There is hardly anyone who has not tasted Coca-Cola at least once in their lifetime ever since the inception of the beverage. Here are some interesting stories behind the journey of coke over the years:
1.
It is the most sold soft drink in the world and is sold in over 190 countries in the world with more than a billion drinks a day, yet few know about its origins. The drink was created by John Pemberton in 1885 and was initially marketed as a medicine for curing drug addiction, headaches as well as impotency. Interesting, right !
2.
The first advertisement of Coke was also published in the same year (1885) and focused on its origins and flavors. It was a simple ad, focused on the medicinal properties.
3.
Normally it is told that logo is an important part of the brand identity of any company and should not be changed. Yet, Coke has continued to create new logos over the years and re-invent itself with changing times. Here’s a look at its various logos:
4.
Coca- Cola as a brand has always tried to use its slogans to reflect the present circumstances. There have even been slogans like “Three Million a Day” in 1917 to mark the number of drinks in a day.
5.
Coke created how we visualize Santa Claus. Believe it or not, it was Coke’s advertisement in 1931 that created the image of Santa Claus. Prior to this there were many versions of Santa including an elf and a scary Claus. The colors red and white were chosen to promote the brand colors of coke. Illustrator Haddon Sundblom was commissioned by Coke to paint Santa for Christmas advertisements in 1931. Those paintings established Santa as a warm, happy character with human features, including rosy cheeks, a white beard, twinkling eyes and laughter lines. Here’s the 1931 AD which featured modern Santa Claus.
6.
The original Coca Cola had 9 miligrams of Cocaine per serving and was also alcoholic. It was removed from the drink in 1903.
7.
People living in Chiapas, the southernmost state of Mexico drink the maximum Coca-Cola consuming an average of 16 litres per week or 2.2 litres per day. In fact, it is cheaper and more easily available than bottled water in the state.
8.
Coca-Cola was the first commercial partner of the Olympic Games. The association started with the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam and the association has continued since then making it the longest continuous partner of the mega sporting event.
9.
There are exactly two countries in the world where Coca-Cola is not available : North Korea and Cuba !
10.
Coca-Cola is sold in several flavors such as Orange Vanilla, Vanilla, Diet Coke, Zero Sugar Orange, Coffee, Energy, Energy Zero Sugar, Life, Coca-Cola (Original), Zero Sugar, Coca-Cola Cherry. The company owns more than 200 brands world-wide !
Here’s a look at some of its really impressive print ADs over the years:
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