Charity, Image, and Taste

The Coca-Cola Company’s rise in popularity may have started when people began to associate the name, especially in Atlanta, with the charitable acts that the president of the company, Asa Candler, committed for the local community. For instance, he assisted in the bail out of the real estate market in Atlanta in 1907 and gave loans to cotton farmers during the agricultural depression in the 1910s (Elmore, 2015). The following president of the company, Robert Woodruff, president from 1923 to 1985, donated millions to different organizations and institutions around the world, like Emory University and the Woodruff Art Center in Atlanta (Elmore, 2015 book). These were not the only presidents of the Coca-Cola Company to be passionate about assisting those in need. Similar donations from the company continue today.

Coca-Cola’s rise in power can be attributed to the way they created and sold their products; from the resources they used to their bottling. For instance, the resources used to create their sugary sweet drink were cheap and readily available. With help from government farm

subsidies and development programs for distribution, Coca-Cola continued to have cheap access to the natural resources it needed to create their syrup and bottle their drinks (Elmore 2014 article). Corn, a key component to the sweet tasting corn syrup, has been subsidized by the US government resulting in over production of the crop, thus driving down the cost. Coca-Cola was then able to sell a commodity in the foreign market that would not have been as successful in isolation in the American market (Elmore, 2013). Coca-Cola increased their profits by selling the syrup to the soda fountains without water, thus reducing their packaging and shipping costs. It was not until Coca-Cola’s competitors in the soda industry began to rise in success that the president at the time, Asa Candler, decided that they should start bottling their products through independent bottlers once they could find trust worthy people to maintain the standard and quality of the beverages. During the 1890s, the bottling industry took off and was economically successful as the product was now able to reach a whole new market that did not have access to soda fountains before (Elmore, 2015).

Another way that Coca-Cola has risen to its popularity today is through their signature image and taste. By maintaining this classic image,

people were able to easily recognize and associate the product with an experience they had. The curvy shape of the bottle was designed to imitate the coca leaf and the female body, thus correlating the drink to nature and sex (Gootenberg, 2004, p.241). Preserving Coca-Cola’s signature and unique taste over many years allowed the company to invest their time, money, and energy into other projects (Feloni, 2015). They have had some missteps with changes in their formula, but each one has shown consumer loyalty to the original taste of Coca-Cola.

Advertisements have also contributed to the company’s rise in power and popularity. If you would like to learn more click the link.