What is WE8?

It's something every Coke collector will want to know about!

Leading up to the Olympic Games in August, Coke is coming out with a special set of international bottles.

Coke asked eight artists from China to create designs (centered around the idea of the world coming together for the Olympics) for aluminum contour bottles. Then each design was paired with specially composed music (by eight musicians from around the world). For each limited-edition bottle design, a popular recording artist from the West has composed a special, companion WE8 song.

So WE8 is "West meets East" with eight designs and songs.

You can read all the details, see the bottles, learn the names or the artists and musicians, and hear the songs here. I've included a photo of the collection of bottles and two bottles so you can see them up-close, but you can see all of the designs at that link as well and read how this fits into the "Coke Side of Life" campaign for the Beijing Games.

And, because I know Coke collectors, I do have some information on how you can get the bottles!

Where you can find the bottles
The bottles -- available this June through August -- won't be offered everywhere, so this could be the start of a real hunt for true collectors.

The eight bottles follow different themes. One themed WE8 bottle will be available in these areas: Australia (the bottle called "Happiness"), Belgium ("Peace on Earth"), Brazil ("Global Harmony"), China ("Healthy World"), France ("Individual Perseverance"), Great Britain ("Uplifting Moments"), Greece ("Human Collaboration") and New Zealand ("Active Optimism"). All eight bottles periodically will be available in the U.S. at selected Simon Malls around the country. (I don’t know which malls or when, though -- sorry!)

And, if you're heading to Beijing for the Games, the WE8 bottles should be there as well! If you're not heading to China, a WE8 collector's set, with all eight bottles and the eight music tracks, will be available through the online Coca-Cola Store, the New World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta and the Coke stores in Las Vegas and at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

Happy Mother’s Day

In honor of Mother’s Day, here are some scenes from a 1997 “Always Coca-Cola” commercial called “Super Mom.” Of course, all mothers are extraordinary, but the one in this commercial has the outfit to prove it! She transforms into a super hero, saves Earth from a meteor and still has time to change back into her everyday clothes before school is out. Her kids even call her “super” when she gives them each a Coke!

Happy 122nd birthday, Coke!

Yes, today is Coca-Cola’s birthday. To celebrate, here in Atlanta I’m hosting a Coca-Cola Collectors Road Show for our employees and our retirees. This is a chance for me to do the kinds of appraisals I’ve been doing for some of you on this site (through email and the comments) -- but in person.

Our employees will bring in any Coke memorabilia items they’re curious about and see if they have an unexpected retirement fund – or if they need to keep working! Look for a post next week about any treasures (or disappointments …) I see during today’s appraisals.

Across the globe, our employees in Singapore are receiving a special commemorative gift -- a contour bottle filled with “Coca-Cola” M&Ms. I’ve posted a photo of the bottle itself, but also a close-up of the label. My colleagues in Singapore did a great job with this. Every detail of the label has been specialized for the employees -- from the contour bottle-shaped bar code to the list of ingredients. Even the date next to the bar code is 0805 1886 -- for May 8, 1886. I know a few collectors who might be flying to Singapore to try and get one!

 

One of the first posts I did was about how things had changed from when Coca-Cola began to now. In 1886, we sold an average of 9 drinks a day. Today, we sell 1.5 billion. (Hint: that’s what the “1.5 bil/day” means on the label – to the left of the 122 Years logo.)

It’s Postcard Week!

In the New World of Coca-Cola, which opened last May, we have a Pop Culture Gallery, where we show how Coke has become a part of, well, pop culture. We do that through the Collectors Corner that I’ve written about, a display about "new Coke" (our famous taste change) and through art and crafts exhibits, among others.

We also have a display close to my heart. Shortly when you walk into the Pop Culture Gallery, there is a display of 100 postcards. These postcards were not created by The Coca-Cola Company, but each contains a Coke sign or image somewhere in the scene. The postcards were created to document elements of people’s lives -- city views, amusement parks and tourist stops -- but in each scene there is an advertising image for Coke, an expected part of the landscape.

Many of the cards are from the U.S., like this 1954 card from Geneva on the Lake in Ohio. We've also included postcards from places like the Philippines and London's Piccadilly Circus. I was really passionate about this project, because it was such a strong example of how Coke is a part of every community.

Two more things: First, we do include a magnifying glass with the postcard display; some of the Coke signs are subtle, and you have to search for them! And second, if you’ve been following my blog you know I’ve found a calendar showing holidays around the world. Well, this week is National Postcard Week in the U.S., which gave me the idea for this post!

Do you have a favorite Coke sign or landmark from your hometown?

What’s your perfect serving of Coke?

A few weeks ago, I told you about a project my team had with a new restaurant in Atlanta, Holeman & Finch. We worked with them to help them develop the “perfect serving” of Coca-Cola at the restaurant

Everyone has a favorite way to have a Coke -- your own perfect serve. We’ve asked a few employees -- and the creators of Holeman & Finch -- for their favorite ways. Take a look at their answers (and mine!).

