Vertical Integration in Soft Drinks (2024)

Julian Gropp

The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Inc., and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group sell concentrates to bottling firms, which subsequently bottle the raw product and distribute it. Thus, concentrate can be described as an intermediary product, while the bottle filled with a carbonated soft drink can be seen as the final good. Coca-Cola and PepsiCo are therefore upstream manufacturing firms, which sell their products to downstream bottling and distributing firms. In early 2010 PepsiCo underlined with a much-noticed acquisition of its two biggest bottlers, The Pepsi Bottling Group and PepsiAmericas, a change in strategy. According to PepsiCo, these vertical integrations allowed a higher flexibility in pricing and products. One month later Coca-Cola announced that it will buy Coca-Cola Enterprises, which is the company’s biggest bottler.

Double marginalization?

From an oligopoly model perspective, vertical integration solves the problem of double marginalization since a downstream firm cannot maximize profits anymore by equating marginal costs and marginal revenue. Hence, the model suggests that prices will be lower in a vertically integrated market compared to a vertically unintegrated market. Although indeed a price reduction by about 3-5 percent can be observed, empirical evidence, nevertheless, shows that double marginalization is not the main reason for vertical integration. The main rationale is, in fact, the elimination of inefficiencies. In sum, the statistical data emphasize the claim that vertical integration leads to a price reduction for retail products. However, the price reduction is not mainly a consequence of eliminating bottlers’ market power but rather of increasing efficiencies and reducing marginal costs.

Tacit collusion?

Recent papers concluded that vertical integration results in tacit collusion and should therefore lead to higher prices and lower output. That is to say, within an oligopoly model there is an outlets effect and a punishment effect of vertical integrating with a downstream firm. The punishment effect increases the incentive to cheat for an upstream firm, while the outlets effect decreases the incentive to deviate from a colluded price. In the long-term the outlets effect dominates the punishment effect and thus vertical integration has anti-competitive consequences. Nevertheless, for various reasons the theoretical model seems not be applicable to the carbonated soft drink industry. The constant threat of new entry, transparent pricing-schemes, and competition with substitute beverages deter Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Dr Pepper from engaging in collusion.

Conclusion

Therefore, we have to come to the conclusion that vertical integrations in the carbonated soft drink industry increases consumer surplus and decreases deadweight loss by reducing retail prices. Although the industry faces a very high concentration ratio with the oligopoly of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Dr Pepper Snapples, tacit collusion does not seem to pose a threat to consumers.

6 Comments

  1. Vertical Integration in Soft Drinks (1)Trey Hatcher

    It is interesting to think that vertical integrations can increase consumer surplus, particularly given the fact that this could potentially increase market power of the producer. Soft drink companies appear to be very good at achieving both economies of scale and economies of scope (in the drink markets) without becoming monopolies and harming consumers by using their market power to raise prices. Do you think the lack of tacit collusion is a result of the fact that soft drinks are a discretionary good, which can be switched with water, coffee, beer, etc?

    December 5, 2012Reply

  2. Vertical Integration in Soft Drinks (2)peaseley

    It has always been interesting to me that Pepsi and co*ke are able to produce almost the exact same products. co*ke:Pepsi, Sprite:Sierra Mist, Mello-Yello:Mountain Dew. The list goes on and on. With co*ke deciding to vertically integrate right after pepsi it seems that both companies work hard to limit product differentiation.

    December 6, 2012Reply

  3. Vertical Integration in Soft Drinks (3)grop

    First, I don’t really think that product differentiation is eliminated through vertical integration. Upstream manufacturing firms can still come up with new ideas for drinks and then the downstream firms will have to bottle the new product. In fact, in my opinion product differentiation will always play an important role in the carbonated soft drink industry since costs of entry are very low. If co*ke and Pepsi don’t meet consumer demand, another company will enter the market.
    Second, with respect to market power I argue in my paper that alternative drinks such as bottled water, juice etc. actually do constrain co*ke and Pepsi. Moreover, the soft drink industry is a market that heavily relies on increases in quantity. In general, it seems as if this special industry is not susceptible to tacit collusion.

