive profile matrix (CPM).

Porter 's Five Forces model (PFF) is a powerful instrument that can be utilized by companies to investigate its situation and identify its industry 's competitors. Analyzing industry will help any business in determining the competitive strength and weaknesses. By using PFF model, investors can gain valuable information regarding what the actual factors that affect the organization 's profitability (Evans & Neu 2008). This paper will analyze the Cola Wars case study based on the PFF model, and the primary components of soft drink industry. At the end of this paper, some recommendations will be given to Coca-Cola company to enhance its position in the market.

The industry of Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSD) is highly concentrated. The three major companies, Coca Cola, PepsiCo, and Cadbury Schweppes accounted in 1998 for more than 90% of market share by case volume –Exhibit 1-.

The soft drinks industry also exhibits heavy competition elevating the buying power of consumers. Although Coca-Cola and Pepsi Companies are the players with much dominance in the soft drinks industry, other players are also broadening their market share every day. Coca-Cola and Pepsi Companies exhibited a combined market share of approximately 90 percent in the 1990s (Yoffie, 2011). However, Coca-Cola and Pepsi Companies today exhibit a market share of 70 percent in combination, with the other companies in the soft drinks industry exhibiting a combined market share of 30 percent (Yoffie, 2011). This heavy competition can be linked to the high availability of substitutes in the soft drinks industry. Although Coca-Cola and Pepsi Companies grew in popularity because of producing Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSDs), CSDs have gradually lost their appeal among consumers since customers are increasingly becoming health conscious. This