Ch. 16 - Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Promotion

Coca Cola goes hand in hand with advertising. The reason it is what it is today is because it works so hard on its advertisement to hit certain target markets in order to make sure people know the name and know what the company stands for. They spend about 2.9 billion dollars a year when it comes to just advertising. Although it may seem like a lot of money, it's worth it because of how much they make off of it. It all started out during the 1930’s and prohibition era. One of their first ad campaigns was by stating that Coke was the best alternative to alcohol for those who wanted a good drink. It was an instant success as people felt compelled to buy Coca Cola. One of their next ad campaigns that dominated the marketing of the world was Santa Claus. Although many believe that Coca Cola

turned him to wear red and white, it is not true. However Coca Cola did develop his image and created the big bellied, jolly, bearded old man that we know as Santa Claus. Whenever most people think of Santa they think of christmas and Coke. This ad campaign was extremely popular with families as it created ties with Coca Cola and people. Coca Cola continues to make more advertisements that continue to connect with the times. Once the fad with losing weight and keeping healthy came along they created the diet coke. The diet coke campaign was a major success with the people who wanted to drink healthier and watch their weight. They also sponsor events such as, sporting events, concerts and continue to grow to make sure their ads are all over.  Their “mean joe greene” ad in the 70s was extremely popular showing people that Coke can bring out the soft side even in the most toughest of people.Their newest campaign “open happiness” has been a hit when it comes to connecting with people. They've used different methods of ads to do this. They've given away free coke to college students. Gone around the world to get people to connect with one another so that everyone can open happiness. Which is also part of their mission statement. Coca Cola has become an empire when it comes to advertising. Making sure that we all know who they are and what they stand for. Always changing with the times, their advertisements connect people with people and more importantly people with Coca Cola.