Coca cola is. History of the Coca-Cola brand

Date of writing: 21.10.2023

Reading time: 34 minutes

The Coca-Cola Company - The “name” of our today’s hero is known to everyone.

The stories of successful organizations are very similar to the biographies of great people. The largest companies were also once “born” - they were founded, they also had “father and mother” - founders and investors, they were also given a name at birth, and their lives were filled with both ups and downs.

The Coca-Cola brand is the most popular on the planet; 6.5 billion people are familiar with it, which is equal to 94% of the world's population. Thanks to the world's largest distribution system, the legendary soda is consumed in more than 200 countries.

The company employs more than 146,000 people worldwide. Now Coca-Cola is supplier No. 1 drinking water, carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, juices, nectars, as well as ready-to-drink teas and coffee.

In addition to widespread recognition, the Coca-Cola brand is also a leader in financial indicators. The company's net profit is calculated in billions of dollars.

Coca-Cola shares are a tasty morsel, with major investment funds such as Berkshire Hathaway holding a stake in the company. In the rankings of the most valuable brands over the past decade, Coca-Cola has firmly occupied first place, pushing aside corporations such as Microsoft, IBM, Google and Nokia.

The Coca-Cola Company achieved such success thanks to the drink of the same name, which is its most famous product.

Do not rush to run away from the monitors if you drink exclusively natural juices and look disapprovingly in the direction of “sweet water”. As popular wisdom says, “there are no comrades according to taste.” I admit honestly that I myself do not drink Coca-Cola. Not only does it not quench your thirst, because it is sweet and it makes you want to drink even more, but it is also harmful.

That's what I admire most! How we managed to create such a successful business that helped the Coca-Cola brand become the most recognizable. I also want to say that I even managed to work for this company for a whole day. This is not a typo, I worked at this company all day, but I’ll tell you about it next time...

The world empire for the production of soda was organized not even in the past, but in the century before last - in 1892 in Atlanta.

Now the company, which began with sales of a dozen bottles a day, sells more than 1.5 billion servings of drinks every day. If you divide all the Coca-Cola produced among the world's population, then there will be 767 bottles for each of us!

How did Coca-Cola manage to achieve such impressive results?

The success of an enterprise depends on two main components - the product produced and its advertising. Let's take a closer look at these important components.

Coca-Cola celebrates its “birthday” May 8, 1886 when an American, the owner of a small pharmaceutical company, invented his recipe.

He did not limit the circle of consumers of the drink to his relatives, but went straight to the largest pharmacy in Atlanta, where he offered to sell his invention for 5 cents per serving.

Pemberton was convinced of the healing properties of cola, which helped cope with nervous disorders, fatigue and stress. The “medicinal” benefits of “cola” were quite understandable, because the syrup included an extract of coca leaves, i.e. cocaine, the harm of which was proven only at the beginning of the 20th century.

Pemberton's entrepreneurial spirit was the beginning of a long journey for cola. Pemberton's accountant came up with the name for the drink.

He put together the names of the main ingredients of the drink, which, in addition to coca leaves, included cola tree nuts. Proficient in calligraphy, Robinson also donated his logo to the drink.– beautiful curly letters on a red background.

One of the cola sellers, Mr. Venable, once diluted Pemberton's syrup not with plain water, but with soda. The carbon dioxide-saturated “fizzy drink” was very popular among the population.

Unfortunately, the creator of cola died 2 years after its invention, and did not have time to reap the benefits of his success.

Pemberton's syrup recipe is purchased by an aspiring entrepreneur (Asa Griggs Candler, 1851 - 1929), an immigrant from Ireland, and thus the business is in very good hands. Mr. Candler was the model of an enterprising and assertive business man. In 1893, he registered the Coca-Cola trademark and founded the company of the same name, The Coca-Cola Company.

Under Candler's leadership, both the product and the way it was marketed underwent innovation. The businessman set about improving the drink recipe to improve the taste and increase its shelf life.

By replacing fresh coca leaves with “squeezed” ones, cocaine is removed from the composition of soda, the dangers of which have been talked about in scientific circles. In the press, cola was even cited as a reason for the aggressive behavior of African Americans from poor neighborhoods. A devastating article appeared in the then popular New York Tribune newspaper, which said that “blacks” who got drunk on Coca-Cola became crazy and attacked “whites.”

Nowadays caffeine is used as a stimulant, and the detailed recipe for modern “cola” is no longer a big secret. True, some of the ingredients are impressive - the amount of sugar per glass of drink is 9 spoons!

Candler was one of the first entrepreneurs to understand the benefits of a “trademark.” To create a popular and easily recognizable product, the businessman used non-standard solutions.

Now they are the ABC of marketing, but then they belonged to the class of innovations.

For example, Candler supplied pharmacies with a batch of free cola in exchange for the addresses of visitors to the establishment, to whom he sent free coupons for the purchase of the drink by mail. People were happy to “sip a glass” for nothing and buy the supplement themselves.

I would like to note that Coca-Cola owes much of its success to Prohibition, which was introduced in Atlanta in 1886. People then switched from alcohol to sweet soda. That is, if you intend to create a successful business, then you should take this aspect into account.

The product must be in demand. Coca-Cola has become a good alternative to alcohol. By the way, look at the advertisements above, did you notice what the bet was placed on?

In fact, at that time, Coca-Cola was promoted not only as a medicine, but also as an energy drink, which are so popular now. Coca-Cola was refreshing and invigorating – that’s what the advertising slogans of those years said.

The release of various souvenirs with the Cola emblem also increased the distribution of the brand. In 1902, with sales of $120,000, Coca-Cola became the most famous drink in the USA.

