Coca Cola and Geek Squad present quite an interesting comparison within the business marketing world because they are entirely different products and services that bond over one principal concept and that concept is adapting to environmental changes of multiple generations. What has made Coca Cola and companies such as Geek Squad successful in business and marketing overall is their ability to anticipate change of the nature of their business and to not be afraid to embrace the change. This is a distinct contrast to companies such as Blockbuster who did not anticipate the digitalization of renting videos through sources such as Netflix and turned down the opportunity to purchase Netflix. Coca Cola and Geek Squad will remain competitive in the business world because their business model is designed to adapt and change over multiple lifetimes through social, economic, technology, competitive, and regulatory factors.
Coca Cola is praised for its global status and generational endurance. That being said, many wonder why Coca Cola ended up being a household name versus other sodas from around the world? The answer is simple. Coca Cola made something their consumers wanted something that their consumers needed, (Just How Does Coca-Cola Reinvent Itself In A Changed World?). This is important because if one were to look at Coca Cola on the surface, we do not need to drink it to survive as humans, we want to drink it because it is quite delicious. Coca Cola set its sights on becoming a world multinational early on, (7 Brilliant Strategies Coca-Cola Used to Become One of the World’s Most Recognizable Brands). In fact, Coca Cola was one of the pioneers in the era of multinationals who went in the direction of globalization, (7 Brilliant Strategies Coca-Cola Used to Become One of the World’s Most Recognizable Brands). Coca Cola used their presence in third world countries to appeal to multiple demographics, create jobs in the developing world, and spread their “secret formula” that they would not even sell to the Indian government. All of these factors aside, what made Coca Cola able to survive over their years is their versatility, which is applicable to the Geek Squad case.
One of the principal themes of the Geek Squad case is adaptability, (Geek Squad Case). It highlights a company’s need to make sure that their purpose for bringing in capital does not become obsolete. With a company like Coca Cola, you have an entire marketing department trying to figure out how to keep the beverage in style, (7 Brilliant Strategies Coca-Cola Used to Become One of the World’s Most Recognizable Brands). This thought process essentially comprises of what formula to put inside Coca Cola’s signature bottle shape, (Just How Does Coca-Cola Reinvent Itself In A Changed World?). This is why we see so many variants of the brand all over the world such as Diet Coke, Coke Zero, and many more. The purpose of this is to grow a product niche revolving around the classic Coca Cola beverage. Geek Squad should be doing something similar. Even though their principal type of consultant work will become obsolete, they have to anticipate the new demands of the “smartphone era,” for example. Additionally, they have to anticipate the needs of the era that will be coming after the smart phone. This is what is going to keep them in business because the reality is that there will always be someone that needs to learn how to use a new technological device.
Another aspect that has kept Coca Cola afloat over the years is its dominant presence in the soda market. The reason that this happened is that both Coca Cola and Pepsi provided for such a large share of the soda market was their acquisition of smaller soda companies, (7 Brilliant Strategies Coca-Cola Used to Become One of the World’s Most Recognizable Brands). Pepsi particularly practiced this sort of culture with their business; however, Pepsi does not have the same adoration from their followers as does Coca Cola and why is this? The answer is simple. Pepsi has changed their branding too many times over the years while Coca Cola has kept it “classic” and it has worked, (7 Brilliant Strategies Coca-Cola Used to Become One of the World’s Most Recognizable Brands). This brings up an important distinction between Coca Cola and Geek Squad. The distinction is that Geek Squad has to allow their market presence to evolve but also has to be cognizant of where they began to keep a stream of loyal customers, (Geek Squad Case). Customers who are loyal respond to consistency, thus, a company has to maintain a pivotal balance between being adventurous in the market yet staying true to their roots. This is where many companies miss the mark because the difference between the two spectrums is ever so slight and truly has the capacity to make or break the business model if the company does not adapt to the changes of the modern world or if they stray to far from their original purpose, (Geek Squad Case).
The business landscape overall for Coca Cola and Geek Squad will be quite fascinating in the coming years because the market is continuing to globalize and more and more services are being conducted over the Internet. Even though Coca Cola is a product that is only available physically, Coca Cola still has to keep their business model competitive to attract the next generation of prospective consumers. Geek Squad has to educate their staff on the next great technological advantage in order to keep their piece of the market while keeping their prices competitive to their industry. Companies are advised to learn a great deal from comparisons such as this and to learn the lesson to not be another Blockbuster and to remember that regardless if you are on top now, it does not automatically mean your business will remain on top for years to come. Your company must work at your business and evolve to the changing times in order to remain successful.
Works Cited
Avi, D. (2013, October). Just How Does Coca-Cola Reinvent Itself In A Changed World? Forbes. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/avidan/2013/10/07/just-how-does-coca-cola-reinvent-itself-in-a-changed-world/#65b0f816896d.
Feloni, R. (2015, June). 7 Brilliant Strategies Coca-Cola Used to Become One of the World’s Most Recognizable Brands. Business Insider. Retrieved from: http://www.businessinsider.com/strategies-coca-cola-used-to-become-a-famous-brand-2015-6.
Geek Squad Case Study. Pages pp. 1 – 6.
