The Coca Cola Company
Summary of the History of Coca Cola
On May 8, 1886, Dr. John S Pemberton, a pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia, USA mixed the syrup that became Coca-Cola'. His friend and bookkeeper, Frank M. Robinson, thinking that the two C's would look well in advertising', suggested the name Coca-Cola'. He wrote the words in his now familiar Spenserian script, and the world's most recognized trademark was born.
Selling his creation from Jacob's pharmacy for five cents a glass, Dr. Pemberton promoted his new product by distributing thousands of coupons that could be exchanged for a complimentary sample. In the first year, he spent $46 on advertising. Pemberton sold the rights for Coca-Cola' to Asa G. Candler who founded The Coca-Cola Company in 1892. Candler was a confirmed believer in the power of advertising. He fervently plunged into the world of mass-merchandising, ensuring the Coca-Cola' trademark was depicted on countless novelty products such as fans, calendars, clocks, ornate led glass chandeliers and urns.
His efforts were well rewarded. Just three years after the official incorporation of The Coca-Cola Company in 1892, Candler was proud to announce that Coca-Cola' was now drunk in every state and territory in the United States'. A major leap considering that in its first year on the market, Coca-Cola had sold on average a mere nine drinks per day. Expansion was so impressive that in 1898, a new headquarters was housed in a large building in Atlanta. Candler naively described the three-storey building as sufficient for all our needs for all time to come'. Needless to say, the building was too small after just a decade.
In 1923, Robert Winship Woodruff was elected president of The Coca-Cola Company. A visionary leader, he placed strong emphasis on product quality, establishing a Quality Drink' campaign using highly trained service teams. Early advertising discouraged consumers from calling the product Coke. They urged "Ask for Coca-Cola' by its full name; nicknames encourage substitution." But people kept asking for Coke and in 1941 the Company gave in to public demand. That year, the trademark Coke' received equal prominence in advertising with Coca-Cola', and in 1945 Coke was registered as a trademark.
The now legendary promise made by Robert Woodruff to General Eisenhower that every American serviceman would "get a bottle of Coca-Cola' for five cents, wherever he is and what ever the cost to The Coca-Cola Company" meant that Coca-Cola' went wherever the US troops did, making the brand truly international.
How Coca Cola differentiates itself from its competitors
How the general public perceives them...