Coca-Cola marketing strategy in 2026 centers on a FIFA World Cup campaign, a redesigned Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and a new CEO. The Coca-Cola Company reported unit case volume up 5% and organic revenue up 6% in the second quarter of 2026, and CEO Henrique Braun credited the World Cup campaign with driving momentum. Some consumers have criticized its AI holiday ads.
The Coca-Cola Company is the Atlanta beverage company behind Coca-Cola, Sprite, FUZE Tea and Powerade. Henrique Braun is its CEO since March 31, 2026. Unit case volume is the company's measure of drinks sold to consumers across its system, and organic revenue is revenue growth that excludes currency, acquisitions and divestitures.
What is Coca-Cola's marketing strategy in 2026?
Coca-Cola's 2026 marketing strategy is event-led, product-led and local: a World Cup campaign, a redesigned Zero Sugar and market-by-market execution, according to CEO Henrique Braun on the second quarter earnings call.
Braun said the integrated FIFA World Cup campaign showed the strength of the Coca-Cola system at scale. He named four working principles: insights, innovation, intimacy and integration. On CNBC he said Powerade was present during the tournament's hydration breaks, per CNBC.
Braun also said Coca-Cola Zero Sugar was redesigned to win evening occasions, and that the product expanded to more markets after a strong start in Europe. A Yahoo Finance report put Zero Sugar growth at 16% in the quarter.
Coca-Cola grew organic revenue 10% in the first quarter and 6% in the second quarter of 2026, and raised its full-year outlook in July, per its quarterly releases.
| Period | Organic revenue | Unit case volume | Other figures | Source |
|---|
| Q1 2026 (April 28) | Up 10% | Up 3% | Net revenues up 12% | SEC filing |
| Q2 2026 (July 28) | Up 6% | Up 5% | Net revenues up 7% to $13.4 billion; comparable EPS $0.97, up 11% | Business Wire release |
| Full-year 2026 outlook | About 5% | Not stated | Comparable EPS growth of 9% to 10% | CNBC |
Coca-Cola also reported it gained value share in total nonalcoholic ready-to-drink beverages in the second quarter, and every reporting segment grew volume, per CNBC.
Who runs Coca-Cola now?
Henrique Braun runs Coca-Cola as CEO, having succeeded James Quincey on March 31, 2026, per the company's CEO succession release of Dec. 10, 2025.
Quincey, CEO since 2017, became executive chairman. MarketScreener reported that the company credits Quincey with adding more than 10 billion-dollar brands and a focus on digital transformation and modernized marketing. Braun, a company veteran since 1996, said in the second quarter release that Coca-Cola stays close to consumers and customers.
What happened with Coca-Cola's AI holiday ads?
Some consumers criticized Coca-Cola's AI-driven holiday campaigns, per MediaPost, which noted the company had invested heavily in AI marketing capabilities under Quincey.
The same report said Coca-Cola brought back its Share a Coke campaign in 2025 with new digital components. EPR's analysis of Share a Coke covers how that personalization model began. For a rival's advertising misstep, see EPR's case study of Pepsi's Kendall Jenner ad.
What risks does Coca-Cola's strategy carry?
Coca-Cola's strategy carries three risks that its own statements show: growth helped by an easy comparison, consumer price pressure, and reliance on one-time events.
Braun said second quarter volume growth of 5% was aided by cycling an easier prior-year comparison, and that the two-year average was 2%, per the Investing.com transcript. He also said many consumers face inflation and economic pressure, per CNBC. EPR's read: the World Cup happens once every four years, so the 2026 lift will not repeat on its own in 2027.
What can marketers take from Coca-Cola's approach?
Marketers can take three moves from Coca-Cola: build an event campaign the whole system can run, redesign a core product for a new occasion, and judge results over two years.
| Move | What Coca-Cola reports | Check before copying |
|---|
| Build an event campaign the system can run | World Cup activation credited for second quarter momentum | Whether partners and bottlers share the same plan and dates |
| Redesign a core product for a new occasion | Zero Sugar redesigned for evenings, expanded after Europe | Whether one market's result holds in the next |
| Judge results over two years | 5% quarterly volume growth against a 2% two-year average | Whether an easy prior year is flattering your growth |
Report event results against a two-year baseline, as Coca-Cola's own executives did, before you decide the campaign worked.
