Getting the Coke back in the Cola
I haven't been in the company long (3-4 years), I have not been in management and my input is neither considered or sought in decision making, My role does not allow me to influence or impact the company in any significant way. But I know now that the is struggling to increase shareholder value at a faster rate.
Efforts have been made to increase efficiency, reduce costs and grow market share. In Kenya (where I'm based) hardly a town hall meeting passes without the management dramming in our heads the challenges.
In east africa we still are profitable but we seem to have forgotten the business at hand. We have a marketing team not thinking through brand and volume building activities. We have senior management greatly focused on reducing cost with little attention on core business with the intent of getting promoted and retaining there high paying positions.
So How can we get back to the glory days. I believe we need to keep it simple: we need to produce goods that consumers want to buy. It's really that simple.
An audit of our consumes will quickly tell you that purchase is not a function of company profitability. People want what they want—and then they want to get it at a good price. Low cost comes after desire, not before. It’s not what drives sales. The corporation that can produce desirable, exciting products first—then do so in a way that prices them competitively and yields a good margin second—is the one that is going to dominate the market. Our focus sadly has become a slow grind towards becoming the lowest cost producer.
Some shocking News I had today, the company has declined sponsorship of the IAAF competition to be held in Mombasa. I'm shcoked....Dasani would have been the perfect brand to "peddle"
Efforts have been made to increase efficiency, reduce costs and grow market share. In Kenya (where I'm based) hardly a town hall meeting passes without the management dramming in our heads the challenges.
In east africa we still are profitable but we seem to have forgotten the business at hand. We have a marketing team not thinking through brand and volume building activities. We have senior management greatly focused on reducing cost with little attention on core business with the intent of getting promoted and retaining there high paying positions.
So How can we get back to the glory days. I believe we need to keep it simple: we need to produce goods that consumers want to buy. It's really that simple.
An audit of our consumes will quickly tell you that purchase is not a function of company profitability. People want what they want—and then they want to get it at a good price. Low cost comes after desire, not before. It’s not what drives sales. The corporation that can produce desirable, exciting products first—then do so in a way that prices them competitively and yields a good margin second—is the one that is going to dominate the market. Our focus sadly has become a slow grind towards becoming the lowest cost producer.
Some shocking News I had today, the company has declined sponsorship of the IAAF competition to be held in Mombasa. I'm shcoked....Dasani would have been the perfect brand to "peddle"
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