Public Response in High Uncertainty and High
Power Distance Nations
Coca-Cola’s slow response affected the levels of trust of
consumers who were once loyal to the Coca-Cola brand. Over 200 people fell ill
after drinking Coke products, and many felt betrayed when the company refused to
believe their claims of illness. Belgian, French, and Spanish consumers not only
stopped drinking traditional Coke products, but also stopped buying related Coca-
Cola brand products, such as Fanta, Nestea, and Coca-Cola Light. Given the
competitiveness of the soft drink industry, Coca-Cola needed to strengthen consumer
loyalty, not discourage it.
Governments are often important publics for international organizations.
Government–business relationships are a very important aspect of public relations
in Western Europe. According to Haug and Koppang,48 Western European governments
affect private corporations because there are large amounts of red tape in
the bureaucratic systems that require international organizations to devote resources
to getting favorable action on policy issues as well as a system of government
subsidies that favor local or national organizations over multinational organizations.
Both of these areas create a growing need for organizations that operate
in Western European to use lobbying as a public relations tool to gain maximum
influence.49
The Belgian government was a key public that was all but ignored during the
crisis. If Coca-Cola had conducted research into the current events of Belgian
health issues, the organization would have learned that the Belgian government
had recently been scandalized over a livestock feed scare. During the spring of
1999, the government of Belgium was publicly humiliated in front of its European