Coca-Cola can be called "the most popular drink in the world" without fear. A drink that has not only become an element of contemporary mass culture. Coca-Cola was associated with the implementation of many different processes that have remained with us for good - and it's not only about the famous image of "Santa Claus".
We present some interesting facts about Coca Cola and its influence on culture, art and capitalism!
Ah, this alternative medicine
Although alternative medicine has recently experienced a small renaissance, this is not the first moment in history in which people have shown interest in unusual methods of treatment. A similar trend spread in the United States in the late nineteenth century, caused in a way by poverty, which did not allow for the payment of medical advice from real doctors.
It was on the wave of these interests that many new "healing" drugs with supposedly miraculous properties began to emerge. One of them was a drink containing coca and enormous doses of caffeine obtained from African kola nuts. Yes, it was the first Coca-Cola! Initially, Coca-Cola was an alcoholic drink as its base was wine! This changed with the introduction of prohibition.
Competition and advertising
As the competition of pseudo-medicinal drugs was fierce then, it was necessary to find a way to beat the rivals. This is how advertising in the modern sense of the word was born! Coca-Cola producers were among the first to let themselves get into the whirlwind of the marketing machine, pioneering some advertising gimmicks.
What was done? Advertisements in newspapers were bought, posters were hung, people walking on the streets with advertising boards. There were times when various newspapers were added to products, from matches to cookbooks and playing cards. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
From advertising to art
As history was supposed to show, advertising was a step away from hitting the field of art and culture! This is due to Coca-Cola's promotional calendars, which began to be issued in the 1990s. To create its "visual" advertisements, the brand used the works of leading artists of the era, including artists from the American Golden Age of Illustration. They created Coca-Cola promotional graphics until the 1960s, when the art of painting and drawing was slowly replaced by advertising photography.
Today, the local Coca-Cola advertising posters are considered iconic. And surely everyone has encountered them at least once, despite the enormity of modern forms of product advertising! They perfectly reflect the spirit of the epoch, the atmosphere of those times that has become a permanent part of the image of Western culture.
The iconic Santa Claus Sundblom
Haddon Sundblom was an illustrator who began working with The Coca-Cola Company in the 1920s. It was he who, in 1931, painted the image of Santa Claus, which is known to people all over the world to this day. The image of a good-natured, corpulent old man in a red outfit promoted by the brand has become so part of today's culture that hardly anyone associates the original image of Santa Claus - a benevolent priest in episcopal robes.
Art uses commerce
An interesting phenomenon has been observed over the years. Folk artists often used the Coca-Cola theme in their works. In this way, they wanted to use the brand's popularity for their own promotion. One of the effects of this phenomenon could be admired during the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996. The Coca-Cola Company honored folk art by presenting an exhibition of folk artists from 54 countries. I must admit that it was an extremely polite gesture on the part of the company.
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