MediaSummer Term

Homework

By Dior Bowers (9CB)

Coca-Cola’s History

Coca-Cola’s first ever drink was created in 1886 by John Pemberton a pharmacist who worked at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta. One afternoon, he created a caramel-coloured liquid and when it was done. He carried this liquid to another shop where they combined this liquid with carbonated water and then gave a focus group a sample of the drink and the feedback they received was all positive.

As he realised people actually liked the drink Jacob’s Pharmacy put it on sale for five cents (about 3p) a glass. Even though John Pemberton created the drink it was in fact his bookkeeper , Frank Robinson, who named it Coca-Cola. The name Coca-Cola and the way Frank Robson wrote Coca-Cola are still used in the same way to this very day. In the first year of selling Coca-Cola Pemberton sold 9 glasses of Coca-Cola a day that is around $164.25 in his first year.

In 1888, Asa Griggs Candler an American Businessman also from Atlanta bought Coca-Cola from Jacob’s Pharmacy for £1,500 (about $2,300 ). Asa Griggs Candler is the man who changed totally transformed Coca-Cola as he changed a normal invention into a business, Asa Griggs Candler knew exactly who his target audience were and knew how to attract their attention. He used many different techniques inorder to capture their eyes such as giving away coupons for tasting coca-cola, selling different products with the coca-cola logo on inorder to endorse the company and increase the awareness of their business.

Task 1

After a while Atlanta was covered with Coca-Cola logos. In 1895 Candler set up coca-cola factories in Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles and suddenly coca-cola was in-demand.

Another significant figure in Coca-Cola’s history is Joseph Biedenham

who was the man who put Coca-Cola’s wonderful syrup into a bottle. However Candler wasn’t keen on the idea, even 5 years later in 1899 when two American lawyers Benjamin Thomas and Joseph Whitehead signed a deal from Candler to bottle coca-cola for only one dollar.

Coca-Cola started to become such a success so much so that people started to make fake coca-cola’s which made the company quite angry. Coca-Cola tried to stop people from buying fake bottles by advertising customers to 'Demand the genuine' and 'Accept no substitute'. Coca-Cola made a new bottle which would be unique and assure people that their buying the genuine coke. The bottle chosen was a contour bottle which is still being used today, it was chosen because of it’s ‘attractive appearance, original design and the fact that, even in the dark, you could identify the genuine article.’

In the early 1900s is where they started to become global being spread into Canada, Panama, Cuba, Puerto Rico, France, and many more. In 1919, Ernest Woodruff bought Coca-Cola from Candler and 4 years later gave the business to his son Robert Woodruff who is to become the person who made the biggest impact in the history of the business. He expanded Coca-Cola dramatically snatching every opportunity that came his way. He travelled with the US team representing coca-cola and increasing their awareness and creating new ways which coca-cola could be distributed such as the 6 pack.

This was Coca-Cola’s foundation and it’s start to a longlasting leagacy. In later years Coca-Cola created other products such as Fanta, Powerade, Dr Pepper, Oasis and much more.

Task 2Coca-Cola’s Target Audience

Coca-Cola’s main audience are teenagers (both male and female) due to selling high quality drinks for a very cheap price. They also focus on teenagers hobbies such as sports like football which they try to get their products as acknowledged as possible using various techniques such as putting their products on banners or bulletin boards. They also sponsor various football leagues so they’re name is mentioned everywhere.

However I believe that their trying to make a wider audience than before which was strictly focused on the youth, they are now trying to offer 2l bottles which will be drank by families instead of specific individuals as I doubt a teenager would buy a 2l bottle to drink all by themselves. Coca-Cola are also trying to target peoples insecurities such as older woman who focus on their weight and trying to keep healthy by introducing diet coke which I’m more than certain some older women will buy.

As Coca-Cola is a world-wide drink it is aimed at all nationalities and all types of consumers. I believe that each drink brand coca-cola make is targeted at a different audience such as Diet Coke is aimed at people who want to keep healthy and maintain their weight and Powerade is aimed at a sports audience who need during or after their sport they are looking to regain their energy.

Coca-Cola Montage

Task 3

Coca-Cola’s Past Advert(Part 1)

Task 4

This advertisement created by Coca-Cola is aimed at a male audience or a family orientated audience. I believe as this advert is relatively old I believe they focused on father and son rather than on a whole family situation. If this was an advert

created in the 21st century then I believe it could be a whole family sitting at the bar rather than the male part of the family. Due to it being an old advert people saw females inferior to males so Coca-Cola might have thought it might not have sold the picture as much as if it were male figures within the picture. I also believe if females weren’t inferior to males I also believe it may have not been in the bar instead it might have been in a living room or in a park on a hot day.

Task 5Coca-Cola’s Past Advert

(Part 2)

This advert by Coca-Cola is made to meet people’s expectations of being a refreshing and delicious ice cold drink. The fact this advertisement is based on a beach on a hot and sunny day creates the sense of this drink being an ideal drink to have in relaxed situations such as being on the beach or even sitting down in the sitting room. Coca-Cola has used a woman in the picture in order to attract men as men are likely to be a large amount of their consumers and by portraying a beautiful woman in a picture it will attract men to buy their product as it will satisfy their pleasures. I also believe this advert meets thegratifications of a young audience in general as an older audience

wouldn’t be satisfied by this advert alone as stereotypically they would rather drink something like squash so I believe Coca-Cola focused on a younger audience which they were certain they could persuade. Also at the time this advert was made Coca-Cola in a bottle was new and wasn’t common so this enticed the newer generation as it was a new and portable way in which they could drink Coca-Cola.

TASK 6Coca-Cola’s Old & New Advert

Comparison

OLD NEW

Coca-Cola’s advertisement has changed dramatically over the years however I picked two advertisements which are similar but were created in different time frames. Both pictures are trying to show how Coca-Cola is a thirst quenching drink for the family however they display it in different ways. The old one due to sexism just shows a father and son however it doesn’t represent a family situation to its full unlike the new advertisement. As now views have changed Coca-Cola aren’t afraid of adding females roles into a image which don’t sexually attract men or are just away to attract more men as customers. Females are looked at as important consumers of Coca-Cola so a role such as a daughter and a wife is significant as it shows views have changed over time.

However the old Coca-Cola advert best represents their product as they want to get across that their product is refreshing, cold and thirst quenching. The old advertisement makes the product look like it tastes better however the new Coca-Cola advert shows who ‘s the product is aimed at.