Creating Operating Units For Regional, Local Execution

The shift to becoming more available on e-commerce platforms while revising pricing strategies will be an exciting challenge

- T. KRISHNAKUMAR

Covid-19 has changed the world as we know it — our daily lives look nothing like what they were in the beginning of 2020. During these tough times the key is to digest the crisis in total and think of not only managing it, but also preparing for the post-crisis tone. For India Inc, it perhaps translates into ‘Innovation’ and ‘Adaptability’ and these words seemed to have echoed through their halls, as it has been truly inspiring to see how businesses across industries are revisiting their models and pivoting their offerings to suit the new normal.

One particular organisational learning was remarkably quick, quicker to most of us, than some of the more arduous teachings of this difficult time. We learnt that adaptability is the only way to move forward.

At Coca-Cola India we took a phased approach towards evolving ourselves to rise up to the situation at hand:

• Phase 1: Ensure the safety of people and community; lead by action. The company pledged ₹100 crore to support communities during the pandemic.

• Phase 2: Inspire people. Our campaign focused on local heroes who were making a difference to communities around them. Maana mushkil ki gadi hai par umeed usse bhi badi hai.

• Phase 3: As things opened up, we slowly but steadily lived up to the idea of being a total beverage company. During these times, all brands have a role to play in consumers’ lives. From pure indulgence to functional, we saw a pick-up in all benefits sought by consumers and we were there with them, all the way.