    December 7, 2012Reply

  4. Thank a lot for sharing information.

    October 8, 2015Reply

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Vertical Integration in Soft Drinks (2024)

FAQs

What is an example of vertical integration in Coca-Cola? ›

The soda industry is trending toward vertical integration, which co*ke and Pepsi acquiring their largest bottlers. From the WSJ: co*ke and PepsiCo sell concentrate to bottlers, which then bottle and distribute the soft drinks in their territories.

Does Coca-Cola use vertical integration? ›

The vertically integrated bottlers (Coca-Cola Enterprises, Pepsi Bottling Group and Pepsi Americas) bottled Dr Pepper's products both before and after the vertical integration.

What is a good example of vertical integration? ›

Vertical integration involves acquiring or developing one or more important parts of a company's production process or supply chain. For example, Netflix's shift from licensing shows and movies from major studios to producing its own original content is an example of vertical integration.

Why did co*ke Pepsi vertically integrate? ›

According to PepsiCo, these vertical integrations allowed a higher flexibility in pricing and products. One month later Coca-Cola announced that it will buy Coca-Cola Enterprises, which is the company's biggest bottler.

When did Coca Cola vertically integrate? ›

A number of vertical transactions took place in 2009 and 2010, which involved The Coca Cola Company, PepsiCo, and some of their bottlers. After the vertical mergers, double marginalization was eliminated for the brands owned and bottled by PepsiCo and The Coca Cola Company (i.e., own brands).

What type of integration is Coca Cola? ›

Balanced Integration

Consider the supply chain process for Coca-Cola where raw materials are sourced, the beverage is concocted, and bottled drinks are distributed for sale.

Is Coca-Cola an example of horizontal integration? ›

Horizontal Integration Example : Coca-Cola Acquiring Juice Brands. As part of their Horizontal Integration strategy, Coca-Cola acquired del Valle in 2007.

Is the Coca-Cola Company an example of an integrated market? ›

The Coca-Cola Company is one of the world known brands that uses integrated marketing communications as the method of its positive image creation.

How is Starbucks an example of vertical integration? ›

Starbucks uses both forward and backward vertical integration to maximize profits. By maintaining direct relationships with coffee growers and owning their equipment, storage, and roasting facilities, Starbucks can control its entire manufacturing process.

How does McDonald's use vertical integration? ›

McDonald's has been studied intensively in supply chain management courses and has vertically integrated its supply chain since the early 1990s. By owning more supply chain elements, McDonald's has more control over its product quality and cost. By owning livestock farms, McDonald's can better control its beef patties.

Why McDonald's is example of vertical integration? ›

Effective Vertical Integration

McDonalds is integrated in every stage of the supply chain through partnerships with contracted suppliers. This means that the fast-food chain processes the meat themselves, grows its potatoes and transports its own materials.

What was the first example of vertical integration? ›

Vertical Integration was first used in business practice when Andrew Carnegie used this practice to dominate the steel market with his company Carnegie Steel. It allowed him to cut prices and exhuberate his dominance in the market. Currently, this is considered a vertical monopoly and is illegal as an entity.

Why is Coca-Cola more successful than Pepsi? ›

What makes Coca-Cola more successful than Pepsi? Coca-Cola has a much stronger position in the industry than Pepsi because of its diversified product line and portfolio, which gives it the upper hand when it comes to competition.

What sets co*ke apart from Pepsi? ›

One ingredient sets the two apart

Coca-Cola contains no citric acid compared to Pepsi, which gives it a smoother, more mellow flavor. This is due to the fact that Coca-Cola uses phosphoric acid instead of citric acid to provide acidity to the drink.

What is the relationship between co*ke and Pepsi? ›

The cola wars are the long-time rivalry between soft drink producers The Coca-Cola Company and PepsiCo, who have engaged in mutually-targeted marketing campaigns for the direct competition between each company's product lines, especially their flagship colas, Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

What company is the most famous and earliest example of vertical integration? ›

One of the earliest, largest and most famous examples of vertical integration was the Carnegie Steel company.

What is an example of vertical integration at Nestle? ›

As a vertically integrated company, Nestlé Waters is responsible for producing its own packaging, making its own package preforms and blowmolding its own bottles. Another example of cost-saving efficiency is the company's choice to use a warehouse delivery system as opposed to direct store delivery.

