The Coca-Cola Company, the world’s biggest beverage firm, markets four of the world’s top five soda pop brands, including Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite. Coca-Cola has also been dubbed as the most valuable brand in the world.
The Coca-Cola Company is a perfect example of a company with a thriving corporate social responsibility (CSR) department.
In 1984, the then-Chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Company, Roberto Goizueta, established the affiliated Coca-Cola Foundation. Since the launch, the foundation has blossomed from a local charity into a worldwide philanthropic organization.
In 2013, the Coca-Cola Foundation awarded nearly one hundred million dollars, positively impacting 134 million people in 122 countries.
Coca-Cola is committed to annually donating 1% of its operating income, a commitment made through the foundation and company contributions.
The Coca-Cola Foundation has three major priorities:
- Women: economic empowerment and entrepreneurship
- Water: access to clean water, water conservation and recycling
- Well-Being: active healthy living, education and youth development
We all know this is a huge company operating within a multi-billion dollar industry. Still, the company recognizes the importance of a unified brand. It knows that when consumers look at a business, they see only a single brand and don’t consider the inner-workings of a corporate structure.
Coca-Cola is the perfect example of a company with a commitment to CSR and philanthroship. The company literally created a charitable foundation to give back to the global community. It recognized the importance of marketing and operational budgets aligning with customer expectations so it can better brand itself.
By Coca-Cola using its marketing dollars to better the world, it drives higher brand awareness, and fosters better emotions between the customers and the company. This promotes a bigger and better customer base, and in turn delivers higher profits.
The Coca-Cola Company is the perfect example of a corporation that has successfully merged philanthropy and marketing sponsorship, capitalizing on the win-win nature of philanthroship.
Coca-Cola has become more profitable by being more charitable! They are a great example of doing well by doing good.