The resourceful Irishman also organized the first ever advertising campaign for Coke. Her first motto was: “Drink Coca-Cola. Delicious and refreshing." Since those distant times, Coca-Cola has changed dozens of slogans, among which there are not only those calling to quench thirst (1922: “Thirst knows no season,” 1929: “A respite that refreshes”), but also patriotic ones (1906: “The Great Non-Alcoholic the drink of the nation,” 1937: “America’s Favorite Moment,” 1943: “Universal Symbol of the American Way of Life”) and even romantic (1932: “The Light of the Sun with the Cool of Ice,” 1949: “COCA… on the Road That Leads Anywhere” , 1986: “Red, White and You”).

The “Coke” slogans played on the deepest strings of the American soul, touching a sense of pride in their nation.

Coca-Cola was advertised by the most famous and beautiful actors, the most beloved and popular athletes. Now the Coca-Cola brand is so successful that it no longer needs advertising from celebrities, whose fame is already much less than the fame of the brand itself. I remember an anecdote about this:

“A representative of the Coca-Cola company calls President Putin:

– Do you want to change the Russian flag to red and white, the color of Coca-Cola, for 10 billion dollars?

– It’s difficult to answer right away, you have to think about it. Calls Medvedev back: - Dima, when does our contract with Aquafresh end? »

In 1989, Coca-Cola became the first foreign company to place its advertising in Moscow on Pushkinskaya Square.

It's no secret that a product that is in great demand becomes a victim of counterfeits. To combat the counterfeiting of the drink, the company even hired the famous Pinkerton detective agency.

In addition to obvious fraud, the corporate identity of Coke was subjected to “harassment” - competitors borrowed its name, color, and logo font. Such attempts to bask in the rays of someone else's glory were stopped quickly and categorically - the court recognized the company's exclusive right to the patented Coca-Cola brand.

In 1916 alone, it was initiated more than 150 lawsuits against imitation brands, such as Fig Cola, Candy Cola, Cold Cola, etc. Relations with the main competitor Pepsi were also difficult. The battle of “stakes” saw both court proceedings and peace agreements; some marketing moves in this “Cold War” of soda generally deserve a separate article.

The general availability of the drink, when it began to be produced in glass bottles, also played a big role in the company’s success. Before 1894 "Cola" was sold on tap, and Joseph Biedenharn, a Mississippi businessman, became the first person packed cola in glass containers.

He sent 12 bottles personally to Mr. Candler, but he was not enthusiastic about the innovation. Possessing a brilliant entrepreneurial spirit, he somehow failed to see the great future of cola packaging. In 1899, two lawyers, Benjamin Thomas and Joseph Whitehead, bought from Candler for a nominal fee of $1 the exclusive rights to bottle and sell Coca-Cola.

In 1915, Benjamin Thomas approached designer Earl Dean to came up with an original shape for the cola bottle. With the task set – to make glass containers recognizable “to the touch, in the dark and even when broken” – the creative did an excellent job.

The drop-waist bottle shape, reminiscent of a cocoa fruit, was introduced to the public in 1916 and added another distinctive feature to the Coke image. At an auction in California, a Dean bottle, which is a prototype of the following models, was sold for $240,000!

1919 – new owner of Coca-Cola

In 1919, The Coca-Cola Company changes its owner. This was preceded by the appointment of Asa Candler as mayor of Atlanta in 1916. With the transition to a new position, Candler had to relinquish his powers as the chief executive officer of the Coca-Cola company.

At that time, he was already a very rich man, and all this was thanks to timely investments in cola. By the way, do you know that Asa Candler bought the patent for Coca-Cola from Pemberton's widow for only $2,300(!). This subsequently brought him hundreds of millions of dollars.

Thanks to the sweet pop, Candler later founded the Central Bank and Trust Company, owned a large amount of real estate, was a renowned philanthropist who gave millions of dollars to the Methodist Church, and bought and donated a large tract of land for Emory University's move from Oxford to Atlanta.

He subsequently showed his brilliant entrepreneurial talent as mayor of Atlanta. He inherited most of The Coca-Cola Company to his children, who later sold them for 25 million dollars group of bankers led by Ernest Woodruff, who four years later handed over the reins of the company to his 33-year-old son Robert.

The emergence of Woodruff at the head of the company is associated with Coca-Cola's entry into foreign markets. This is how cola factories appear in France, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippines and Guam

Soda has firmly entered the lives of Americans and has become “the guy” at celebrations of various events, when playing sports and even on the battlefield.

During World War II, the company's president since 1923 set a goal for employees that "every man in uniform could buy 5 cent bottle of cola wherever it is, and no matter what it costs us.”

By the way, before the start of World War II, Coca-Cola was sold in 44 countries. It was Woodruff who 60 years of his reign had the greatest influence on the development of the company and, in particular, on the expansion of the drink around the world.

Could Robert Woodruff then imagine that in the 21st century the company's products would be produced in more than 200 countries around the world?!

Under the leadership of this marketing genius, the first cola vending machines were launched, a standard six-bottle package was developed, the assortment was replenished with Sprite and Diet Coke, and plastic Coca-Cola bottles appeared.

With Woodruff, Coca-Cola began its collaboration with the Olympic movement, in 1928, sponsoring the IX Olympic Games in Amsterdam. Since then, Coca-Cola has gone hand in hand and even runs with sports - since 1992, the company has been one of the organizers and sponsors of the Olympic torch relay.

The Coca-Cola Company currently cooperates with more than 190 national Olympic committees and is an official partner of FIFA, the NBA and a sponsor of the FIFA World Cup.

In 1931, another turning point in the history of the company took place. Artist Haddon Sundblom painted Santa Claus for a Coca-Cola advertising campaign.

The image he came up with of a good-natured old man dressed in a red and white suit was so successful that now the people of the United States imagine Santa this way.

But before Sundblom, the main character of American New Year holidays was portrayed in any way, even as an elf, and dressed in costumes of various colors.

