The origins of this strategy are said to stem from Daft’s time as country manager for Coke Japan in the mid 1980s. It
is reported that during this time, Daft ‘broke with tradition and expanded the company’s product-line beyond its
carbonated core brands to cater to fickle Japanese tastes’, introducing new products such as a canned coffee
called Georgia (still Coca-Cola’s most successful line in Japan), Royal Milk Tea, as well as various juices and
‘health tonics’ (Yoon, 2001). Upon elevation to CEO, Daft drew on this experience to redirect Coca-Cola’s
global marketing efforts. Daft firmly believed that a similar path to that taken in Japan was the way forward for
the company in all world markets if it was to regain a strong brand identity, as well as wrest market share and
brand supremacy from Pepsi