The success of Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is nowadays one of the most famous and prestigious brands all over the marketing world. Its logo is known by everyone, and it appears everywhere (TV, newspapers, sports events, ...). But, how has this company reached the top?

1. Intouchable Logo

Coca cola was founded in 1886, and the company established its logo in 1923. They decided that, in addition to the recipe, the logo should also be fixed. That is how a logo that is recorded in everyone's mind was born. Nevertheless, the packing has been changing over the last century.

2. Same prices

It is very common that new companies start offering their products or services very cheap or for free, and by the time price increases sharply. Coca-Cola also used this strategy; however, they offered a bottle for the same price (5 cents) during 70 years. In 1959 the price changed.

3. Pioneer in merchandising

In the last years of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th, Coca-Cola was much more than a drink, it was a consumer brand, and it carried out different marketing strategies. Between 1987 and 1920, 10% of the products were given for free, in order to create brand awareness. Some other free products such as watches, calendars or decoration items were given to retailers. That is how Coca-Cola was the first one to set the brand in articles not related with the product, what we know as "Merchandising".

4. Property of bottles

In 1915 they launched a contest for a new design of bottle. The Root Glass Company of Indiana participated in the contest, and they found a curious picture of a cocoa plant. Although Coca-Cola didn't have anything in common with the cocoa, the plant had a significant and attractive shape. The Root Glass Company designed a bottle taking into account the shape of the cocoa plant, and they won the contest. The company has been promoting the bottle of Coca-Cola as an icon over the last decades.