IMC 511 - Final.pdf. Coke Zero Presentation

IMC 511 Final Project

1. IMC 511CokeZero
Presentation
Kyle McAfee
7/3/2024

2. Executive Summary
•As more negative research is released about the dangers of
Aspartame in soft drinks, revenues in Coke Zero may decline
•While Coke Zero is calorie-free, it does not have any
nutritional value. Most research is needed to determine the
long-term effects of drinking sodas with artificial sweeteners
(Healthlinecorporate, 2024)
•Aspartame is an artificial sweetener that is used in many
products, including Diet Coke and Coke Zero (Meyerowitz-
Katz)
•Drinking diet sodas and aspartame-sweetened beverages daily
during pregnancy linked to autism in male offspring (Lee,
2023)

3. Business
Challenge
•Since there are concerns of the
health risks of artificial sweetener
in Coke Zero, net revenues may
decline. The Brand offers a
hypothesis to Coke Zero drinkers
that the Coca Cola company is
very aware of the growing
concerns and is developing
alternative sweeteners derived
from natural substances.

4. Why? Coke Zero
revenues may be in
a decline
What? Coke Zero
revenues may be in a
decline due to the
concerns
of aspartame in
Coke Zero
Who? Participants
in the survey will be
family and friends
When? Two-Week
period
Where? Surveys
will be emailed
to participants
How? Surveys will be
created in google
Forms, emailed.
When forms are returned,
data will be
added to excel spreadsheet
automatically. Data will
be analyzed
Research Process

5. Secondary Research
•Dozens of studies have linked the artificial sweetener aspartame to serious health
problems, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, seizures, stroke
and dementia (Malkan, 2024)
•World Health Organization for Research on Cancer announced that there may be hazards
and risks for cancer with continued use of food products with aspartame (Malkan, 2024)
•Aspartame is in more than 5000 food products globally (Staif, 2021)
•Aspartame is used in low-calorie beverages consumed by children and pregnant women
(Staif, 2021)
•The F.D.A. and the powerful beverage industry disputed Aspartame findings, and a
second World Health Organization group has stated that it prepares for the sweetener to be
generally safe (Jewett, 2023)
•Some individuals are concerned that changing the ingredients will negatively impact the
taste of the soda, while others say it is their choice if they want to consume aspartame
(Doering, 2023).

6. Relevance of the Research Findings
•Key finding
•Participants surveyed saw more Coke ads for Coke on Facebook than any other
medium
•Ages 25-34 in my sample are in the secondary market of individuals who drink Coke
products
•More males participated in the survey than women, but this was due to how many
surveys were emailed
•Even though my sampling was small I was surprised at how many participants
preferred Coke with pure sugar than artificial sweeteners
•The sample size was not large, but the participants preferred original Coke over all
the other brands in the line

7. •Participants in the survey heard ads about Coke products on Facebook
rather than any other medium.
40%
15%
25%
20%
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
TV

8. Of those surveyed, the age groups 25-34 and 55-64 that drink the most
Coke products.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Number of Participants
18-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-over

9. Of the participants survey, there were more men and than women.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
Male Female
Number of Participants

10. Of the participants surveyed, the majority drank Coke with cane sugar.
012345678910
Cane Sugar
High Fructose Corn syrup
Artificial Sweeteners (e.g. Aspartame,
sucralose)
Stevia
No preferance
Number of Participants

11. Many of the surveyed participants drank Coke rather than any other
Coca Cola product.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Coke Diet Coke Coca
Cola Zero
Sprite
Number of Participants

12. Qualitative Study
•Instead of collecting data points, the research will be gathering
participants’ experiences, perceptions, and behavior
•Techniques will include interviews of participants, focus groups on coke
zero, and observations
•Interviews would be unstructured with open-ended questions on the
topic of aspartame and artificial sweetener alternatives with the
interviewer adapting to the responses
•Qualitative data collection occurs in a real-world setting so information
will be current
•Open-ended responses mean researchers can uncover problems and
opportunities that may be available

13. Conclusion
Even with concerns about Aspartame in many of Coca-Cola products, Coke
Zero grew 9% for the last quarter and 11% for the year. The Coca-Cola
Company, as of April 30, 2024, reported their 1
st
quarter results, and their net
revenues increased more than 3% to $11.3 billion (Coca-Cola, 2024). Coke has
been concerned about this sweetener but even with Aspartame being contained
in their beverages their sales continue to grow including the sale of Coke Zero.
Although consumers may be concerned, Coca-Cola Zero will likely be the
biggest driver of growth for the company. The beverage fueled sales growth for
the company even during the coronavirus pandemic. The World Health
Organization and the major beverage companies have come out that currently
that aspartame is currently safe for consumption.

14. Recommendations
•Revenues for Coke Zero need to be monitored on a regular basis.
•The Coca Cola company needs to be transparent with the consumers about the
concerns about the artificial sweetener Aspartame that is used in Coke Zero and
their other products. Their webpage addresses the Aspartame issue.
•Coke needs to continue to study and be included in the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration research into Aspartame.
•Coke needs to make sure that their sugar free packaging reflects the concerns
about artificial sweeteners.
•Coke needs to look for more natural sweeteners to use in their sugar free
beverages.

15. ..