Is there a brand more rooted in American life than Coca-Cola? Honestly no. For decades it has been the star drink and the best companion of many moments: to accompany popcorn at the movies, it is part of all fast food menus, sports shows, it is refreshing and fun to drink. Originally created in 1886, Coca-Cola has been through many ups and downs over the years; however, its original recipe has remained practically the same. Without a doubt, it is one of the most emblematic brands of all time, that is why we set ourselves the task of collecting the most curious and fun data about this classic of classics.
Taking into account that Coca-Cola will never go out of style, and that fans of this traditional soft drink are doing much more than drinking it with ice and have made inroads by integrating it as a star ingredient in all kinds of recipes, taking advantage of its sweet and bubbly nature. It is a fact that this is a product that is here to stay , so enjoy these holidays with a refreshing glass of Coke with ice and immerse yourself with these peculiar facts about one of the most iconic brands that have ever existed.
1. The Coca-Cola logo is red due to the old tax laws
The story goes that John Stith Pemberton, who created Coke in 1886, had originally advertised the soda as a “temperance” drink or an alternative to alcohol. And because alcohol was heavily taxed in the 19th century, Coca-Cola wanted to make sure its (non-alcoholic) drink wasn’t taxed. Therefore they began to paint the barrels of the product red, so that the fiscal agents could distinguish them from alcohol during transport. Today, the bright red color is still an easy way for fans to recognize Coca-Cola cans and bottles today.
2. On its iconic design
Another detail that makes the image of Coca-Cola so special, without a doubt is its emblematic and beautiful glass bottle . The most curious thing of all is that it was created with the aim of highlighting it from its competitors, since at the beginning of the 20th century many impostor soft drinks tried to imitate it. In such a way that in the year 1915, the trustees of the Coca-Cola Bottling Association, undertook the task of contacting various glass bottling companies, so that they would design “a bottle so different that it could be recognized, even in the dark. . ” The winning company, Root Glass Company, created the iconic green glass bottle, featuring crests and the raised Coca-Cola logo. Although today it is easier to find plastic cans and bottles among the most popular presentations, glass bottles are still a treasure and the most traditional and classic presentation, there are even some beliefs that indicate that the product tastes much better in glass.
3. Coca-Cola invented the six-pack
The creativity of this brand is unmatched , although today we are used to associating the term six-pack with beer, it is a false belief. The reality is that the Coca-Cola company invented this concept in 1923, said presentation was created as a marketing strategy for people to buy more product, easily and in the same package.
4. They were responsible for popularizing the coolers
The current custom of packing drinks in a cooler for a picnic , at the beach or a road trip, we owe it to Coca-Cola. In the beginning, it was very common to use metal buckets to contain water and ice, and thus cool drinks, the truth is that Coca-Cola helped modernize the concept of cooler. In fact, there is data that support that the Coca-Cola company in 1929, debuted with the launch of the first standardized open roof cooler. This first version was a rolling metal container, which held up to 72 bottles of Coca-Cola and guaranteed to keep them fresh for many hours. Years later Coca-Cola in the 1940s, hired industrial designer Raymond Loewy, who was responsible for creating a portable version of the refrigerator. He even came up with the genius of integrating a bottle opener into the cooler, undoubtedly an invention that we all appreciate today.
5. Coca-Cola has a certain degree of responsibility in the image of Santa Claus
Another of Coca-Cola’s great advertising strategies was to associate its product with the Christmas season and of course with Santa Claus. In 1931, the company hired Haddon Sundblom to paint pictures of Santa holding Coca-Cola bottles. According to the soft drink company, those images helped create the modern interpretation of St. Nick and also made the brand become a very important and traditional element in family year-end celebrations.
6. Coca-Cola was the first product advertised on the cover of Time magazine
Coca-Cola’s popularity grew like wildfire and this boom made advertising a very important part of the brand’s essence. In 1950, Time magazine featured a very special and original cover illustration: it showed Earth drinking from a Coca-Cola bottle , somehow the artwork was a reflection of how popular this classic soft drink had become. The rest is history, since this content opened the door to an extensive and proven advertising strategy.