Nowadays, Santa Claus is “one color in winter and summer,” and his bright “Coca-Cola” coloring in itself serves as a good advertisement for the drink.

But the story of Coca-Cola is not entirely reminiscent of a Christmas tale. The Internet is full of “horror stories” that describe alternative methods of using the drink - removing rust, cleaning car windows, etc.

The height of cruelty to soda is the claim that American cops use it to wash away blood at crime scenes. Is this really how representatives of the law understand the advertising slogan of 1993 “ always Coca-Cola»?)

In program releases "MythBusters" on the Discovery Channel many of these legends have been tried and dispelled. The efficiency of cleaning with a drink is higher than cleaning with ordinary water, but significantly lower than that of special products.

No specific negative effect of cola on the human body has been officially established. So “to drink or not to drink” is a personal matter for every adult. I emphasize, an adult, because... Children themselves cannot refuse temptation, so it is the responsibility of parents to monitor their health.

The company's marketing management says it does not target children in its strategy. That’s true, but at the only Coca-Cola Museum in the world in Atlanta, admission for schoolchildren is free and they are brought on excursions by busloads. Here are the next sweet soda lovers growing up.

The continuity of generations is obvious - just think about it, Coca-Cola, which has already managed to fly into space and win the love of the NEXT generation, was also drunk by the great-great-grandmothers and great-great-grandfathers of our contemporaries.

Coca-Cola is tough!

In 1955, Coca-Cola tries to dress in new clothes. The drink began to be poured into aluminum cans, which were originally invented during the war for the convenience of soldiers.

The late 50s and early 60s were characterized by the expansion of The Coca-Cola Company's product range. In 1958, Fanta appeared, and in 1961, Sprite.

Currently, the world empire produces more than 200 types of drinks, of which Coca-Cola, Fanta and Sprite owns 80% of total sales. By the way, this fact once again confirms the effectiveness of the Parreto principle, according to which in retail outlets 20% of the products presented on retail shelves make 80% of the turnover.

Or in another way they say that 80% of all goods are needed only so that the main 20% sell well.

In the 70-80s of the last century, the company continued to increase its presence in the world. New factories were built, new quality standards were introduced, distribution channels were improved, new advertising and marketing “tricks” were developed, which immediately affected the company’s results.

Thus, in 1988, according to the results of a survey conducted by various independent agencies, Coca-Cola became the most famous and preferred brand in the whole world. By the way, the company firmly held this title from 2000 to 2012.

Rapid growth in the 90s...

The nineties of the 20th century turned out to be very successful for the company. So, by 1997, the company’s sales increased so much that the volume of beverage sales for twelve months of 1997 was comparable to the sales of all the company’s drinks over the past 75 years (!). Just think about these crazy numbers!

Innovative 2000s...

The two thousand years are characterized as innovative for the company. Coca-Cola is introducing new production standards. For example, the legendary figurative cola bottle is changing. No, it did not change visually; production technologies changed, thanks to which it was possible to increase the strength of the bottle by 40% and reduce the weight by 20%.

The company is also starting to fight against waste recycling and improving the environmental situation in the world. In 2007, the company introduced equipment into production with which used PET bottles can be used to create new packaging.

And in 2009, The Coca-Cola Company received a special award for the invention of new packaging, which is 100% recyclable and also contains a third of plant ingredients.

From 2008 to the present, the company is headed by Mukhtar Kent. This American of Turkish origin began his career at Coca-Cola from the very bottom. He was able to work for companies all over the world.

So in 1985, he headed the Coca-Cola department in Turkey and Central Asia. Later he was appointed vice president of Coca-Cola International, which is responsible for 23 countries. In 1995, Mukhtar Kent headed Coca-Cola Europe. where he managed to increase turnover by 50%.

What makes the Coca-Cola company so successful?

As the company itself states, they are using the world's largest beverage distribution system. Add to this billion-dollar budgets for advertising and competent marketing - here you have a recipe for success.

Year after year, grain by grain, the company was busy building competent sales. I'm a little familiar with how Coca-Cola works. I was able to study her sales system from the inside. True, it was a very short moment, which I will talk about in one of the following issues, but it was enough for me to appreciate the genius of the “sales people” of this company.

Firstly, the company has built factories for the production of its drinks in all major countries and cities.
Secondly, has clearly proven logistics, which allows it to deliver its products daily to all retail outlets where the company’s drinks are sold.
Third, the company has entangled with its sales representatives all cities and regions not only in Russia, but throughout the world. Thanks to this, the company’s refrigerators are located not only in large shopping centers and megamarkets, but also in neighborhood stores and stalls. Moreover, these refrigerators are located in the most advantageous places, which most attract the attention of buyers and, accordingly, make the greatest sales.
Fourth, aggressive advertising that influences our consciousness from all possible media ROUND THE CLOCK!

The company's mission in the 3rd millennium is not only to refresh the world, body, mind and spirit, but also to bring meaning to everything it does.

The Coca-Cola Company is improving water use, replacing refrigeration equipment with environmentally friendly ones, and investing millions of dollars to build plastic bottle recycling plants.

The company is focused on development, and this mission is shared by its thousands of like-minded people. It is purposeful and talented individuals who make history, and the Coca-Cola company was lucky to fall into the hands of precisely such people, thanks to whom it became so successful.

In the modern civilized world, it is difficult to find a person who has not drunk at least one bottle of Coca-Cola.

When everyone mentions this brand (from the American president to the average homeless person, from a first-grader to a doctor of science), they immediately associate it with its logo: rounded white letters on a red background.

This simple logo has actually become a symbol of America.

History of the drink

Coca-Cola is a mega-popular non-alcoholic soft carbonated drink, distributed throughout the world (in more than two hundred countries) and produced by almost the same company “The Coca-Cola Company”, which also owns the brands “Coca-Cola light”, “Bonaqua”, "Sprite", "Fanta" etc.

