The Chanler Era
On may 1, 1889, Asa Candler published a full
page advertisement in the Atlanta Journal, proclaiming his wholesale
and retail drug business as "sole proprietors of
Coca-Cola.....Delicious. Refreshing. Exhilarating. Invigorating."
Sole ownership, which Chandler did not actually achieve until 1891,
cost him a total of $2,300.
Chandler had a flair for merchandising, and
by 1892, sales of Coca-Cola syrup had increased nearly tenfold. He
soon disposed of his pharmaceutical business to devote full time to
the soft drink. With his brother, Attorney John S. Chandler, John
Pemberton’s former partner, Chandler formed a Georgia corporation
named the Coca-Cola Company, with capital stock of $100,000.
While Chandler's efforts focused on boosting
soda fountain sales, other ideas were developing that would spread
the enjoyment of Coca-Cola worldwide. In 1894, in Vicksburg,
Mississippi, Joseph A. Biedenmharn was so impressed by the growing
demand for Coca-Cola at his soda fountain that he installed bottling
machinery in the rear of his store and began to take bottles of
Coca-cola to plantations and lumber camps up and down the Mississippi
River. As a result in, using syrup shipped from Atlanta, he became
the first to put Coca-Cola in bottles. this innovation created a new
marketing concept and opened the way to wider distribution of
Coca-Cola.
The first bottling plant under the new
contract was opened in Chattanooga in 1899 and the second in Atlanta
the following year. By then, realising they could not raise enough
capital to build bottling operations nationwide, Thomas, Whitehead
and Lupton decided to seek out local capital. They contacted with
competent individuals to establish community bottling operations and
in the return, the new partners received defined geographic areas in
which to develop markets for Coca-Cola.
In the next 20 years, the first two plants
increased to over 1,000, with 95 percent locally owned and operated.
As the business grew, development of high speed bottling machinery
and increasingly efficient transportation enabled bottlers to serve
more customers with more products. today, about 1,400 bottlers serve
consumers worldwide, forming an effective and vital part of the
modern Coca-Cola system.
A Man named Woodruff
In 1919, The Coca-Cola Company was sold by
the Chandler interests to Atlanta banker Ernest Woodruff and an
investor group he had organised. The sale price was $25 million.
Soon, the business was incorporated as a Delaware corporation, and
its common stock was sold publicly for $40 per share.
Four years later, Robert Winship Woodruff
was elected president of the Company, beginning more than six decades
of active leadership in the business. The vigorous, 33-year-old
Georgian had risen from truck salesman to vice president and general
manager of White Motor Company before he joined the soft drink firm's
Board of Directors.
The president put new major emphasis on
product quality. he established a "QualityDrink" campaign with a
staff of high trained servicemen to encourage and assist fountain
outlets in aggressively selling and correctly serving Coca-Cola.
Advertising and marketing support were increased substantially for
the bottle business, in which Woodruff saw vast potential. By the end
of 1928, the sales of Coca-Cola in bottles for the first time
exceeded sales at fountains.
In 1929, the cartoon was joined by another
revolutionary merchandiser-the metal, open-top cooler to serve
Coca-Cola ice cold in retail outlets.
Robert Woodruff envisioned Coca-Cola as an
international institution. Working with talented associates, his
leadership set the momentum that has carried Coca-Cola to every
corner of the world. The same year, Cuba and Puerto Rico were
introduced to the softdrink and it wasn't long before the
international distribution of syrup began. Through the early 1900s,
bottling operations were built in Cuba, Panama, Puerto Rico, the
Philippine and Guam. In 1920, a bottling company began operating in
France- The first on the European continent. In 1926, Woodruff
committed the Company to organised international expansion by
establishing the Foreign Department.
Coca-Cola and the Olympics began their
association in the summer of 1928, when an American freighter arrived
in Amsterdam harbour carrying the United States Olympic team and
1,000 cases of Coca-Cola. Forty thousand spectators filled the
stadium to witness two firsts- the first was lighting of the Olympic
flame and the first sale of Coke at an Olympiad.
In 1985, the Company initiated a new era in
its Olympic partnership, becoming the first sponsor of the
International Olympic Committee under a new plan called the Olympic
Program (TOP).
