The Coca-Cola Company Shares Insights and Expertise at NRA 2016
Company proves commitment to being foodservice's most valued partner
At the 2016 NRA Show in May in Chicago, The Coca-Cola Company highlighted its commitment to being its foodservice customers' most valued business partner. Featuring proprietary insights about the size and nature of the beverage opportunity in foodservice and demonstrating how customers can tap into that by leveraging marketing strategies, equipment and brand innovation, The Company connected with tens of thousands of current and potential customers.
The Coca-Cola Commitment
Areas of the booth highlighted six core capabilities that The Company offers exclusively to its customers to help them grow their businesses:
1. Actionable insights
2. Branding, beverage and industry experience
3. Preferred brands and categories
4. Proactive marketing solutions
5. Tailored outlet-level activation
6. One-stop beverage system support
Insights and Expertise: The Beverage Opportunity
The Coca-Cola Company shared insights from the Coca-Cola 2016 Away from Home Beverage Landscape Study, which outlines the vast beverage opportunity that exists in the away-from-home space and ways to unlock it. According to the study, the average American experiences 22 away-from-home situations each week in which he or she could consume food and/or a beverage. That's up to 5 billion situations in the United States weekly. Show attendees had a chance to learn more about the topic at the Coca-Cola-sponsored educational session "The Glass Is Half Full: Unlocking the Beverage Opportunity," presented by Clark Jones, group director of Knowledge & Insights, and Chris Startt, director of Foodservice Insights.
Sparkling Product and Equipment Innovation
The Company also shared new product announcements in the sparkling arena.
Coca-Cola Freestyle® has added 40 new brands since 2010, including recent additions of vitaminwater®, Minute Maid® drinks, Minute Maid Light drinks and new lemon options for Coca-Cola trademark brands. Tea will be added later this year. Other developments to Coca-Cola Freestyle include specialty mixing promos and integration with national campaigns.
The Company is also expanding its fountain offerings, introducing Coca-Cola Life™, four flavors of DASANI® Sparkling, Minute Maid Strawberry Lemonade Minute Maid Fruit Punch and Blue Sky® soda.
Still Product and Equipment Innovation
The new still dispensing unit, Refresh Server+, was featured in the booth. It serves a range of chilled and ambient SKUs, including high-performing brands Minute Maid, Gold Peak® and vitaminwater. The model has four valves, daypart capabilities, a touchscreen interface and more. The Company also demonstrated dispensers for Honest Tea® and Gold Peak® brewed tea.
Packaged Beverages
Beverages available for sampling in the Coca-Cola show booth included Minute&nsbp;Maid Smoothies, smartwater® sparkling, Suja®, Hubert's® Lemonade, fairlife®, Simply, Odwalla®, Coca-Cola Life, YUP! flavored milk and Honest Kids®. Premium packaging on display included aluminum bottles, 8-oz. glass bottles, 12-oz. glass imports and Hansen's glass bottles.
Marketing Solutions and Outlet Activation
Best practices for digital menu boards, combo meals and mobile ordering were also a highlight at the show. Shifts in consumer eating patterns have created new daypart opportunities, such as breakfast anytime. The Coca-Cola Company ensured that customers know that it works to create tailored outlet-level activations, combo offerings and mobile ordering guest experiences.
The 2017 NRA Show will take place May 20-23 in Chicago.