Its creator is John Pemberton, who initially developed the formula for an alcoholic drink called “French Coca Wine,” which included a mixture of extracts of damiana, coca and kola nut leaves.

This “potion” had a calming effect and helped relieve sometimes very annoying headaches.

There is also a version according to which the drink was created by John as a painkiller and was intended to numb the pain of wounded Confederate soldiers.

A non-alcoholic version was released in 1885 after Prohibition was passed in Atlanta. The main ingredients were coca leaves (the drug cocaine is also extracted from them) and cola nuts (one of the tropical trees) in a 3:1 ratio.

It should be noted that at that time the dangers of cocaine were not yet known, and it was not a prohibited substance, it was freely available and was often added to drinks instead of alcohol, so to speak, for tone. Coca-Cola was not an innovation in this direction.

Pemberton had a morphine addiction, acquired from using the substance in large quantities as a painkiller. The inventor drank Coca-wine to combat his addiction.

The original composition of Coca-Cola included 8.46 mg of cocaine, despite the fact that the average dose of the drug used by addicts is 15-35 mg. It was possible to enhance such a small dose of cocaine, which was part of the drink, thanks to the presence of caffeine contained in cola nuts.

Considering the above fact, Coca-Cola was initially announced as one of the medicines aimed at combating opium and morphine addiction. In addition, Pemberton claimed that his invention could cure impotence.

The drink was patented as a medicine intended to treat “any nervous disorder.”

It was sold through a vending machine, which was located in the building of one of the largest city pharmacies in Atlanta.

The drink became “fizzy” at the end of 1886. History links the same year with the adoption of Prohibition in Atlanta and the automatic increase in demand for Pemberton's drink.

Do you know how to shop in ? Unfortunately, it is not available in Russian, but our article will help you easily understand the interface and order products directly from America without intermediaries.

Read all about Huggis diapers, the official website, the history of the company and the features of its products.

history of the company

Coca-Cola is one of the most recognizable and successful brands, which is valued by experts at a truly fabulous amount of almost 80 billion dollars.

The Coca-Cola Company has a history of more than 120 years. Founded in 1892 by Mr. Candler, a native of the town of Villa Rica (Georgia), who bought the formula for the signature drink from its inventor, John Pemberton.

The inventory, which the latter compiled before selling the business, reveals the secret of the Coca-Cola recipe:

lime oil;
nutmeg oil;
lemon oil;
neroli oil;
coca leaf extract;
nutmeg extract;
orange elixir;
caffeine;
vanillin;
citrus acid.

In the late 1890s, after the negative effects of cocaine on the body were discovered, “squeezed” coca leaves, which no longer contained cocaine, were added to the drink instead of fresh coca leaves.

That is, by the time Asa Kandel bought the formula, founded the company and registered the trademark, opened the first Coca-Cola plant, it no longer contained cocaine.

The name of the drink and subsequently the brand was invented by Frank Robinson. He also had a hand in creating the company’s corporate logo, and in the literal sense of the word: possessing calligraphic handwriting, he drew curly letters, which later formed the basis of the logo.

All integral elements of the company's corporate identity, along with the red color, on which beautiful curly letters are inscribed, are registered by the US Planetary Bureau as a trademark.

This means that any encroachment on the use of one of these elements by competitors is illegal and will be immediately stopped by the owner of the trademark, which is what the company actually does, and with enviable regularity.

A significant increase in the popularity of the brand is associated with the appearance of the original “waisted” bottle in 1916. Its shape was unmistakably recognized by consumers among hundreds of other representatives of bottled products, which contributed to increasing brand recognition and increasing the effectiveness of advertising campaigns conducted by the manufacturer.

The bottle is solemnly “handed over” to Santa Claus, who has become a frequent guest in the Christmas advertising of this “fizzy drink”.

A New Year's designed bottle of the drink beloved by millions and Santa Claus created such a harmonious image that many Americans firmly believe that the image of Santa was invented by the above brand.

This is due to the fact that the company actually had a hand in creating today's image of Santa, commissioning the design of his red and white suit from artist Haddon Sundlbom in 1931.

Before this, the “good Santa Claus of American origin” walked around in anything, putting on mismatched clothes, which did not look entirely flattering.

Watch a video about the brand:

What is Coca-Cola made from today?

We already know that the original formula of the drink included cocaine, but the recipe has been subject to changes and improvements over time and, naturally, no longer contains any drugs.

The detailed formula, taking into account all the components, is kept in the strictest confidence and is a trade secret.

Of course, the manufacturer is obliged to notify consumers about the ingredients included in the composition, indicating them on the label, but only part of them is indicated on the bottle or can.

The original formula, which is used in production today, is stored in the main vault of the Sum Trust bank in a special safe, access to which is open only to the top management of the company.

Considering the close attention to food and drink, the stringent requirements placed on them, it is even surprising that the recipe for Cola has not yet been revealed. Below is one of the existing options for decoding the composition.

Essential oils are used to prepare the black elixir:

orange – 80 drops;
lemon – 120 drops;
coriander – 20 drops;
cinnamon – 40 drops;
lime - to taste.

In addition to the above essential oils, 40 drops of nutmeg and neroli oil are added to the black elixir.

black elixir – 42 g;
caffeine citrate – 113 g;
orthophosphoric acid – 56 g;
vanilla extract – 28 g;
sugar – 13.5 kg;
water – 10 l.

It seems that none of the presented ingredients should cause confusion among consumers (all natural, no chemical additives), but just think: 13.5 kg of sugar per 10 liters of water!

Have you ever sweetened a glass of tea with nine spoons of sugar? Do you still have doubts that Coca-Cola is harmful?