A Symbol of Friendship
At the outbreak of World War II, Coca-Cola
was bottled in 44 countries worldwide, including those on both sides
of the conflict. But instead of devastating the Coca-Cola business,
the war only made the entire Coca-Cola system more determined to
succeed than ever before.
The effort to supply the armed forces with
Coke already was being launched by an elite group of employees when
an urgent cablegram was sent from General Dwight Eisenhower's Allied
Headquarters in North America.
Advertising for All Times
It is unlikely that any commercial slogan
will ever create the lasting impact of "The Pause that Refreshes,"
which appeared first in The Saturday Evening Post in February 1929.
It was the descendant of a long line of memorable slogans that have
captured the public's fancy- beginning with the oldest, Dr.
Pemberton's "Delicious and Refreshing" in 1886. "Thirst Knows No
Season" in 1922, "It Had To Be Good To Get Where It Is" in 1925 and
"Around The Corner From Anywhere" in 1927 solidified the universal,
year-round appear of Coca-Cola.
Many more brilliant slogans followed, often
echoing the refreshing idea: "It's The Refreshing Thing To Do"- in
1936, "Global High Sign"- in 1944, "Sign Of Good Taste"- 1957, "Be
Really Refreshed"- 1959. The highly successful "Things Go Better With
Coke" introduced an easy-going feeling in 1963.
"It The Real Thing", first used in 1942, was
revived in 1969 to support a whole new merchandising stance for the
product. In 1971, young people from around the world gathered on a
hilltop to sing "I'd like to buy the world a Coke, a counterpoint to
turbulent time.
In 1976, the reminder that "Coke Adds Life"
was introduced. It became the foundation of "Have a Coke and a
Smile," a 1979 campaign of immense popularity resulting from a series
of television commercials including the heartwarming spot with
260-pound tackle "Mean" Joe Greene of the Pittsburg Steelers football
team.
In early 1982, the theme "Coke is it!" was
launched the reflect the resurging, positive spirit of the 1980s and
to reaffirm the leadership of Coca-Cola. In 1986, a two-pronged
campaign was unveiled with the theme "Catch the wave" for the modern,
upbeat image of Coca-Cola and "Red, White & You," reflecting
comsumers’ deep feelings for and identification with the taste of
Coca-Cola classic.
Through the years, advertising for Coca-Cola
has followed the trends of the times, whatever the era, while the
overall theme always has been refreshment. Coca-Cola is and had been
one of the pleasant things of life, distinctive and acceptable
anywhere.
Fine illustrations by top artists including
Norman Rockwell where the hallmark of colourful adds that projected
the image of the drink's quality in leading magazines during the
first half of the 20th century. Noted artist Haddon Sundblom's work
even helped mold the nation concept of Santa Claus through his
popular "portraits" for holiday ads, which began in the 1930s.
Nationwide use of billboards began in 1925
with the appearance of the famous bellhop serving Coca-Cola and the
message "6,000,000 a day". The first large electrical signs, called
spectaculars, also began to illuminate the crossroads of the world
from London's Piccadilly Circus to Tokyo's Ginza to New York’s Times
Square with an indelible and pleasant reminder of Coca-Cola.
Since the mid-1920s, radio has been an
important medium of communication and continues to be a large segment
of merchandising mix for Coca-Cola. In 1950, Edgar Bergan and his
sidekick, Charlie McCarthy, appeared on Thanksgiving Day on the first
live television network show sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company. Use
of the powerful medium of television has grown in importance and
effectiveness.
In point-of-sale advertising for millions of
outlets worldwide, Coke unsurpassed. The quality and quantity of
materials designed to identify availability and to assist the dealer
in selling product have expanded and improved year after year.
By presenting an international unified theme
in many languages, with locally orientated interpretations, Coke has
remained native wherever it is.
More Choices for More Consumers
Until the mid-1950's, the world of Coca-Cola
was defined by a 6 1/2-ounce hobble-skirt bottle or bell-shaped
fountain glass. But the world began to change as new consumer habits
dictated a wider variety of choices, and Company responded with
innovative packaging, new technology and popular new products.
