Global Message, Local meaning. A case study in Coca-Cola's cultural adaptation: A qualitative content analysis of campaigns in the Middle East and South Africa
(2025) SKDK11 20251Department of Strategic Communication
- Abstract
- This thesis explores how global organizations adapt their communication strategies across different cultural contexts, using Coca-Cola as a case study. Focusing on marketing campaigns in the Middle East and South Africa, the research investigates how Coca-Cola tailors its messaging to align with local cultural values while maintaining a consistent global brand identity. Through a qualitative content analysis of two Coca-Cola campaigns from these regions, the study examines how cultural considerations influence brand messaging, storytelling, and emotional engagement. The research identifies distinct cultural strategies, the Middle Eastern campaign utilizes subtle symbols and emotional restraint, while the South African campaign uses more... (More)
- This thesis explores how global organizations adapt their communication strategies across different cultural contexts, using Coca-Cola as a case study. Focusing on marketing campaigns in the Middle East and South Africa, the research investigates how Coca-Cola tailors its messaging to align with local cultural values while maintaining a consistent global brand identity. Through a qualitative content analysis of two Coca-Cola campaigns from these regions, the study examines how cultural considerations influence brand messaging, storytelling, and emotional engagement. The research identifies distinct cultural strategies, the Middle Eastern campaign utilizes subtle symbols and emotional restraint, while the South African campaign uses more direct and expressive storytelling. The findings highlight the role of cultural sensitivity, narrative depth, and emotional branding in global marketing, demonstrating that Coca-Cola successfully balances local relevance with global consistency. This thesis contributes to the understanding of global branding by emphasizing the importance of cultural alignment and narrative cohesion in cross-cultural communication. (Less)
- Popular Abstract (Swedish)
- Denna uppsats utforskar hur globala organisationer anpassar sina kommunikationsstrategier i olika kulturella kontext, med Coca-Cola som fallstudie. Genom att fokusera på kampanjer i Mellanöstern och Sydafrika undersöker forskningen hur Coca-Cola anpassar sitt budskap för att stämma överens med lokala kulturella värderingar, samtidigt som man upprätthåller en konsekvent global varumärkesidentitet. Genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys av två Coca-Cola kampanjer från dessa regioner granskar studien hur kulturella hänsyn påverkar varumärkesbudskap, berättande och emotionellt engagemang. Forskningen identifierar tydliga kulturella strategier, kampanjen i Mellanöstern använder subtila symboler och känslomässig sparsamhet, medan kampanjen i... (More)
- Denna uppsats utforskar hur globala organisationer anpassar sina kommunikationsstrategier i olika kulturella kontext, med Coca-Cola som fallstudie. Genom att fokusera på kampanjer i Mellanöstern och Sydafrika undersöker forskningen hur Coca-Cola anpassar sitt budskap för att stämma överens med lokala kulturella värderingar, samtidigt som man upprätthåller en konsekvent global varumärkesidentitet. Genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys av två Coca-Cola kampanjer från dessa regioner granskar studien hur kulturella hänsyn påverkar varumärkesbudskap, berättande och emotionellt engagemang. Forskningen identifierar tydliga kulturella strategier, kampanjen i Mellanöstern använder subtila symboler och känslomässig sparsamhet, medan kampanjen i Sydafrika använder ett mer direkt och uttrycksfullt berättande. Resultaten belyser vikten av kulturell känslighet, berättar djup och emotionell varumärkeskommunikation i global marknadsföring, och visar att Coca-Cola framgångsrikt balanserar lokal relevans med global konsekvens. Denna uppsats bidrar till förståelsen av global varumärkesstrategi genom att betona betydelsen av kulturell anpassning och narrativ sammanhållning i interkulturell kommunikation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9197703
- author
- Cunningham, Olivia LU and Arvedson, Victoria
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SKDK11 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- Global communication strategies, Coca-Cola, cultural adaptation, emotional branding, cultural sensitivity, narrative branding, Middle East, South Africa
- language
- English
- id
- 9197703
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-30 11:10:33
- date last changed
- 2025-06-30 11:10:33
@misc{9197703,
abstract = {{This thesis explores how global organizations adapt their communication strategies across different cultural contexts, using Coca-Cola as a case study. Focusing on marketing campaigns in the Middle East and South Africa, the research investigates how Coca-Cola tailors its messaging to align with local cultural values while maintaining a consistent global brand identity. Through a qualitative content analysis of two Coca-Cola campaigns from these regions, the study examines how cultural considerations influence brand messaging, storytelling, and emotional engagement. The research identifies distinct cultural strategies, the Middle Eastern campaign utilizes subtle symbols and emotional restraint, while the South African campaign uses more direct and expressive storytelling. The findings highlight the role of cultural sensitivity, narrative depth, and emotional branding in global marketing, demonstrating that Coca-Cola successfully balances local relevance with global consistency. This thesis contributes to the understanding of global branding by emphasizing the importance of cultural alignment and narrative cohesion in cross-cultural communication.}},
author = {{Cunningham, Olivia and Arvedson, Victoria}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{Global Message, Local meaning. A case study in Coca-Cola's cultural adaptation: A qualitative content analysis of campaigns in the Middle East and South Africa}},
year = {{2025}},
}