Thirty-five years ago, Coca-Cola partnered with NASA to become one of the first soft drinks to travel to space. The iconic soft drink maker has always relied on experimentation and using the power of design-thinking techniques to drive growth for the business and is known for developing and launching innovative beverages, equipment, distribution models, and programs.
Coca-Cola with Bluetooth-enabled cap
Recently, Coca-Cola in India has rolled out a technological product innovation – a locked Coke fitted with a unique Bluetooth-enabled cap. The bottle is programmed to open only in the presence of the sender’s mobile phone.
With this limited edition bottle of the beverage for the festive season, Coca-Cola seeks to evoke a feeling of togetherness among people as the bottle acts as a symbolic reminder of a promise made to meet in person.
The bottle can be ordered via a microsite by filling in the gift recipient’s residential address and a customized festive wish or message. The recipients will then receive the customized bottle via delivery, which will be pre-programmed to detect the presence of the sender’s mobile phone in order for it to be unlocked.
Transformational Innovation Team
The company has been working to launch innovative products in different parts of the world. For example, the company in North America has set up ‘Transformational Innovation Teams’ that partner with brands and business units to take new drinks in unfamiliar spaces. The team is a rotating group of specialists from Research and Development (R&D), Quality, Safety & Environmental Sustainability, Technical Commercialization, and Scientific and Regulatory Affairs (SRA).
Agile design thinking
Working on its goal to move faster and deliver more disruptive innovation, the company is seamlessly implementing learnings and frameworks across the organization and fueling new capabilities to drive growth. There also have been reports of coca cola developing an agile design thinking innovation protocol that centers around users’ desires and needs to identify products that would create an impact in the market.
Pushing Intrapreneurs
The renowned beverage company has also been pushing a group of “intrapreneurs” on a mission to create a ripple effect by sharing learnings with Coca-Cola North America teams leading innovation projects across the system.
Global Innovation Platform
Coca-Cola earlier this year unveiled its new global innovation platform, Coca-Cola Creations. The aim is to take the iconic Coca-Cola trademark and lend it to new expressions, driven by collaboration, creativity, and cultural connections. Through limited-edition, sequential releases, Coca-Cola Creations will introduce new products and experiences across the physical and digital worlds.
Innovation is key to success
For a company to be successful must be in tune with what consumers want, adopting strategies to differentiate and introducing innovative products. The success story of Coca-Cola underlines the importance of continued innovation and the need for successfully differentiating its product and services based on customers’ preferences.
Source: coca-colacompany.com
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