Always, Coca-Cola
Coca-cola was first introduced in 1886 in the United States by John Pemberton who claimed it could cure nerve disorders, impotency, headaches, and morphine addiction (a widespread issue for Civil War veterans at the time). Since then Coke has reinvented itself; but in that process, it has played an active part in 130 years of world history. As an international product, Coke advertising spans not only a significant terrain of time and space, but it also has assimilated into the cultures of 200 countries across the world (okay – maybe it’s still a foreigner in some countries, but several cultures have adopted it into their own.) This makes Coca Cola’s advertising ripe for investigation and analysis, and Coke’s efforts to insert themselves into cultural narratives makes them all the more appealing to study. Marc Pritchard (the Chief Brand Officer at Proctor and Gamble) claims that brands are needing to redefine themselves to become part of the narrative in people’s everyday lives and to take definitive stances on cultural issues, but this is something that Coke has long known. Throughout 20-21st century, Coke has endeavored to put their product in the everyday social lives of different social groups and cultures, resulting in decades of advertising that is ripe with concepts related to identity, culture, transformation of cultural ideology, representation, and perspective. Coke’s creative approach to tackling these social and cultural shifts in advertising offers good fodder for classroom analysis in considering the relationship between texts, time, and culture.
Coke’s Advertising Archives are a great resource for teachers and students. Also, the YouTube Channel “Coke Conversations” includes MANY videos discussing different Coke campaigns across time and place. A representative from the company also posts regularly on Instagram under the account “coke_archives“. These are a great starting point, and of course, once you know what specific ad/project you are looking for, most videos and images can be found in a Google search.
Because the archives are so rich, a study of Coca Cola would be a great place to invite student choice, allowing students to make connections to other works studied in the course. The ads themselves engage with global issues and for decades, they set the standard for creative advertising, representing several social groups, cultures, and identities (women, racial groups, celebrities, etc.) In some cultures, Coke is even advertised as having health (and religious?!) benefits. To stay competitive, Coke has had to evolve which offers interesting conversations, including speculation about how the brand might return to its roots in a post-plastic era (who better to lead the charge to a return to a glass soda bottle?). This takes some flexibility in thinking and trust in the students – but in my experience, most students surprise rather than disappoint. I’ve outlined an assignment approach below for those interested.