News
Using our brands to celebrate the magic of Christmas
15/12/2020
Stephen Lusk, VP Commercial
Stephen Lusk, our Vice President of Commercial Development, shares why our brands are important to help spread some Christmas cheer and create value for our retail partners.
What does Christmas mean for Coca-Cola?
This year marks 100 years since the first Coca-Cola Christmas advert. ‘Holidays Are Coming’ and the Coca-Cola Christmas truck have become hallmarks for Christmas for lots of people.
Preparation for the holiday season begins months in advance. Everything from our iconic marketing campaigns, capacity planning at our sites to ensure we can fulfil orders, to fun and memorable in-store execution with our customers.
Supporting our customers to maximise sales during this period is key, with November and December traditionally a time when people celebrate with family and friends. It is a busy time of year for our business, but it’s also one of our favourites. It is obviously going to be different this year, but we’re still doing all we can to make it a special time for consumers.
What are you focused on this festive season?
Our focus is always our retail partners. We want to be known for world-class execution and as a partner that is easy to do business with, while continually creating value for our customers all year round.
In-store execution:
We have one of Europe’s largest sales workforce and we do everything we can to help our teams support and delight our customers. In-store execution is a huge part and we do this in a number of ways:
- Use our expertise to add a little Christmas magic to transform in-store displays.
- Offer in-store price promotions on certain products and packs.
- Work with our retail partners to offer on pack promotions – for example a competition to win Disneyland Paris tickets.
- Additional display and shelf space to increase visibility of our products.
E-Commerce:
This year consumer shopping habits have changed, with many people choosing to shop online rather than in store. People have also adapted to enjoy more dine-in moments at home with a takeaway meal. We are working with our customers and retail partners to:
- Help improve the online consumer experience by making browsing for their favourite products easier.
- Customer menu boost with food aggregators, like Deliveroo and Uber Eats.
- Promote our products with meal deals for the perfect festive celebration this holiday season.
- Work with partners such as Amazon Core in Germany to create a digital advent calendar which features 24 daily deals.
Our portfolio:
We also use this time of year to launch limited edition festive packaging on some of our packs and introduce fun new flavours, like Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Cinnamon – which is back by popular demand this year. It’s a great opportunity to showcase how we are continually innovating to create a broad portfolio to suit every taste and occasion.
What are your marketing plans for Christmas 2020?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our marketing plans have changed significantly. But as the holiday period is an important time for many, it’s a moment in the calendar when we can use our brands and campaigns to help bring some cheer.
The iconic Coca-Cola truck tour won’t be taking place this year, but our Coca-Cola campaign will focus on reminding the world that the most magical gift you can give is you, and inspire everyone to be present this Christmas – whether that be in person or digitally depending on COVID-19 restrictions. You can watch the TV advert here.
We have also launched a new Schweppes campaign – Schweppes, We’ve Got the Tonic, You’ve Got The Spirit – designed to raise people’s spirits and ignite some festive cheer. The campaign includes a brand new TV advert - the first time Schweppes has been on TV screens since 2017 – that you can watch here.
Many of our brands and partners are bringing a sprinkle of magic to our holiday season celebrations – follow our social media channels for the latest news and updates.
What are you hoping for this Christmas?
There is much uncertainty around how we can celebrate Christmas this year. I will be embracing the ‘best gift is you’ message and will hopefully get to spend some quality time with family and friends after what has been a very busy and unprecedented year for our business.
I hope that all of our colleagues across Europe stay safe and well – and I’d like to wish everyone a very happy holiday and new year.