How to Ace a McKinsey Case Interview: The Coca-Cola Strategy

You're interviewing for McKinsey and your interviewer asks how Coca Cola can increase their revenue over the next five years.

You're interviewing for McKinsey and your interviewer asks how Coca Cola can increase their revenue over the next five years. Most case candidates will say that Coke should increase their prices, offer new soda products, or expand into new geographic markets. But Coke has already tried all these strategies and these ideas are very common and will not help you stand out to your interviewer. Instead, I recommend that Coca Cola launch zero proof cocktails so that they can further expand into Gen Z customer markets and sell more beverages to them. Of course, Gen Z customers increasingly buy non alcoholic products, especially when going out late at night and Coca Cola has a strong opportunity to enter this area. But I wouldn't recommend that Coke just launch a zero proof cocktail brand under their existing Coca Cola logo. Instead, I believe that Coca Cola should acquire an existing zero proof cocktail brand and integrate them into Coke's existing product suite. Here, Coke can leverage its existing manufacturing and distribution skills behind the scenes, but by allowing this zero proof cocktail brand to maintain their own logo and branding. This allows Coca Cola to maintain its strong branding for its soda beverages while also allowing the zero proof cocktail brand to expand under its existing logo.