Even though there have been no coca leaves or cola nuts in the composition for a long time, there is no talk about the usefulness of the drink, although it was initially positioned as a medicinal product and was sold in pharmacies.

Today, some even manage to cook Coca-Cola soup with the addition of chips, nuts and crackers. The step-by-step recipe for preparing this extravagant dish can be found in the video:

Certainly, This is a joke recipe, don't try it! The consequences can be unpredictable, especially for people who have a weak stomach. Better not experiment.

In general, it’s surprising that only a baby doesn’t know about the dangers of the drink, or at least the lack of benefits from drinking it, but at the same time the company continues to flourish and has long been one of the most expensive brands in the world.

TM, trying to keep up with its competitors who produce products that do not contain either sugar or caffeine, began to produce products without these components: New Coke, Classic Coke, Cherry Coke, Caffeine-Free New Coke, Tab, Caffeine-Free Diet Coke , Caffeine-Free Tab, Coca-Cola Light and others.

However, excessive consumption of them will not lead to anything good, just like excessive consumption of any lemonade.

Today there is a lot of talk about the dangers of Coca-Cola products, but similar products from other brands are no healthier.

As experienced nutritionists say, you can do everything, but a little bit. If you drink a glass of sweet carbonated drink once a year on holiday, nothing bad will happen.

The situation is completely different with daily consumption in uncontrolled quantities. But you also shouldn’t eat a lot of fatty, fried and sweet foods, drink a lot of alcohol, etc.

There are many variations of the brand’s official website: a number of countries have developed their own resource with a unique domain name, usually corresponding to the domain zone of a particular state.

For example, the website http://www.coca-cola.ru/ was developed for the Russian-speaking audience, and http://www.coca-cola.ua/ for the Ukrainian-speaking audience.

There are also resources in Bulgarian, Croatian, Estonian, German, Polish, Turkish and other languages, but all of them are uninformative and contain limited data. Their main purpose is to inform consumers about what promotions are in effect during a specific period of time.

In particular, bears, Coca-Cola bears, which could be obtained by participating in a promotion specially proclaimed by the company for the Sochi 2014 Olympics, are very popular today.

The official website also invites visitors to download an application that allows them to view the Coca-Cola Olympic flame directly from their phone, and join the VKontakte and Facebook groups.

You will not be able to find out where the Coca-Cola prize distribution center is located or whether there are vacancies in the company on these resources. To be honest, it is not entirely clear why they were created at all, since they do not carry any useful value.

You can find out more from the official VKontakte group: Here you can ask questions. It’s even strange that the company’s management still hasn’t thought of posting on regional websites the most popular, analyzed information that interests consumers, or at least creating a FAQ section on the website, for example.

It is impossible not to mention the universal, so to speak, main site http://www.coca-colacompany.com/. It is here that the user can find comprehensive information about the company and its activities, interesting articles, albeit in English.

At the address you can find the address of the official website of Yves Saint Laurent, the history of the creation of the brand and information about its extravagant founder.

Pictures of Coca-Cola

The drink is sold in different containers; the bottles have been redesigned several times; for example, here are some variations:

The history of the company, the manufacturer of the Coca-Cola drink, is a chain of competent management decisions in the field of production technology, marketing, and advertising for more than 100 years.

The Coca-Cola Company's product is officially sold in more than 200 countries around the world. It is known today by 94% of the world's population. Every day, customers around the world purchase just under a billion units of the company's products.

We bring to your attention a brief history of the creation of the legendary drink and the success story of the world-famous company.

Making a drink

The history of the drink began with the pharmacist Pemberton. He, in search of a recipe for a good tonic, decided to combine two powerful stimulants: he added cola nut extract to the coca drink. The result is a mixture that has truly strong tonic properties. Having finalized the technology for preparing the drug, he demonstrated it to local investors in May 1886. The money received was used to organize production.

Frank Robinson

The syrup was patented as a medicine to restore the nervous system. They began selling it in pharmacies in the city. In the summer, in one of them, salesman Willie Venable decided, at the request of a visitor, to dilute the medicinal concentrate not with water, but with soda. The guest really liked the spicy mixture, and from then on the drink was consumed in carbonated form.

However, the Coca-Cola drink never brought a decent income to Pemberton. He was forced to sell part of his share to the pharmacist Venable, the first seller of carbonated cola. The author of the recipe for the legendary sweet water died in poverty in August 1888.

Birth of the company

A few months later, the patented recipe was purchased from the widow of a pharmacist by an Irish native, Candler. The transaction amount was $2,300. By comparison, the average annual salary for an American worker at the time was $570.

Asa Kendler - founder of The Coca-Cola Company

Irishman Candler immediately believed in Coca-Cola. He saw in it a drink that could cure many diseases and bring profit to its creators. With Robinson's help, he develops a more advanced composition using the original and improves its taste.

Together with three partners, Candler registered an enterprise for the production of this product in January 1893. This is how the history of TheCoca-Cola Company began. If Pemberton is considered to be the author of the drink, then Az Candler is the founder of the company.

Candler's contribution

Under Kendler, the company in 9 years turned into a successful corporation with a turnover of $120 thousand, and Coca-Cola became the national soft drink.

The first thing 42-year-old Candler did was organize advertising. A simple, memorable and catchy logo began to accompany Americans, and then residents of other countries, everywhere. It could be found on the titles of fashion publications, seen on large billboards. Visual propaganda was accompanied by well-chosen appeals, slogans, and laconic wording. Coca-Cola advertising stories featured bright and noticeable images; famous actors and athletes participated in them. All this was received positively and enthusiastically by the public.

The company is creating a sales department that recruits smart and energetic people. New and unknown for that time forms of product promotion are used.

