PESTICIDES IN COCA-COLA AND PEPSI - Cultural Anthropology

CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY 22:4
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and attitudes on a host of broader issues related to the role and responsibilities
of MNCs and private enterprise in defining and catering to the public good. The
remainder of this article is devoted to delineating some of these themes that recur
in the media commentary and to exploring the potential and limits of consumerism
as a transformative social force.
CORPORATE MANAGEMENT OF BRAND IMAGE: A VIABLE BASIS
FOR A NEW SOCIAL CONTRACT?
One of the constant refrains in the media commentary, even when unsympathetic
to MNCs, pertains to the presumed centrality of brand image in their
marketing calculus. The impetus for corporate responsibility, it is reasoned, will
come not necessarily from the development of a social conscience but from a
self-interested concern for preserving and enhancing brand equity in a fiercely
competitive marketplace. Numerous narratives involve favorable juxtaposition of
MNCs with the domestic companies, and of course, the state, which are described
as largely unencumbered by such concerns. The MNCs, however, are supposed to
have too much to lose by allowing their image to be tarnished. A commentator in
Financial Times made clear the hierarchy of consumer expectations:
It may not be much comfort to the managers of PepsiCo and Coca-Cola . . . but
the soft drink campaign is a back-handed complement to big international
brands. The CSE is relying on the fact that Indians expect little from the
government but want good service from private companies and demand the
highest standards of all from foreign multinationals. [2003]
The potential of brands and brand images to provide a platform in which
consumer preferences and corporate goals can be brought together in a dynamic,
mutually beneficial, dialogue, however, appears premised on specific assumptions
about branding. Despite the attempts of brand managers to evolve generic formulae,
the use of which will result in a linear and unidirectional transfer of content—from
the corporation to the consumer—the communicative process remains open-ended
and prone to slippages. In a situation rife with indeterminacy, trust is often invoked
as a substitute for the elusive profile of consumer expectations. The vice president
of The Coca-Cola Company described its efforts to win back consumer trust, in
the aftermath of the controversy, as work in progress: “We are still conceptualizing
our consumer-connect exercise—this could include television, print, and online
advertising, on-ground activity and meeting up with retailers” (Bhushan 2003).