This week, Supermarket News (SM) discussed the holistic view the Coca-Cola Co. is taking in its approach to working collaboratively with retailers.

As the industry publication reports, “If you’re a Kroger or a Marsh, for example, you now have one person, one general manager with a customer team, coming in and representing The Coca-Cola Co. in the entirety of the portfolio,” said Steve Cahillane, president and chief executive officer, Coca-Cola Refreshments (CCR).

This new approach for the major beverage company combines a widely coordinated marketing approach that is a great improvement from their earlier situation – one that often including the company’s units pursuing different strategies with the same customers, and at times even competing with one another.

This new holistic, collaborative approach is having some positive results. As reported in SM, last fall’s Kantar Retail PoweRanking survey, an annual measure of how trading partners rank each other, was particularly glowing about the company. Coca-Cola gained points in a range of areas, including:

• Clearest company strategy,
• Most important consumer brands to retailers,
• Business fundamentals, and
• Best sales force/customer teams.