可口可乐公司的翻身仗

1886年，可口可乐在美国乔治亚州亚特兰大市诞生，目前全球每天有17亿人次的消费者在畅饮可口可乐公司的产品，而该公司也已成为全球最大的饮料厂商。近期可口可乐公司指出该企业内部推行的扭亏计划正逐渐走上正轨。面临广告费用增加和急剧变化的货币流动，可口可乐公司依然实现了收入增长。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

revenue 收益

artificial 人工的

dynamic 充满活力的

stabilise 使稳定

Diet Coke 健怡可乐

Aspartame 阿斯巴甜

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Coca-Cola says turnround plan on track（675words）

By Lindsay Whipp in San Francisco

* * *

Coca-Cola has pointed to further signs that its turnround plan is starting to gain traction, as it reported higher earnings despite an increase in advertising costs and strong currency movements that hurt its revenues.

The US drinks company said on Wednesday that second-quarter revenues fell 3 per cent to $12.2bn, but net profit rose 19 per cent to $3.1bn, or 71 cents a share. This was in line with expectations and the group said it would maintain forecasts for the year.

Coca-Cola has been cutting costs, reducing the size of drinks bottles and cans, and increasing advertising spending as it responds to consumers’ shift away from fizzy drinks, especially those with artificial flavours, and packaged in large volumes.

The strong dollar hit Coca-Cola’s overseas operations and Muhtar Kent, chief executive, highlighted the difficult economic conditions that it and rivals were facing, particularly in China, Russia and Brazil. He noted that incomes in China had not improved significantly of late.

“Given the current overall macroeconomic environment in China we are still cautious for the near term, but are excited by the long-term prospects we see in this dynamic and important market,” Mr Kent said, adding Coke is continuing to increase value and volume share.

“We are continuing to invest heavily for the future,” he said.

Mr Kent said Coca-Cola’s turnround was proceeding at the right pace and it was on schedule with cost cuts. When asked about the company’s M&A strategy, he said that it was looking for “bolt-on targets that fit the company’s portfolio”.

Coca-Cola’s US performance improved, which the company said partly reflected the success of its advertising push and smaller packaging, which enabled it to charge more per ounce for its drinks.

Sales volume in North America increased 2 per cent in terms of unit cases, with a 1 per cent rise in sparkling volume and a 5 per cent upturn in still beverages.

Sandy Douglas, president of Coca-Cola North America, said the group’s strategy in the region was to have more people “enjoying more Coke more often for a little bit more money” and that it was working.

While smaller packaged drinks account for a limited portion of overall sales at the moment, they are growing at a double-digit pace, Coca-Cola said.

Consumers’ behaviour suggests that they are going back to Coca-Cola’s roots by wanting to drink Cokes in smaller bottles that stay cold to the end, something the brand was selling decades ago, the company said.

Its advertising push, while happening across several regions, has had a head start in the US, where an increased focus on social media has been paying off, it said.

However, Diet Coke disappointed again, with a 7 per cent decline in volume. Mr Douglas said the falls were beginning to stabilise and the company hoped to achieve growth again through product innovation. He acknowledged that the consumer shift toward fresh and natural was a “good dietary change for the country, but categories oriented to that have been pretty negative”.

While Coke has not followed PepsiCo’s route of replacing the sweetener aspartame, Mr Douglas reckoned that its rival’s move had helped generate a more educated debate around the topic of artificial sweeteners.

Pepsi has also been moving into the premium category of drinks known as “craft” beverages, or offering new flavour combinations and serving experiences as it attempts to ride the wave of millennial demand for more tailored products.

Coke said it believed the premium sector had a bright future, highlighting its Blue Sky soft drinks, which it acquired when it took over Monster Beverages, as fitting into that segment. It added that the types of packages the beverages came in were also key to the consumer experience.

Shares fell 0.7 per cent to $40.90 by close of trading in New York, continuing its halting performance since the start of the year.

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1. Which of the following is not mentioned as the strategy of Coca-Cola responding to consumers’ shift away from fizzy drinks?

a. Expanding production scale

b. Cutting costs

c. Reducing the size of drinks bottles

d. Increasing advertising spending

2. What’s the Coca-Cola’s attitude towards the long-term prospects they see in China?

a. Disappointed

b. Skeptical

c. Positive

d. Disinterested

3. Which of the following regions had a head start in advertising push?

a. China

b. Russia

c. Brazil

d. US

4. Which of the following companies takes the route of replacing the sweetener aspartame?

a. Coca-Cola

b. Monster Beverages

c. PepsiCo

d. Snapple

[1] 答案a. Expanding production scale

解释：文章第三段提到可口可乐公司应对客源流失的策略包括削减开支、缩小饮料瓶尺寸和加大广告投入三个方面，并没有提到生产规模的变动。

[2] 答案c. Positive

解释：文章第五段提到可口可乐公司虽然目前对中国市场抱谨慎态度，但对该市场的长期预期感到兴奋，说明其态度是积极的。

[3] 答案d. US

解释：文章倒数第六段提到可口可来公司的广告攻势同时在数个不同地区开展，但在美国本土取得领先成绩。

[4] 答案c. PepsiCo

解释：文章倒数第四段提到可口可乐公司没有像百事公司一样采取替换甜味剂阿斯巴甜的策略。