Thus, by agreement, pharmacies were supplied with a certain volume of syrup for free, and in return they received the addresses of regular customers. Each of them was sent coupons by mail, which could be used to purchase a free portion of cola. People came to the establishment, drank a glass, then, as a rule, ordered a second serving, and bought more for home.

The drink was sold by the glass

The popularity of tonic grew every day. Since 1895, it has already been sold in all states of the country, and since March 1894, not only on tap, but also in bottles.

Things were going well for the company and its shareholders. The board paid out decent dividends every year. A plant built by partners under a franchise agreement went into operation in Tennessee. Activities outside the States began to unfold. The first countries of foreign expansion were Cuba and then Panama.

Competitors began to counterfeit the popular drink. The company had to make a lot of efforts in the war with manufacturers of counterfeit products: a total of 153 lawsuits were brought against them.

An important event in strengthening and developing the image of the company and its product was the appearance of a branded bottle in 1916. It contributed to the further growth of Cola sales.

The evolution of the signature Cola bottle

Woodroffe era

The Atlanta public insisted on electing Candler as mayor of the city. He gradually retired from business, and in 1919 his brainchild was bought by Atlanta banker Ernest Woodroffe for $25 million. He recruits his son to work, and four years later Robert Woodroffe is elected president of the corporation. It was under him that the corporation reached its current heights in its development.

Robert Woodroffe

The new manager immediately introduced standards in all work processes, right down to the sale of the drink. Buyers began to be offered six-packs, special packaging boxes of 6 bottles, which subsequently enjoyed popularity for several decades. The company was the first to use vending machines for Coca-Cola bottles and remote refrigeration units, which were installed in various stores.

Standard pack of six bottles

We sell not a drink, but a lifestyle

Woodroffe radically revised the strategy for large-scale sales of finished products. Since Coca-Cola did not surpass its analogues in its consumer qualities, he proposed selling not so much a product as a way of life. The drink acquired a special image; it became not so much a means of quenching thirst, but seemed to involve its owner in the circle of prosperous lucky people, or in the circle of strong and courageous heroes.

As a true psychologist and marketer, Woodroffe insistently emphasized that with your product you must follow the customer. A bottle of cola should accompany an American everywhere: at work, on vacation, during difficult times. The drink is distributed at gas stations, which are proliferating throughout the country. It comes to cinema, appears on movie screens and becomes inseparable from the American way of life.

During the period of American participation in the World War, Woodroffe took out billions of loans to build a network of factories for the production and bottling of Cola for American soldiers in Europe, North Africa, China, and the Pacific region. The first of 64 factories was opened in Algeria.

After the war, Coke's popularity grew even more. The constructed foreign enterprises became a springboard for conquering foreign markets. In 1968, the company received half of its profits from foreign transactions.

Woodroffe left his post as head of the company in 1954, but remained on the board of directors until 1984.

Where did the name come from

The history of the Coca-Cola brand is very simple and ordinary. When Pemberton began preparing to patent his invention in 1886, the question of the name of the liquid arose. His partner Frank Robinson proposed to compose it from the names of the two components of the syrup: coca drink and cola nuts. It turned out to be Coca-Cola. The name took root and was liked by everyone: both sellers and buyers.

Today, according to marketing research, the phrase Coca-Cola is considered the second most famous after the word “okay”.

Logo options

The Coca-Cola logo, like the name, was invented by the same Frank Robinson.

The history of the logo goes back more than 130 years, but despite such a long period, the general style of the logo-inscription has remained unchanged. Over time, the lettering changed slightly and became brighter.

Logo evolution

For the first time they tried to depict the logo differently already in 1890. The attempt was considered unsuccessful; the bizarre design did not attract the attention of visitors. Three years later, Candler returned to the old image.

During the Second World War, the style of the inscription came closer to the modern one. In 1958, the emblem received a red background. After 11 years, a white wave was added to the inscription. In 1980, the wave began to slightly intersect with the inscription. The word CLASSIC appeared on the image. After 23 years, three waves of white and yellow appeared. All of them are placed to the bottom of the inscription.

The modern image was made in 2007. Instead of three waves, one appeared again, it is located under the title text. There are also specially prepared versions of the logo made for the 125th anniversary of the birth of the drink and the 100th anniversary of the first glass bottle.

The company officially classified the Coca-Cola formula. At Kendler's orders, the original copy of the recipe was deposited in the Trust Company bank. Since 1925, it was kept in another bank in Atlanta. In 2011, the classified material was transported to a special corporate storage facility built next to the main office.

In 1980, Cola was the official drink of the Moscow Olympics.

1982 Diet Coke was developed and launched.

1988 For the first time in the USSR, production of Coca-Cola began at the Moskvoretsky brewery.

Hong Kong residents drink hot cola to treat colds.

Famous advertising campaigns

Since 1928, when Coca-Cola donated 1,000 cases of its water to the Amsterdam Olympics, the company has been a consistent sponsor of the Olympic Movement. Coca-Cola sponsors all major sporting events, including football and hockey world championships, and top-level tennis tournaments.

Coca-Cola was the first Western company to place its advertising in Moscow on Pushkinskaya Square in 1989.

In 1931, Coca-Cola created its own image of Santa Claus for Americans. The image of the elf was replaced by a good-natured, cheerful old man with a thick white beard. He was depicted wearing a red fur coat, emphasizing the colors of the brand, and holding a bottle of incendiary drink in his hands. Everyone liked the image and became a symbol of the Christmas and New Year holidays.

How the company works

Currently, the Coca-Cola company has secret recipes for three thousand types of drinks and has the rights to hundreds of brands.

The corporation's strategy is based on promoting the product to all countries of the world in order to occupy a dominant position in the global industry. In this the company achieved outstanding results, and its history is a classic example for the study of marketing.

The giant's activities are based on organizing a system of work with partner bottlers.

Bottlers are regional firms that bottle and sell the product directly to the consumer.

