• by Danielle Oster , February 13, 2025

Marketing was one of the central topics of conversation during Coca-Cola’s Q4 2024 earnings call with investors this week, with the company citing its integrated model increasing efficiency and helping support brand growth.

“Our network marketing model is integrating product, digital, live and retail experiences and we are harnessing passion points to connect with consumers in more personalized ways,” Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey said during the call.

He pointed to the “first-ever global Halloween activation” for Fanta, which scaled to “nearly 50 markets” as one “great example”  of the approach in action. “Partnering with Warner Bros. Pictures, we created a limited-time Fanta Beetlejuice Haunted Apple flavor. Consumers scanned packages to access personalized experiences, and we replicated the ‘Beetlejuice Afterlife Train,’ taking over train stations, trams and metros.” The campaign "contributed to sparkling flavors' share gain during the quarter.”

Quincey also addressed one of Coca-Cola’s more contentious marketing moves of the year. The company's holiday ad created with the use of so-called “generative AI” generated many comments featuring the word “soulless.”

Unsurprisingly, cost seemed to be one major factor in the approach. “This year, for the first time, our Coca-Cola Christmas ad was created with generative AI, combining emerging technology with human creativity, which allowed us to produce the ad faster and at a lower cost,” said Quincey.

Seemingly acknowledging the limitations of the campaign, he added, “The power of emerging technologies like generative AI are still at early stages and we will continue to lead and iterate our approach.”

Quincey also attributed the company’s marketing and innovation as among the factors allowing it to support price increases alongside inflation without losing consumers.

He was asked about Walmart’s decision to devote dedicated shelf space to “modern soda” brands like Olipop and Poppi, and seemed to indicate the company was not overlooking the category.

“It's great news that people are innovating and willing to create new brands and dedicate more shelf space to the beverage industry,” Quincey said. “We are a total beverage company, we look to compete everywhere we see enduring consumer demand and traction,” he added. “To the extent that's enduring, we'll take a really hard look at it. But I think the most important thing to take from this is the confidence in the overall industry of beverages to continue to grow.”