What type of strategy does Coca-Cola use? ›

Cocacola uses a functional strategy to run its business. Functional strategies are specific goals set out for different divisions of an organisation to reach its functional objectives. The divisions usually include Marketing, Finance, Operations, and Human Resources.

What type of strategy does Coca-Cola have? ›

Coca-Cola Marketing Channels

Coca-Cola initially employed an undifferentiated targeting strategy. In recent times, it has started localizing its products for better acceptability. It incorporates two basic marketing channels: Personal and Non-personal.

What is vertical integration strategy? ›

Vertical integration is when a firm extends its operations within its supply chain. It means that a vertically integrated company will bring in previously outsourced operations in-house. The direction of vertical integration can either be upstream (backward) or downstream (forward).

Is Coca-Cola and Pepsi a horizontal merger? ›

A merger between Coca-Cola and the Pepsi beverage division, for example, would be horizontal in nature. The goal of a horizontal merger is to create a new, larger organization with more market share.

What is an example of Coca-Cola related diversification? ›

The company has diversified its offerings and now has several bottled water brands, energy drinks, juices, sports drinks, teas and vitamin water. These changes allow the company to survive and thrive even if the demand in one central area slows down.

Is Coca-Cola vertical or horizontal integration? ›

Because Coca-Cola and PepsiCo merged with only a subset of their bottlers, vertical integration took place in only some parts of the country. This geographical variation in vertical integration generated rich longitudinal and cross-sectional variation in vertical structure, which is key for the analysis.

What are the 3 examples of market integration? ›

There are three basic kinds of market integration
  • Horizontal integration.
  • vertical integration.
  • Conglomeration.

What is a real life example of market integration? ›

Examples of market integration are the establishment of wholesaling facilities by food retailers and the setting up of another plant by a milk processor. In each case, there is a concentration of decision making in the hands of a single management.

Is Nestle a vertical integration? ›

Vertically integrating into farming allows Nestle to ensure stable supply and remove intermediaries.

How is Disney an example of vertical integration? ›

Forward Vertical Integration. A forward vertical integration strategy involves a firm moving further down the value chain to enter a buyer's business. Disney has pursued forward vertical integration by operating more than three hundred retail stores that sell merchandise based on Disney's characters and movies.

Is Netflix an example of vertical integration? ›

The Secret To Peloton, Apple, Netflix, and Tesla's Growth: It's Vertical Integration Instead of just focusing on one thing, these companies are building and mastering every part of the market themselves. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

What are examples of vertical integration in the food industry? ›

Generally speaking, vertical integration in the processing and manufacturing sectors involves the manufacturer purchasing companies that support earlier processes and provide key inputs. For example, a cereal manufacturer may purchase a wheat farm and a company that produces paperboard boxes.

Does Burger King use vertical integration? ›

Burger King, the leading QSR brand in Turkey operating over 650 restaurants since 1995, has experienced rapid growth and development as a result of its focus on its consumers and its vertically integrated business.

What is vertical integration in food industry? ›

Vertical integration removes the steps and mystery between the farm and the final product. This creates a simpler supply chain that creates a direct connection all the way back to the farm.

Is Wal-Mart an example of vertical integration? ›

Wal-Mart's success attracted competitors. To differentiate itself against the rising competition, Wal-Mart took control of its distribution and logistics channels. This vertical integration gave the company a competitive advantage over competitors that relied on third-party suppliers.

What type of integration is McDonald's? ›

A McDonald's franchise is an example of a quasi-vertical integration franchise.

What was the best vertically integrated company? ›

Since 2021, vertical integration has been at the center of the strategies of companies like Amazon, Apple, Ferrero, Tesla, and NVidia.

What are the 3 types of vertical integration *? ›

Types of Vertical Integration
  • Forward integration. Acquiring companies or assets upstream in the supply chain. ...
  • Backward integration. Acquiring companies or assets downstream in the value chain. ...
  • Balanced integration. ...
  • Advantages.
  • Disadvantages. ...
  • Value Destruction.
  • Culture.
  • Operations.
Dec 29, 2022

Why do some companies use vertical integration? ›

Vertical integration helps a company to manage and control various aspects of the production, distribution, and sales processes. The goal of vertical integration is typically to increase sales, eliminate costs, and improve profits by improving business operations.