The company supplies them with concentrates, provides support in setting up production, training staff, purchasing commercial equipment, provides advertising materials and carries out quality control.

Now the company employs about 300 bottlers around the world, including both large international companies and small enterprises.

The Coca-Cola company has been operating in Russia for 36 years. There are 12 factories in the Kola system, employing 11 thousand people. More than 65 thousand work in related areas that supply the company with sugar and other production components.

Coca-Cola plant in Moscow

In general, the corporation's position can be called stable. However, in 2017, sales of the drink decreased by 4.3%. In the United States, there is a decline in demand for carbonated sweet drinks; some experts suggest a decrease in the value of the company’s shares in 2018.

The history of the development and creation of the world-famous Coca-Cola brand is very entertaining and interesting: a huge number of facts, interesting events and facts, ups and downs - that’s what we’ll talk about today.

Successful brands have their own biography: they were born once, have their founders (parents) and investors, they were also given their name at birth, their history is filled with both ups and downs, as well as interesting facts. As a rule, success depends on two main factors - high-quality advertising and the product itself.

The history of the origin of the Coca-Cola company started back in 1886 on May 8, a little-known owner of a small pharmaceutical company at that time invented the Coca-Cola recipe. John Stith Pemberton was convinced of the medicinal properties of his invention, and anticipating big profits, he headed to the largest pharmacy chain in Atlanta, where he offered to sell Coca-Cola for $0.05 per serving. His drink helped patients with stress, fatigue, and nervous disorders. The health-improving properties of the drink were understandable, because this product included coca extract (i.e., cocaine leaves, a potent drug), and only at the beginning of the 20th century were the harmful properties of cocaine proven.

The second person who immortalized his name with Coca-Cola was Frank Mason Robinson, it was he who came up with the name for this drink. He worked for John Stith and was his accountant. By combining the names of the two main ingredients that were part of the medicinal drug (coca leaves and cola tree nuts), he received the world famous brand name - Coca-Cola.

Robertson was also fluent in calligraphy, and gave not only the name, but also the company logo - beautiful curly white letters on a bright red background. From that moment the thorny and difficult path to success began. The first investments in advertising and production of the drink did not pay off at first, but there are many sharp turns in the life history of this company. One of them is the sudden death of its creator, 2 years after the creation of Coca-Cola. John Stith Pemberton never had time to enjoy the success of his brainchild.

The history of the creation of the most popular drink Coca Cola

An ordinary Coca-Cola seller, experimenting, diluted Pemberton's syrup not with ordinary water, but with soda. This is an innovation, saturated with carbon dioxide. The local population liked fizzy Coca Cola, which the aspiring entrepreneur took advantage of. As an Irish immigrant, Asa Candler buys a syrup recipe and trademarks a new soda. And already in 1893, the history of Coca Cola takes on a modern look. In the same year, Asa Candler opens The Coca-Cola Company.

It was he who brought the brilliant idea to life, registered it, legally formalized it, invested money and set up the production and marketing of the Coca-Cola drink; he is rightfully considered the father of the company. Already under the clear leadership of Az Candler, modernization was carried out and innovations were introduced into the production of Coca-Cola, the main innovative solution was the removal of cocaine from the composition of soda (by replacing fresh coca leaves with squeezed coca leaves).

Just in time, at that time discussions began in scientific circles about the dangers of cocaine for the human body. A world-famous newspaper published a critical article in which there were many examples of African Americans who, having drunk Coca-Cola, attacked civilians in a state of passion. Today, coca leaves are no longer used; regular caffeine acts as a stimulant. The recipe for Coca-Cola is not a secret, but its ingredients are shocking, for example, 9 tablespoons of sugar are needed for 1 glass of Coca-Cola.

The secret of Coca Cola's historical success

The Coca-Cola company has achieved global recognition thanks to innovations in advertising and marketing. To create a popular and recognizable brand product, we had to resort to non-standard solutions. One of Landler's first ingenious advertising moves was the supply of absolutely free Coca-Cola to pharmacies. In exchange for his product, the businessman asked only for the mailing addresses of customers who tried the free drink at the pharmacy (and liked it). After which the owner of the company sent out coupons for free Coca-Cola by mail, people willingly came with coupons and bought more (but for money). Thus, by giving a couple of bottles of the drink for free, the brand quickly gained a customer base.

I would like to note that soda gained its enormous success during the Prohibition era, which was introduced in 1886 in Atlanta. Any product produced had to be in demand; people gladly switched from alcohol to fizzy soda. Advertising slogans of those years read: Coca-Cola refreshes, invigorates and heals. It was promoted not only as a pharmaceutical drug, but also as an energy drink, which are so popular in our time.

Marketers have resorted to innovative solutions:

We established the production of souvenirs and toys for children, on which the company’s emblem and slogans were applied. Some were distributed free of charge, others were given as a gift when purchasing a large quantity of a drink, but the main thing was one thing: people took the advertisement into their home.
The first advertising campaign in the company's history was organized under the slogan “Drink Coca-Cola. Delicious and refreshing." After its successful completion, the slogans changed from patriotic to romantic, the main thing is that it gave its results.
Coca-Cola was actively advertised by famous athletes, actors and public figures. Today, a successful brand does not need the services of these people.
Expanding its boundaries, already in 1902 the Coca-Cola company became the most famous brand of sparkling water in the United States with an annual turnover of 120 thousand US dollars. And in 1989, an international company placed its advertisement in Moscow, a huge billboard on Pushkin Square.
The fight against fraudsters was carried out very actively, so in 1916 alone there were more than 150 lawsuits against companies that tried to imitate the famous Coca-Cola brand. It is not strange that goods that are in great demand are always sought to be counterfeited or to be similar to them in order to snatch their piece of the delicious pie.

