Coca-Cola teams with Tsinghua to explore marketing

The Coca-Cola Co began a decade-long program in partnership with Tsinghua University on March 31 that will include business courses, research into marketing and faculty development, said Qian Yingyi, dean of the School of Economics and Management.

The international beverage giant will also host a series of lectures and events at the school to help students broaden their views on international business.

The initiative is significant in the process of globalization since enterprises from both East and West are eager to share their ideas and experiences with each other to succeed in today's business world, said Ahmet Bozer, executive vice president of Coca-Cola Co and president of Coca-Cola International.

Bozer delivered an hourlong presentation about "Open Happiness-Can a business be a force for good." as the first official lecture in the program.

He outlined Coca-Cola Co' s global marketing strategy and shared his personal insight on business development with hundreds of Tsinghua students.

One of the major points of the lecture was the need for combining social good with business, which is key to sustainable development.

Business should be a force for good and help solve some of the social problems that the world faces, Bozer said.

If a business wants to exist far into the future it needs to be concerned about its host communities and try to make them better, creating a "win-win situation", he added.

Many in the audience found Bozer's lecture inspiring.

"It gave me some new thoughts on business - it is not only about making money, but also about changing the world and making it a better place," said one student.

Bozer also shared Western culture and marketing philosophies such as the analytical ability that is emphasized.

The ability "means to take a problem divided into pieces and solves those pieces in the best possible way", said Bozer.

Coca-Cola Co advertising videos were also shown, giving students examples of how marketing works in a successful business.

The 21st Century Marketing Program provides learning opportunity for the future global marketing leaders, Bozer said.

Coca-Cola Co and Tsinghua have a tradition of communication and cooperation.

In 2011, Muhtar Kent, CEO and Chairman of Coca-Cola Co, was invited to be one of the foreign members of the Tsinghua SEM Advisory Board.

In January this year, a group from the Tsinghua School of Economics and Management faculty visited Coca-Cola Co' s headquarters in Atlanta.

With the rapid development of technology, the way people live has changed dramatically, Bozer said.

"We would like to help train marketers that know how to succeed in a world in motion," he said.

zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn