Coca-Cola raises investment to $3 bi in Brazil in 2017

São Paulo – Coca-Cola will increase investment in Brazil this year on a strategy of expanding the distribution and change in marketing for soft drinks without sugar or reduced.
According to the ceo of Coca-Cola Brazil, Henry Braun, the company must invest around r $3 billion in 2017, 10% higher than the average of the last five years.
Braun gave no details on the fate of investments but emphasized aspects like infrastructure, equipment and included in the marketing business.
The President of the company, who took over the post last September, emphasized that the Group''s goal is for the Country to increase the distribution of versions with less sugar or without Coca-Cola. The expectation is to grow the distribution of Zero sugar and soda with Stevia at 50% this year.
The company leaves for new marketing campaigns after having changed their packaging. The versions without and with less sugar are also the "red album" characteristic of the brand stamped on it.
At an event on Monday in Sao Paulo, Marcos de Quinto, global Vice President of marketing at the Coca-Cola Company, says that the purpose of the change was to pass the handle the other versions as variants of the same brand and not distinct brands, unifying the advertising.
Soft drink market
Coca-Cola''s effort to improve the distribution and enhance the communication of its products reduced by comes at a moment of sugar market in the production of soft drinks falling follows.
In the first 11 months of last year – last public data available – production of soft drinks fell from 6.03 percent to 12.52 billion liters in Brazil.
Asked about the scenario in the country, Braun said that Brazil is an important market for the Group and that the long-term aim investments.
The expectation is that Brazil, fourth largest consumer market for Coca-Cola in the world, report acceleration in sales of reduced-sugar soft drinks after the new campaigns, like other countries, but no measure numbers.
Beyond the search for healthy products, beverage companies have faced in the country the challenge of dealing with the migration of sales to lower-priced items.
Market leaders in several categories of products ended up losing the consumer preference.
Braun believes that Coca-Cola is prepared to deal with this increased consumer sensitivity to price.
That''s because the portfolio includes brands at lower price points and product offerings reduced in sugar has occurred also in those lines, he said.