The Coca-Cola drink gained enormous popularity after 1894, as it became more accessible. The fact is that before this turning point it was sold only by glass. Joseph Biedenharn became the first person to package Coca-Cola in glass containers, making the already beloved drink of many more accessible to everyone.

Why is Coca-Cola such a successful company?

The history of the Coca Cola company is a vivid example of measured strategy and marketing. The Coca-Cola company has long overtaken world leaders such as IBM, Google, Amazon and others.

According to the company, over many years they have created the largest structure for the distribution of drinks throughout the world, built factories on all continents, and consume the company’s product in more than 200 countries. Add to all this a multi-billion dollar advertising budget - this is the key to success. And yet, why is the Coca-Cola company so successful:

1. Clearly structured logistics, which allows daily delivery of products to all retail outlets in the world.
2. The correct location of commercial refrigerators, a colossally huge number of sales agents, a verified place on the shelf that most attracts the buyer’s attention.
3. Aggressive round-the-clock advertising, every day a huge number of people and their subconscious are influenced by advertising.

Let's figure out why Coca-Cola is harmful.

Everyone knows that the drink is harmful to human health. This is largely due to the fact that this product contains chemical elements that can cause a number of disorders in the body, including serious and irreversible ones.

Russian scientists and doctors have long been studying the chemical composition of this drink, and based on the results of their research, they came to the unequivocal conclusion that it is harmful. True, Coca-Cola advertising does not mention this.

It has become known that some components of the product, with prolonged exposure to the body, cause numerous sexual disorders, including impotence and infertility. This effect is exerted by the cola nut, on the basis of which this drink is made. This nut used to grow only in America, and it was regularly given to Indian warriors to calm the sexual desire that interfered with military service.

Manufacturers of this carbonated drink keep its recipe and list of ingredients in the strictest confidence. However, scientists who conducted tests and studies of the properties of the drink established the main amount of substances contained in it. So, why is Coca-Cola harmful?

Chemical composition

This drink has been very popular all over the world for a century. It was invented in 1886, and at that time its composition included coca leaves containing cocaine, which later became a banned substance because it destroyed the body's cells and was highly addictive.

Today, lemon essence, vanillin and clove oil are added to Coca-Cola. The main components of the drink are: water, caffeine and sugar in very large quantities. Carbon dioxide is used as a preservative in the production of Coca-Cola. It is this substance that has been proven in research tests to have a teratogenic effect on the human body, reducing reproductive abilities. In addition, Coca-Cola contains E950, a dangerous carcinogen, which includes methyl alcohol. This substance disrupts the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, and also contains aspartic acid, which has an undesirable effect on the central nervous system.

In addition, it contains aspartame (E951), which is a substitute for sucrose. Aspartame is an extremely dangerous compound that, when heated to 25 degrees, decomposes into formaldehyde, phenylalanine and methanol. These substances pose a mortal danger to humans. Many people are interested in why Coca-Cola is harmful.

Negative effects on the body

Consuming it in large quantities has a negative effect on blood pressure levels, increasing it. This drink is strictly contraindicated for use in case of hypertension and other diseases of the heart and blood vessels, because the substances contained in the drink weaken the heart muscle.

People who have diseases associated with decreased blood clotting are also not recommended to drink Coca-Cola, since some of its components thin the blood, which causes bleeding and slow wound healing.

Regular consumption of Coca-Cola increases the risk of developing heart defects by 90%, including in the fetus of a pregnant woman.

Effect on the musculoskeletal system

In addition, animal studies have shown that Coca-Cola promotes the leaching of calcium from the body, which is fraught with the development of diseases such as osteoporosis, brittle bones, dental problems, etc. This effect of this drink appears due to the fact that that it contains orthophosphoric acid. Therefore, the drink should be excluded from the diet of children and the elderly.

This is confirmed by numerous experiments with Coca-Cola.

There is also a special version of the drink that is supposedly sugar-free, making it low in calories. This advertising ploy won the attention of consumers, but this type of drink is even more dangerous. It really does not contain sugar, but instead of it, a large number of dangerous sweeteners are added to the drink.

Coca-Cola also contains some substances that cause depression, migraines, increased fatigue, tachycardia, etc. Preservatives, which are present in large quantities, disrupt metabolic processes, which causes nervous disorders, obesity and depresses mental health. activity.

Experts are still arguing about whether Coca-Cola is harmful or beneficial.

Effect on the digestive system

The drink increases stomach acidity. Its use is prohibited for people suffering from duodenal ulcers, stomach ulcers, and gastritis. This product destroys a number of digestive enzymes, which complicates the functioning of the digestive system, leading to a host of serious disorders. Systematic intake of this carbonated drink causes inflammation of the pancreas and bile ducts, which contributes to the formation of gall bladder stones.

What else is dangerous about the chemical composition of Coca-Cola?

Oncological diseases

The specific color of the drink is due to the presence of the substance E150 in it. This dangerous component contains 4-methylimidazole, which releases free radicals, which provokes the active proliferation of atypical cells in the human body. In addition, the product contains the so-called “cyclamate”, a substance banned in many European countries. Cyclamate is a strong carcinogen that destroys healthy cells.

Coca-Cola is addictive. This is due to the content of substances in it that increase the sweetness of sugar tenfold (acesulfame potassium) and cause strong addiction (aspartic acid).

What else is fraught with the negative impact of Coca-Cola on the body?

Obesity

Today, obesity has become one of the main problems of humanity. Improper lifestyle and nutrition provoke the development of obesity, which becomes more and more difficult to combat every year. Coca-Cola contains a huge amount of sugar (115 grams per 1 liter). A glass of this drink contains almost 40 grams of sugar, which is the daily intake of this substance for an adult. But the main problem is that after one glass a person wants more, since the sweet drink only increases thirst.