As I said in the video, my perfect serve is straight out of a cold bottle. A lot of us remember digging around in an icy cooler to get a Coke, and I think those memories add to the way I enjoy a Coke.

What’s your perfect serve? Out of a glass? With ice? With lemon? I’d love to hear from you!

Flavor bottles are not Coke bottles!

I've received a number of questions from people who have found Coca-Cola bottles that don’t exactly look like Coke bottles! Generally, the bottles don't have the curvy contour shape of a Coke bottle, and they don't have Coca-Cola written in our famous script, but they do have Coca-Cola on them and they carry the name of a bottling company.

I can see why people are curious about them -- or confused by what they've found! These are actually what we call "flavor bottles." One is shown here next to a contour bottle.

Though our Company has more than 450 brands around the world today, until 1960 in the U.S. we only had one drink: Coca-Cola. Many of our bottlers wanted to offer people other flavors, such as grape, orange or root beer. So Coca-Cola bottling companies sold flavored drinks in generic bottles. The bottles carried the Coca-Cola name (usually in block letters), because of the bottling company, even though Coke wasn't in the bottle and our Company didn't make the drink.

There are a lot of different styles of these flavor bottles, and this one is just an example. The bottles will often have symbols on them as well -- ranging from a star to a tree. And though many people think they've unearthed their child's college fund by finding one of these bottles, they're generally worth about $10!

Did you know? More movies

I’ve mentioned a few movies that have "starred" Coca-Cola -- many in cameo roles. Here are just some of the movies that have featured diet Coke:

Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005)
High Crimes (2002)
Jersey Girl (2004)
Zathura (2005)
Zoolander (2001)

And I should say I’m not speaking to the quality or appeal of these movies -- only that diet Coke appeared on screen!!

Happy Penguin Day!

Yes, today is World Penguin Day! It may not surprise you to see that we’ve paired Coke with a penguin (this is from 1962), as the idea of serving Coke ice-cold is one we’ve strongly promoted over the years. Here, we’ve used the penguin to illustrate another good pairing -- Coke and food. Though I cover recipes using Coke as an ingredient on my blog, in this case, the idea was that having a Coca-Cola with a meal makes any kind of food taste better.

You may also be familiar with a commercial of ours featuring a penguin -- actually a whole team of penguins visited by our Coca-Cola Polar Bear in a recent holiday ad. The bears and penguins meet on the ice and snow while the music of the Beach Boys plays in the background!

23 years after “new Coke”

April 23 is a "special" day in Coke’s history: On this day in 1985, we introduced the new taste of Coca-Cola, what’s commonly called "new Coke."

Those of you were who were around 23 years ago may very clearly remember the taste change. For those of you who weren’t yet born – or weren’t in the U.S. or Canada – the change was a big deal. People were not happy that we had changed their Coke. (We introduced the original formula, Coca-Cola classic, just a few months later in response to the outcry.) In fact, the taste change is so much a part of our Company that we have an exhibit about it at the New World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta.

We’ve told the story of "new Coke," which for years has been called everything from the marketing blunder of the century to a genius move on Coke’s part. (You can read more here.) Good or bad, the change helped remind people what they love about Coke – and helped the Company remember that Coca-Cola is more than just a drink.

I’d like to tell you a bit about what I remember of those days. The stories are true. There were protesters calling for us to bring back the "old" Coke. A number of people who worked at Coke were even reassigned to deal with the calls and letters from the public. Everywhere I went, when people found out I worked for the Company, I’d get bombarded with complaints – as if I personally had made the decision to change the taste!

What I remember most is the passion the public had about Coca-Cola. They were so upset we’d changed the taste, and their reactions usually fell into three categories: those who said they’d never drink Coke again if they couldn’t have "old" Coke, those who were really at a loss and wondered what they were going to do without their favorite beverage, and those who simply called those running the Company "idiots!" (I preferred getting one of the first two reactions!)

As an employee, I got comments from neighbors, people in the grocery store – total strangers and friends alike. We employees were all given free samples of the new Coke to give to people we knew. Some people refused to take it, while others politely took the free drink but I knew they weren’t going to drink it!

On July 10, when the Company announced that "old" Coke was coming back, it led the nightly news reports. As I said, it was a big deal! People rejoiced. "New" Coke remained in stores, with Coca-Cola classic and Coca-Cola selling alongside each other. (And just a side note: There was never a drink called New Coke. The reformulated drink later was renamed Coke II before finally disappearing from the marketplace.)

What do you remember about the days of "new Coke"? Did you hoard the "old" Coke? Did you protest? I’d love to hear from you!

Did you know? Georgia green

The green color of the contour bottle is known as Georgia Green, a reference to Coke’s home state. Bottles used outside the United States generally are clear instead of “Georgia Green.”