Coca-Cola gets ‘Teen Beverage Brand of the Year’ tag

Coca-Cola remained the best-loved beverage brand for the Sri Lankan youth at the recently concluded POP Awards 2007. Coca-Cola has begun to reap the benefits of identifying with the youth of Sri Lanka having won the award for the second consecutive year.

Country Marketing Manager Dusty Alahakoon commented, “We are very proud of this achievement. This is the second time that we have been selected as the ‘Teen Beverage Brand of the Year.’ Our focus is on the youth category and this is where we want to win.”

Coca-Cola worldwide has always maintained an affinity with the youth of the world. In Sri Lanka, this direction has translated to some of the most innovative market activities and promotions that were targeted towards the youth of the country. The most recent of these activities was the hugely successful Fun Island promotion that was initially launched in 2005. This promotion was one of the first promotions to include an overseas experience for 100 grand prize winners, with an action packed weekend in the Maldives. The youthful advertising of brand Coca-Cola is also a key factor in choosing Coke as the number one brand in Sri Lanka. High entertainment value and lifestyle driven communication has proved to be a strong connector with Sri Lankan youth as Coke lives the life of our youth with insight driven advertising.

Coca-Cola has also maintained a strong commitment to sports, especially in the realm of cricket. In this respect Coca-Cola signed up three of the biggest cricket icons Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara and Upul Tharanga as brand ambassadors to not only carry the Coca-Cola brand forward but to also lend their expertise towards the development of school cricket and rural cricket in Sri Lanka.

On the Corporate Social Responsibility stage, Coca-Cola has maintained a similar affinity with the young people of the country. One of the Company’s CSR platforms is value added education where Coca-Cola strives to instill the youth with skills and talents in order for them to face the challenges of tomorrow.

Coca-Cola is renowned as the number one brand in the world, In Sri Lanka; Coca-Cola is the single largest brand in the market, commanding a brand leadership of 20%. This growth is indeed proof of the brand being a beverage choice of the youth of Sri Lanka, who have as much an affinity with the brand as the brand has with them.