Coca-Cola History
Coca-Cola history began in 1886 when the curiosity of an Atlanta
pharmacist, Dr. John S. Pemberton, led him to create a distinctive
tasting soft drink that could be sold at soda fountains. He created a
flavored syrup, took it to his neighborhood pharmacy, where it was
mixed with carbonated water and deemed “excellent” by those who
sampled it. Dr. Pemberton’s partner and bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson,
is credited with naming the beverage “Coca-Cola” as well as designing
the trademarked, distinct script, still used today.
Did you know? The first servings of Coca-Cola were
sold for 5 cents per glass. During the first year,
sales averaged a modest nine servings per day in
Atlanta. Today, daily servings of Coca-Cola
beverages are estimated at 1.9 billion globally.
Prior to his death in 1888, just two years after creating what was to become
the world’s #1-selling sparkling beverage, Dr. Pemberton sold portions of his
business to various parties, with the majority of the interest sold to Atlanta
businessman, Asa G. Candler. Under Mr. Candler’s leadership, distribution of
Coca-Cola expanded to soda fountains beyond Atlanta. In 1894, impressed by
the growing demand for Coca-Cola and the desire to make the beverage
portable, Joseph Biedenharn installed bottling machinery in the rear of his
Mississippi soda fountain, becoming the first to put Coca-Cola in bottles. Large
scale bottling was made possible just five years later, when in 1899, three
enterprising businessmen in Chattanooga, Tennessee secured exclusive rights
to bottle and sell Coca-Cola. The three entrepreneurs purchased the bottling
rights from Asa Candler for just $1. Benjamin Thomas, Joseph Whitehead and
John Lupton developed what became the Coca-Cola worldwide bottling
system.
EVOLUTION OF THE
COCA-COLA
BOTTLE
EVOLUTION OF THE
COCA-COLA LOGO
EVOLUTION OF THE
COCA-COLA
BOTTLE IN DETAIL
The 1980s featured such memorable slogans as “Coke is It!”, “Catch the Wave”
and “Can’t Beat the Feeling”. In 1993, Coca-Cola experimented with computer
animation, and the popular “Always Coca-Cola” campaign was launched in a
series of ads featuring animated polar bears. Each animated ad in the “Always
Coca-Cola” series took 12 weeks to produce from beginning to end. The bears
were, and still are, a huge hit with consumers because of their embodiment of
characteristics like innocence, mischief and fun. A favorite feature at World of
Coca-Cola is the ability to have your photo taken with the beloved 7′ tall
Coca-Cola Polar Bear.
Did you know? One of the most famous advertising
slogans in Coca-Cola history “The Pause That
Refreshes” first appeared in the Saturday Evening
Post in 1929. The theme of pausing with Coca-Cola
refreshment is still echoed in today’s marketing.
In 2009, the “Open Happiness” campaign was unveiled globally. The central
message of “Open Happiness” is an invitation to billions around the world to
pause, refresh with a Coca-Cola, and continue to enjoy one of life’s simple
pleasures. The “Open Happiness” message was seen in stores, on billboards,
in TV spots and printed advertising along with digital and music components
— including a single featuring Janelle Monae covering the 1980 song, “Are You
Getting Enough Happiness?” The happiness theme continued with “Open the
Games.
1887-1890s – Inserting the trademark On January 31, 1893, the
logo was trademarked with the U.S. Patent Office. The words
"Trade mark" are written in the tail of the "C" in Coca.
1890-1891 – Extra swirls For one year only, the Coke logo gets a
dramatic, swirly makeover.
1941-1960s – Tail tweak The words ‘Trademark Registered’
move out of the tail of the ‘C’. The trademark is noted below the
logo, instead of inside it. 19 November 1947, the modern
Spencerian script, as we know it today, is registered in Australia.
1947-1960s – The Coca-Cola Red Disc Since 1947, the Red
Disc or “button” sign has been used to advertise Coca-Cola. The
strong graphic image of the disc shape, became a cornerstone
for outdoor signage. In 1948, the discs began to be hung inside a
place of business as advertising and decoration.
1958-1960s – A fishy shape This period sees the script placed
inside an Arciform shape, which looks like an arch. The Arciform
sign (better known as the “Fishtail” sign) was unveiled in 1958.
Within a year, the Arciform design was used in copy, signage,
cartoons and on vending machines.
1969 – That white wave The Arden Square logo is unveiled. In a
red box, the Coca-Cola script is underlined with a white ‘wave’,
or ‘Dynamic Ribbon Device’. This is still used today.
1982 – Diet Coke® The 1980’s featured memorable slogans
such as “Coke is It!” and in 1982, the introduction of Diet Coke -
the first extension of the Coca-Cola trademark. The famous
script logo was changed to a slab serif font. And the original Diet
Coke logo design included bold red letters against a white
background.
2003 – Keeping it real With the introduction of the "Coca-Cola...
Real" campaign, the Dynamic Ribbon Device was enhanced with
a shock of yellow and some bubbles.
2007 – A classic design Changing up the previous design, a
simple and bold approach was taken with a single white ribbon.
2011 – 125 years of happiness Coca-Cola's 125th birthday logo
sees bubbles bursting from the contour bottle – a celebration of
the past, present and future.
2013―2014 – Your name, that classic font The Share a Coke
campaign swapped out the Coca-Cola logo with your first name.
Originally, the idea was conceived with names printed in the
traditional “Coca-Cola” Spencerian script. However, due to
trademark issues, a brand-new typeface inspired by the “Coke”
logo was created.
2016 ― “Taste the Feeling” Taking the best from both worlds, the
“Taste the Feeling” campaign brought Coca-Colas One Brand
strategy to life combining the old with the new.
