A Bottle of Happiness

Today, I’m going to share with you a story that began 135 years ago.

Coca-Cola taught the world to sing in perfect harmony and it also taught all of us some great marketing lessons!

On May 8th, 1886, Dr. John Pemberton sold his first glass of Coca-Cola at Jacobs Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

Advertising has played a key role in Coke’s worldwide dominance since the beginning when John Pemberton invested $77 in advertising while he was only making a $50 profit. 

135 years later, Coke, as it is affectionately known, is served 1.9 million times every day, and remains one of the most recognized brands in the world.

After decades and multitudes of marketing campaigns, Coca-Cola remains consistent in communicating one very powerful and effective message, “Pleasure”, using two very powerful words, “Enjoy” and “Happiness”. A product that makes people, smile, laugh, sing, and brings pleasure to our daily lives, never goes out of style. 

A major reason for Coca-Cola’s success is the emphasis it places on the brand instead of the actual product. Coke rarely talks about the taste or ingredients, instead, it focuses on what the product does for you and to you. It doesn’t sell a drink in a bottle, it sells “happiness” in a bottle.

There are a number of marketing lessons local businesses can learn from Coca-Cola’s long history of marketing successes, as well as from their famous marketing blunder. 

One of the most important lessons is the value of targeting emotions with your advertising. Who doesn’t remember the emotional appeal of a multi-ethnic choir standing on the hilltop singing, “I’d like to teach the world to sing…it’s the real thing.” 

And what can be more nostalgic than the Christmas spirit…everyone has seen the mysterious Christmas gift-giver, Santa, drinking a bottle of Coca-Cola. 

Have you ever noticed the Coca-Cola bottler’s trucks are always clean and in excellent repair? They “walk the talk”. 

No Knee-Jerk Marketing – Remember the failure of New Coke, followed by the rapid return of Classic Coke? Coca-Cola blinked when a sweeter Pepsi product was winning the Pepsi challenge in blind taste tests. Coke overreacted by sweetening their New Coke to the dismay of loyal customers who wanted “the real thing”. 

The most successful marketers hold the course and do not overreact to competitors’ campaigns.