What is Coca-Cola and where did it come from?
Coca-Cola is a popular caffeinated soft drink available in many different varieties, produced by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally produced in 1886 by John Pemberton, the recipe has been largely unchanged since 1904 (when the cocaine content was removed) which has made Coca-Cola one of the most successful soft drinks in history. The Coca-Cola brand is now one of the most recognisable in the world.
Coca-Cola advertising through history
^ Coca-Cola ad from 1890
Coca-Cola advertising in the 20th century was mostly successful. In the 1960s-1980s the company largely used movie stars and sporting heroes to promote the brand on a variety of media such as TV and billboard advertising. In the 1970s, the theme song I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing from a Coke advert was so popular it became a hit single.
^ Coke billboard in remote Moroccan mountains
One of the most memorable failures of Coke advertising was the introduction of "New Coke" in the mid-1980s which was a total reformulation of Coca-Cola and proved to be so unpopular no amount of advertising could save it:
^ Failed "New Coke" brand
Modern Coca-Cola adverts tend to use themes from earlier ones, for example Christmas Coca-Cola adverts still use Santa Claus, a recurring theme in Coke advertising since 1903. The sense of togetherness and belonging is also a recurring theme in new Coca-Cola adverts. A 2007 campaign featured a virtual character travelling around a city handing out Coke, and the Christmas campaign of the same year featured a friendly Santa Claus sharing bottles of Coca-Cola out as presents.
Notable Coca-Cola slogans throughout history
- 1886 - Drink Coca-Cola.
- 1904 - Delicious and refreshing.
- 1905 - Coca-Cola revives and sustains.
- 1908 - Good til the last drop
- 1923 - Enjoy life
- 1924 - Refresh Yourself
- 1926 - It had to be good to get where it is.
- 1928 - Coca-Cola ... pure drink of natural flavors.
- 1929 - The pause that refreshes.
- 1932 - Ice-cold sunshine.
- 1938 - The best friend thirst ever had.
- 1939 - Whoever you are, whatever you do, wherever you may be, when you think of refreshment, think of ice cold Coca-Cola.
- 1942 - The only thing like Coca-Cola is Coca-Cola itself.
- 1949 - Coca-Cola ... along the highway to anywhere.
- 1952 - What you want is a Coke.
- 1956 - Coca-Cola ... makes good things taste better.
- 1957 - Sign of good taste.
- 1958 - The Cold, Crisp Taste of Coke
- 1959 - Be really refreshed.
- 1969 - It's the real thing
- 1979 - Have a Coke and a smile
- 1986 - Catch the Wave (for New Coke)
- 1989 - Can't beat the real thing.
- 1993 - Always Coca-Cola.
- 2001 - Life tastes Good.
- 2006 - The Coke Side of Life.
- 2007 - Give a Little Love and it All Comes Back to You.
Coca-Cola advertising has always reflected the mood of the time and has the ability to communicate well with its audience, something which a lot of brands fail to do. Although Coca-Cola may be criticised for being unhealthy, its success over many generations has proved that its consumers are loyal to the brand (especially in the USA where the Coke brand is seen as a "Great American Brand" similar to Microsoft and Chevrolet).
in progress
2 comments:
I would have liked to see the analasis of the failed adverts. I feel that the blog is slightly confusing as some comments do clash!
See comments for the Pepsi post, as the two posts are almost identical.
Maybe you could do a joint coca-cola/pepsi post comparing their campaigns from a particular year, to see how the two companies market what is essentially the same product in different ways.
Silvia
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