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Ingo Maierbrugger

Analyzing the Coca-Colas letter to shareowner:

Make a difference and always advertise

Make a difference. These three words are the final statement of the Coca-Colas 2012
letter to the shareowners. The word choice is no coincidence as these three simple
words form the central slogan of Coca-Colas international advertisement campaign, and
are posted by the Coca-Cola Company all over the world to promote their products.
Moreover, these three words will also serve in the following analysis as a key to
understand in which way the Coca-Colas letter to the shareholder is on the one hand
clearly an example of this very genre, as it shares the principal communicative purpose
of this text type, but on the other hand also follows an additional communicative
purpose, which gives the Coca-Cola letter to the shareholder a unique rhetorical
organization, that is quite different from the model Skulstad (1996) proposes in her
article.
But before we go into details, it is important to first outline the contextual
features of this letter, because already at this level of analysis the peculiarities of the text
become quite clear. This letter to the shareholders was allegedly written by Muhtar
Kent, the CEO and chairman of the Coca-Cola Company. This fact will prove especially
important in the following analysis, as the author employs an unconventionally personal
style throughout the whole text in order to follow an additional communicative purpose.
However, the addressees are at first glance obviously and typically for this text
type shareholders, but, analyzing in greater depth, it can be said that the author at least
indirectly also addresses the whole Coca-Cola Community, possible new customers, as
well as critics of the company.
This embracing of a wider audience together with the personal style of the author
relate directly to the extended purpose of the text, that different from prototypical
letters to the shareholders, does not only seek to establish a relationship with the
shareholders and to maintain their confidence, but also tries, like an advertisement, to
charge the brand of Coca-Cola with an emotional image. In this way, concerning the
communicative purpose, the analyzed text can be seen as a combination of the genre a
letter to the shareholders and an advertisement.

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Ingo Maierbrugger

Nevertheless, this combination is not a merging of equally important parts. The overall
purpose of this text as well as the overt context remains to be a letter to shareowners,
as this text is also clearly titled this way in the heading. Therefore the rhetorical
organization of a typical letter to the shareholders serves as the basic structure of this
innovative text in which the advertisement elements were inserted into the general
framework of a classical letter to the shareholders.
The text prototypically begins with the salutation of the shareholders, and ends
with the traditional signature of the chairman. Also in between, the letter follows
generally the moves put forward by Skulstad. For example, after an atypical beginning,
already under the first heading of profit, we can find a classic summary statement that
provides both step B: an background for the present scene and step 1: a summary
statement, as stated in Skulstads model:
Profit. Despite lingering economic headwinds, we achieved strong, balanced
results in 2012, meeting or exceeding our long-term volume, revenue and
profit targets as we did in both previous years of our 2020 Vision.

Moreover, towards the end, in the penultimate paragraph, a classical closing

statement of reassurance can be identified, which follows the purpose of move 3 to
reinforce the relationship between the shareholders and the company.
However, besides all this passages that are in accordance with the classical steps
and moves of a typical letter to the shareowners the majority of this text serves
another communicative purpose, namely the purpose of advertising and so to charge the
brand Coca-Cola emotionally.
This objective of the author can not only be seen, as stated in the
beginning, in the final three words of the letter, which were directly taken from the
Coca-Cola advertisement complex, but the influence of the advertisement genre is also
traceable in the overall emotional and personal style the author uses periodically
throughout the whole letter, like for example when he directly addresses the readers to
tell them: I want you to know just how privileged I feel to lead this wonderful business
of providing simple moments of pleasure []
Even entire paragraphs serve no other purpose than to create an positive image
for the Coca-Cola brand, as it can be seen right in the beginning when the author recalls
in a very personal and informal manner his experiences with the Myanmar people, who

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Ingo Maierbrugger

because of the reintroduction of Coca- Cola had supposedly faces- shining and hopeful,
with a special spark in their eyes.
All over the entire letter the author inserts via his personal style and various
statements messages that follow an additional advertising purpose. Sometimes these
insertions are made to show the ethical side of Coca-Cola, when the author for example
speaks about the Coca-Cola people who made a difference in our communities,
volunteering to support worthy causes, creating the image of a carrying Coca-Cola
community. At a different point the author tries to portray the Coca-Cola Company as
ecofriendly business, as we can see in the planet section. And finally introduced in very
informal and personal way the author chooses to talk about obesity: Before I close, I
want to mention a complex societal issue that touches us all: obesity.
Here, like in all the other examples before, the author breaks with his personal
style through the conventions of a classical letter to the shareholders to talk about
something completely different than sales figures and increase of profit. The Coca-Cola
attempts to fight obesity might be of little interest to traditional shareholders. However,
to critics and possible new costumers a supposedly caring Coca-Cola Company charges
the brand with a positive image that shows a company that is not only highly successful
but also ethically clean and embodies all that is good in life.
The last paragraph of the letter brings finally everything we have discussed once
again together: a standardized thank you toward the shareowners, that follows the
purpose and moves of a traditional letter to the shareholders and very personal final
statement that conveys no classic information but the depiction of a Coca-Cola Company
as more than an ordinary firm that merely produces a refreshing beverages, but as a
collection of wonderful people who refresh the world, inspire moments of optimism
and happiness, create value and make a difference.
In conclusion, it is safe to say that the author of this text really has made a
difference. At least he has produced a different type of a letter to the shareholder, as
Muthar Kent, if it was really the CEO himself, who has written this letter, did not only try
to maintain the confidence of his fellow shareowners, but also used this format, and his
personal experiences to do a little bit of brand building, trying to establish the
uniqueness of the Coca-Cola Company, because in the end this extra free advertisement
might make a difference.