Coca-Cola: Corporate Reputation Partner in Myanmar

Coca-Cola's return to Myanmar was one of the most visible foreign investments of the country's opening, and with visibility came scrutiny. Regulators, communities, media and civil society all watched how the company hired, sourced, invested and behaved.

The business needed to protect its licence to operate while telling a consistent story about its contribution to the country. That required a partner able to plan corporate and ESG communications for the year ahead, and to respond quickly when issues arose.

Ruder Finn Era acted as an extension of Coca-Cola Myanmar's public affairs function for more than five years. Each year the team led planning for PR and key messaging across ESG and corporate communications, so that every announcement, from investment milestones to sustainability and community programmes, reinforced the same story of long-term commitment.

The programme ran on two tracks: proactive reputation building through media relations, stakeholder events and CSR storytelling, and reactive crisis and issues management with prepared positions and rapid response when supply chain, labour or regulatory questions surfaced.

Planning was matched with execution. The same team delivered every element of the annual campaigns and the always-on work in between, giving Coca-Cola continuity of counsel and of relationships with Myanmar's media.