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THE MARKET

The Coca-Cola Company is the world’s largest beverage company. Along with Coca-Cola®, recognized as the world’s most valuable brand, the company markets four of the world’s top-five softdrink brands, including Diet Coke®, Fanta®, and Sprite®, and a wide range of other beverages, including diet and light soft drinks, waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees, and sports drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the company’s beverages at a rate exceeding 1.3 billion servings each day.

ACHIEVEMENTS

Until the mid-1950s, the contour bottle and bell-shaped fountain glass defined packaging for Coca-Cola. But as people demanded a wider variety of choices, the company responded with innovative packaging, new technology, and new products.

In 1955, king-size and familysize glass bottles were introduced with immediate success, followed by cans in the U.S. market in 1960. The company then marked several firsts in the soft-drink industry:  lift-top cans and bottles with lift-top crowns in 1964, and a 24-pack “Cluster-Pak” of cans and tinfree steel cans in 1969.

After more than $250,000 in development costs and rigorous testing by NASA, the “Coke. Space Can” was accepted for its first mission in outer space in 1985.

By 2000, the company had introduced a new generation to the famous contour bottle — first with the 1993 20 ounce plastic version, and later with the return of the classic embossed glass contour. bottle (complete with city and state references on the bottom) in 2000.

In the past decades, The Coca-Cola Company has created new brands to meet the desires of consumers, starting with Fanta in 1960. Sprite was launched in 1961, followed by TAB — the company’s first low-calorie drink — in 1963. The debut of Diet Coke in 1982 marked the first extension of the Coca-Cola trademark to another product. And the new products, such as Vanilla Coke continue today, add to the company’s portfolio of nearly 400 brands.

For the past 117 years — through its ads that brought the world together, packaging innovations, and the introduction of new products to fit the tastes of consumers wherever they may be, whatever they may be doing — Coca-Cola has become a part of the lives of people around the world.

The debut of Diet Coke in 1982 marked the first extension of the Coca-Cola trademark to another product. And the new products, such as Vanilla Coke continue today, add to the company’s portfolio of nearly 400 brands.

For the past 117 years — through its ads that brought the world together, packaging innovations, and the introduction of new products to fit the tastes of consumers wherever they may be, whatever they may be doing — Coca-Cola has become a part of the lives of people around the world.

HISTORY

In 1886, John Pemberton created Coca-Cola in Atlanta, Georgia, and sold it at a local pharmacy. His partner and  bookkeeper Frank Robinson named the product and drew the famous flowing Coca-Cola script.

Atlanta entrepreneur Asa G. Candler realized the business potential of the drink and acquired complete ownership of the Coca-Cola business for $2,300 in 1891. Within four years, Candler’s merchandising flair — including the use of coupons — helped expand consumption of Coca-Cola to every part of the nation.

The 1916 introduction of the patented contour bottle made Coca-Cola instantly recognizable. from imitators by taste, sight, and touch. The contour bottle was granted trademark registration in 1977, an honor awarded few other packages.

THE PRODUCT

Coca-Cola. It’s a simple idea, really. Drinking a Coke makes people happy. It tastes good. And it’s an invitation to live on the positive side of life. That’s the message behind “The Coke Side of Life,” brand Coca-Cola’s overarching marketing platform. It has been created to invite people to create their own positive reality, be spontaneous, listen to their hearts, and live in full color.

Coca-Cola has always been at its best when it reflects the simple, optimistic moments in life. The Coke Side of Life recognizes that the most universal experiences are those where Coca-Cola is refreshingly honest and uplifting.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

As part of a continuous stream of innovation, Coca-Cola North America has expanded its broad beverage portfolio with the ever-evolving consumer in mind.

Coca-Cola Blak. Coca-Cola Blak is a sophisticated, premium blend of Coca-Cola, natural flavors, and coffee essence. The effervescence and rich flavor of Coca-Cola Blak provide the perfect pick-me-up for people looking for new ways to stay refreshed any time of the day or night. Coca-Cola Blak is a uniquely invigorating beverage that is full-bodied in flavor and as refreshing as you expect Coca-Cola to be. Coca-Cola Blak has been specially formulated to appeal to American tastes and features a unique logo treatment and packaging as well. It’s designed to attract adult consumers looking for an indulgent and revitalizing alternative to other beverages.

POWERade OPTION™. It’s not your traditional sports drink; it’s a whole new “OPTION” for active people seeking hydration for any occasion throughout the day. POWERade OPTION™, a new low-calorie, low-carbohydrate sports drink, provides electrolytes and B-complex vitamins at levels comparable to regular POWERade, but with fewer carbohydrates and 80 percent fewer calories than Gatorade®. POWERade OPTION is sweetened with a blend of Sucralose, Ace- K, and HFCS; contains 10 calories and two carbohydrates per eight-fluid-ounce serving; and is an example of how the POWERade brand has driven category growth for the last several years.

Minute Maid Light Cherry Limeade. The popular Minute Maid Light line is a low-calorie, non-carbonated alternative for the increasing number of Americans looking for reduced calorie beverages. The new flavor scored highly with consumers and is extending consumer reach for the already popular Minute Maid Light line of lemonades and punches.

Minute Maid® Just 10™. Minute Maid Just 10 comes in cool, easy-to-open pouches to provide hassle-free refreshment for kids. Minute Maid Just 10, a low-calorie youth beverage made with 5 percent real fruit juice, is a good. source of calcium and fortified with 100 percent of the daily value of Vitamin C. With only 10 calories and two grams of sugar per pouch, Minute Maid Just 10 fruit drink has 90 percent less sugar per serving than Capri Sun fruit.