Coca-Cola Consolidated
- Spencer Johnson
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
How a trusted referral turned into a nationwide storytelling partnership with one of the largest Coca-Cola bottlers in the country.
Industry: Beverage / Consumer Goods
Company Size: Enterprise (17,000+ employees)
Engagement: Ongoing, project-based
Services: Video production, event coverage, facility spotlights, employee stories, activation coverage
The Situation
Coca-Cola Consolidated is the largest Coca-Cola bottler in the United States, with operations spanning the eastern seaboard. They have an internal marketing and communications team, but like most enterprise teams, they are stretched thin. When a story needed to be told in a market where they did not have a local vendor, they needed someone they could trust to show up, understand the brand, and deliver professional content without heavy oversight.
Haven came into the picture through a referral. We had done facility photography for Alston Construction Company on a new build in West Memphis, Arkansas. The team at Coca-Cola Consolidated saw the work, liked what they saw, and asked for an introduction. That one referral opened the door to a relationship that has taken us across the country.
What We Did
The first project was a facility overview video for the West Memphis location. From there, the calls kept coming.
We have since produced ribbon cutting videos, teacher appreciation activations in Indiana, facility spotlights in Silver Spring, Maryland, employee award ceremonies in Baltimore, and a Grizzlies activation in Memphis when the team switched their vendor back to Coca-Cola. Every project is different. Every location is different. But the approach is always the same.
We ask a lot of questions before we ever show up. We run a thorough preproduction process to figure out the heart of each story: what is the message, who are the people, what makes this moment matter? Then we go capture it.
Coca-Cola Consolidated gives us significant creative control because we have earned it through preparation. We do not wait for a script to be handed to us. We come in as a partner who understands how to find the story and tell it in a way that makes the company look like what it is: an integral part of the communities it serves.
What Changed
Coca-Cola Consolidated now has a reliable partner they can deploy anywhere in the country to capture stories that matter. The videos we have produced have generated tens of thousands of views (and in some cases, hundreds of thousands). More importantly, each video reinforces the same message: Coca-Cola Consolidated is deeply connected to the people and places it serves.
We did not replace their internal team. We became a resource that extends their reach. When something is happening and they need it captured well, they know they can make one call and it will be handled.
"Spencer and his team were easy to work with, they provide competitive costs against other vendors while maintaining the professional standard we all look for!" - James, Coca-Cola Consolidated
The Takeaway
This relationship started with one facility video in Arkansas. It grew because we showed up prepared, asked the right questions, and delivered work that made the client look good. No long-term contract required. Just consistent quality and the trust that comes with it.
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