What has made Coca-Cola so successful? ›

The power of advertising- Coca-Cola becomes a household name. A big part of Coca-Cola's success over the years has been its focus on innovative marketing and advertising campaigns. In 2020, Coca-Cola was ranked as the 6th most powerful brand in the world.

Why is Coca-Cola company so successful? ›

A significant part of Coca-Cola's success is its emphasis on brand over product. co*ke doesn't sell a soft drink in a bottle; it sells “happiness” in a bottle.

Why Coca-Cola still dominates the beverage market? ›

Even though the coca-cola brand is widely known, they price all their products competitively (Product mix). Though competition is the major reason the Coca-cola brand uses this strategy and other marketing dynamics, another key reason for employing this strategy is to make their products more accessible and affordable.

Which is healthier co*ke or Pepsi? ›

Pepsi packs more calories, sugar, and caffeine than co*ke. Regular sodas are full of calories, 140 per can and up. Pepsi was publicizing the findings in their advertisem*nts and it was starting to put a dent in co*kes market shares.

Who is winning the Cola Wars? ›

The Wall Street Journal Declares Diet co*ke the Winner of the 'Cola Wars' Although Coca-Cola sales had topped Pepsi's sales for years, the two sodas were always No. 1 and 2, respectively.

Does anyone prefer Pepsi over co*ke? ›

The Bottom Line. This test was a close one! While most staffers in our Test Kitchen preferred Pepsi in a blind test, that doesn't mean that Coca-Cola was bad in any way. Some testers thought co*ke is just a little too sweet and not quite fizzy enough compared to Pepsi—which isn't negative by any stretch.

Who is richer Coca-Cola or Pepsi? ›

Since 2004, Coca-Cola Company has been the market leader, according to industry statistics. Pepsi ranks second, followed by Dr. Pepper-Snapple. In Q1 2022, PepsiCo had a market cap of $229.3 billion while Coca-Cola had a market cap of $268.4 billion.

Who makes more money between co*ke and Pepsi? ›

Coca-Cola generated over $38 billion in revenue, compared to PepsiCo's over $79 billion. What is this? Pepsi is owned by PepsiCo, the holding company which owns many brands spanning from drinks to food & snacks and more. PepsiCo generated nearly $80 billion in revenue in 2021 and over $7.6 billion in profits.

Who is older Pepsi or co*ke? ›

Dr. John S. Pemberton created Coca Cola in 1886 while Pepsi did not come about until 1893. Both companies have long histories, and each has had some ups and downs along the way.

What is an example of horizontal integration Coca-Cola? ›

In this way, Coca-Cola was able to cover other fronts by taking over the manufacture of substitute products such as energy drinks in the first instance as occurred with the launch of Powerade and juices. For powerful companies like Coca-Cola, this happens on a regular basis.

Is the Coca-Cola company an example of an integrated market? ›

The Coca-Cola Company is one of the world known brands that uses integrated marketing communications as the method of its positive image creation.

What is an example of a horizontal and vertical integration strategy? ›

Horizontal integration helps acquire control over the market, but vertical integration helps gain control over the whole industry. Example: The Heinz and Kraft Foods merger is an example of horizontal integration.

Is Starbucks horizontal or vertical integration? ›

Starbucks uses both forward and backward vertical integration to maximize profits. By maintaining direct relationships with coffee growers and owning their equipment, storage, and roasting facilities, Starbucks can control its entire manufacturing process.

What is Coca-Cola's marketing strategy? ›

co*ke aggressively markets its product lines through advertising across multiple mediums and channels, including TV, online ads, sponsorships, etc. Coca-Cola's sponsorships include NASCAR, NBA, the Olympics, American Idol, etc.

How did McDonald's use vertical integration? ›

Effective Vertical Integration

McDonalds is integrated in every stage of the supply chain through partnerships with contracted suppliers. This means that the fast-food chain processes the meat themselves, grows its potatoes and transports its own materials.

What is an example of vertical integration in McDonald's? ›

Vertical integration has helped McDonald's keep a tight grip on its costs. By controlling more of the supply chain, McDonald's can reduce waste and inefficiencies. For example, by owning livestock farms, McDonald's can avoid the volatility of meat prices.

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