Coca­Cola

Each day, over 1.7 billion servings of Coca­Cola carbonated soft drinks are consumed.
Coca­Cola has been an ongoing phenomenon for the past century, and it wouldn’t be so popular today if it weren’t for the numerous varieties of advertising over the years. Staring out from simple billboards and posters in the early 1900’s, Coca­Cola ads have extended to new heights when it comes to engaging their consumers to purchase their products. What are some views of society that are reflected in the advertising?

When Coca­Cola first began in the late 1800’s, it was viewed in society as a reliever of exhaustion. The inventor of Coca­Cola, John Pemberton, claimed that the coca­wine could cure numerous health symptoms such as anxiety, headache, and fatigue. This could be due to the original ingredients in the beverage which would include coca alkaloid or better known as cocaine. Fast­forward to the 1960’s, Coca­Cola had become a phenomenon and had distributed over dozens of advertisements. And soon the product had a new claim to it. Coca­Cola began to make promises that their product will make consumers thin. An example would be in a 1960’s commercial starring movie star actress, Connie Clausen. In the short advertisement, Clausen explains that a simple bottle of Coke will cause her to remain at the same waist size for years.
A plausible explanation could be caused by the effects of cocaine; which would be suppressed hunger causing weight loss. Today, Coca­Cola’s advertisements are all over the place seen by millions of consumers across the planet. Compared to the advertisements in the past, Coca­Cola conveys a more positive message to its audience by explaining that balancing a healthy diet along with the consumption of Coke would be a way to stay well. What are some ways society has changed as a result of the advertising? Due to Coca­Cola’s advertising, their sales have skyrocketed over the past century. However, due to the abundance of advertising, Coca­Cola has become the most widely known soft drink in the world. In the beginnings of Coca­Cola, the product was labeled as medicinal which led consumers to assume that the cola was good for them. From the beginning up until now, Coca­Cola did not acknowledge through advertising the fact that their product leads to an unhealthy lifestyle. Today, Coca­Cola is collaborating with other soft drink companies such as Pepsi to promote healthy living.

How does the advertising differ across media? Coca­Cola is a popular product known worldwide and their advertisements are broadcasted in dozens of other countries as well. Although all of the advertisements convey the same message—“drink Coke”—each ad is very unique in other places. For example, a Coca­Cola TV commercial that was aired in the United Kingdom had the concept of living a healthier lifestyle. The commercial compared the lives of a young adult man to his grandfather when he was the same age. On the left side of the screen the grandfather is seen living a much healthier and active life, whereas the other side the grandson is seen making poor choices and living an un healthy lifestyle. To be frank, these commercials are not often shown in the United States. If they were, society in the U.S. would possibly have a better outlook on drinking Coca­Cola, because they would be encouraging us to live healthy along with a bottle of Coke once in a while. Another example would be a TV commercial shown in overseas in London. A Coca­Cola machine was placed in a school cafeteria at London University.