We all know it, seen it, heard about it, and at some point in our lives might have drank it. Yes, it’s Coca-Cola.
Coca-Cola was exported during World War II and has spread to the entire planet. Although the company has franchises that do the bottling and distributing for the company, the company has maintained its status and grown its profitability throughout the years.
Coca-Cola bought other well-known companies such as Minute Maid, Honest Tea, Powerade, Nestea, Dasani, even Columbia Pictures was bought by Coca-Cola and then later sold to Sony. The company’s marketing strategies which were very aggressive in the early years by Asa Griggs Candler, paid off. The companies advertising has become the most prolific, notable and impacting strategies which has influenced popular culture and society. Not only is the logo, bottle design, and brand image the most recognized brand in world, the drink was the first soft drink to be consumed by astronauts in space. The company became an American icon and a symbol of the Western World.
In 2010, 1.6 billion drinks were sold every day. But as people were getting more conscious about having a healthier lifestyle, Coke revenues went down by 11% in 2017. But the company stills maintains high profitability as it continues to purchase companies such as ZICO, a coconut water company, and many more.
The company also has been very involved in civic activities. For example, when Martin Luther King, Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 nobody wanted to attend the celebratory dinner until Coke intervened. The chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola at the time J. Paul Austin summoned all key Atlanta business leaders to the Commerce Club’s eighteenth floor dining room. He made it very clear that it was an embarrassment for Coca-Cola to be in Atlanta which was a city that refused to honor a Noble Prize Winner. J. Paul Austin said, “We are an international business. The Coca-Cola Company does not need Atlanta. You all need to decide whether Atlanta needs the Coca-Cola Company.” In two hours all the tickets to the dinner were sold out.
Coca-Cola was also very active in the (RED) campaign together with Nike, Girl, American Express and Converse to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus.
What started off as a small company trying to export coke has now become a company that’s infiltrated the cultural of all countries throughout the globe.
Written by Iris Arden
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