As their lifestyles grew more active,
consumers wanted their soft drinks in containers that were larger,
more convenient and more mobile. Metal cans for Coca-Cola were first
developed for the armed forces overseas, and by 1960, civilian
consumers began to see Coke in 12-ounce flat top cans on their market
shelves. The Coca-Cola Company led the industry with the introduction
of P.E.T. (Polyethylene Terephthalate) bottles for its products.
Today, Company soft drink products are sold in a wide array of
packages and package sizes, continuing to offer consumers the
quality, convenience and value they have to come to expect from The
Coca-Cola Company.
In addition to new ways to enjoy their
favourite soft drink, consumers also have looked for new tastes to
satisfy their refreshment needs, and the Company has responded with a
range of successful products. First, in 1960, the Fanta family of
flavoured soft drinks reached national markets. Fanta followed by
Sprite (1961), a lemon-lime drink; TAB (1963), the Company's first
low-calorie beverage; and Fresca (1966), a citrus-flavoured,
low-calorie entry.
In 1979, the Company introduced Mello Yello,
the first entry in the sugar-citrus category, and Ramblin' root beer.
The company also offers diet Sprite, sugar-free Ramblin root beer,
and many other soft drink products to meet the wide range of consumer
preferences around the world.
In 1982, soft drink history was made with
the introduction of diet Coke, the first extension of the trademarks
of Coca-Cola and Coke, and the most successful new soft drink since
Coke itself. Within two years, diet Coca-Cola became the number one
low-calorie soft drink in the world. By extending the world's most
recognised commercial trademark to the fastest-growing segment of the
industry, diet Coke symbolises The Coca-Cola Company's strong
commitment to its consumers and to expansion of the entire cola
market.
Together, all of these products bearing the
most recognised trademarks in the world make up the Coca-Cola
megabrand, the most powerful force in the history of the soft drink
industry.
New Horizons for Enjoyment
Soft drinks are the foundation of The
Coca-Cola Company, which is building on its proud past with a bold
vision for the future. But the Company is more than the world's
leading marketeer of soft drinks. It is also a major producer and
distributor of motion pictures and television programming and one of
the world's largest citrus marketeers.
In each of the businesses, The Coca-Cola
Company is committed to satisfying the human need for refreshment and
enjoyment, whether by soft drinks, fruit juices and drinks or
entertainment. And the Company is positioned to create and respond to
all kinds of consumer change-in lifestyles, tastes and needs.
In 1982, the Company acquired Columbia
Pictures Industries, Inc., the cornerstone of the Company's
Entertainment Business Sector. The major operations in this sector
are Columbia Pictures, Columbia Pictures International, Columbia
Pictures Television Group, Embassy Telecommunications, Embassy
Television and a significant interests in Tri-Star Pictures. These
include motion picture production and distribution, television
production and syndication, and participation in video cassette home
entertainment and pay television markets.
Whether it be the production and
distribution of feature films or television programs, the syndication
of television product to independent and network-affiliated stations,
or the release of films through video cassettes, videodiscs and pay
television markets, The Coca-Cola Company is a leader in the
entertainment industry. The Entertainment Business Sector is
positioned to profit no matter what direction the industry
takes.
Today, Coca-Cola Foods, headquarters in
Houston, Texas, is the sector's main operating unit.
During the 1980's, the foods sector has been
a leader in the introduction of new products and packages. In 1983,
Coca-Cola Foods introduced Hi-C in the Drink Box, which was the first
nationally distributed aseptically packaged juice drink in the United
States. Since then, the sector has been U.S. leader in aseptic
packaging for citrus and fruit drinks.
Wherever its products-soft drinks,
entertainment and foods-are enjoyed, The Coca-Cola Company is
dedicated to improving the quality of life and setting the highest
standard of social responsibility and corporate citizenship. Every
day the Company touches the lives of millions of people, and makes
new friends in new places.
The futures holds no limits for The
Coca-Cola Company. Evidence of this is the number of applications
received by the Company for bottling plants-even on the moon. The
Coca-Cola Company is an enterprise boldly moving forward, but always
driven by its consumers. Led by the legacy of thew 100-year-old
Coca-Cola trademark, The Coca-Cola Company will continue to advance
with the products, packaging and technology that will satisfy the
ever-expanding needs of tomorrow's consumers.
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