The Coca-Cola Company’s Kerri Kopp Shares the Secret Recipe Behind The Coca-Cola Commitment

Kerri Kopp, The Coca-Cola Company’s group director of retail strategy, discusses The Coca-Cola Commitment, the retail value proposition that enables The Company to better help its retail partners meet their business objectives. The results are tangible: Since rolling out The Commitment, The Company has helped customers leverage the non-alcoholic beverage business to grow profits and sales, convert more loyal shoppers, and increase involvement in the community.

Q: The Coca-Cola Company is committed to focusing on mutual, sustainable growth through a collaborative spirit of partnership. How does this value proposition set The Company apart?

A: We have always strived to be the most valued partner to our customers. And the word “partner” means much more than being a great supplier. That’s why we developed The Coca‑Cola Commitment, a retail value proposition based on research and input from our customers that better enables us to help our retail partners, including supermarkets and convenience stores, reach their objectives and grow their total businesses.

There are three promises at the core of The Commitment: driving sales and profit growth, building loyal shoppers, and engaging communities with our customers. These components are contoured to each customer’s specific vision and goals to provide solutions that meet our customers’ objectives and strategies.

Q: How exactly does The Coca‑Cola Commitment come to life?

A: We deliver on our commitment by leveraging six core capability areas. Each is based on research and in-depth interviews with grocery and convenience store retailers to better understand how Coca‑Cola and those customers can climb higher together as partners.

1. Actionable Insights: We provide proprietary insights; leading-edge analytics; and a broad array of industry, consumer, shopper and topical resources that complement our customers’ knowledge base.
2. Branding, Beverage and Industry Experience: We know how to position our brands and anticipate beverage trends and work with leading experts to provide macro forecasting and strategic support. Customers trust our proprietary resources and tools because they reflect decades of leadership and today’s most up-to-date analytical insights.
3. Preferred Categories and Leading Brands: We provide a growing and evolving portfolio of categories and leadership brands with broad reach and relevance across consumer occasions and shopper mission supported by exceptional consumer marketing. 
4. Differentiated Shopper Marketing Solutions: We deliver differentiated and targeted shopper solutions integrated across the path to purchase.
5. Engaging Local Activation: We provide an unmatched collection of local assets and an unparalleled network of local bottling and community partners charged with a mission to create value for our customers and make a difference in their communities.
6. Operational and Executional Excellence: We’re committed to providing innovative equipment, reliable service, customer support and supply chain solutions — all from one trusted source.

Q: What business results have you seen since activating this value proposition?

A: We’ve seen very positive results since rolling out The Coca‑Cola Commitment. We’ve helped our customers leverage the non-alcoholic beverage business to grow profits and sales, convert more loyal shoppers, and increase involvement in the community. We’re confident that through The Coca‑Cola Commitment, we’ll continue to create more genuine partnerships and grow the industry together.

For more information about The Coca-Cola Commitment, contact your Coca-Cola representative, or visit CokeSolutions.com/Coca-Cola-Commitment. 

^{*This article was previously published in Mass Market Retailers.}