Coke says shop refreshed!

Today in the U.S. is a day known for shopping. It’s the day after Thanksgiving, which means the start of the holiday shopping season, and huge sales and discounts.

In fact, people start shopping before dawn, all to get the best price on a certain item. (I think some do it for the thrill too!)

Our offices at Coke are closed today, so I was not up at 4 AM to shop. Instead, I’ll wish a happy shopping day to those who were out so early -- and still may be out shopping.

Just remember to take a Coke break and shop refreshed!

Happy Thanksgiving from Coke!

Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S., a day when we traditionally celebrate the harvest and give thanks for the past year. (We also eat a huge meal, watch football and can’t miss viewing the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City!)

Thanksgiving is also known as “Turkey Day” or “Pilgrim Day,” and I found this 1970s Pilgrim pin.

The “Coke Adds Life to …” slogan had its debut in 1976, and this pin helped Coke add life to the holidays. This Pilgrim is joined by a Halloween witch and a holiday snowman. There are stuffed animals (or witches, Pilgrims and snowmen, in this case) of each, with matching pins like this one.

Whether or not you’re having a “Pilgrim Party” today, enjoy a Coke and have a happy holiday!

Sprite Modhouse punch recipe

As we are entering the holidays, here is a recipe that will add to the festive atmosphere. It’s actually taken from a magazine ad for Sprite, from 1966.

The ad starts with this line: “Here’s a punch that comes in loud and clear.”

“The Modhouse”

1 6-ounce package lime-flavored gelatin
2 cups hot water
½ to 1 cup bottled lime juice
2 12-ounce cans frozen concentrate for limeade
90 ounces of Sprite
1 teaspoon almond extract

Dissolve gelatin in hot water. Then stir in frozen concentrate for limeade. Add lime juice.

To serve, pour into bowl over 1 ½ quarts of cracked ice. Add Sprite.

Makes 48 4-ounce servings.

If you like a little more spirit, add a fifth of vodka.

If you serve this to your guests, let me know how they like it!

See our other recipes.

Coke says Happy Peanut Butter Lover's Month

According to Earth Calendar, where I discover unusual days to mention on the blog, November is Peanut Butter Lover’s Month.

I am one of the peanut butter lovers, though I prefer the chunky variety. Everyone I know remembers eating PBJ (that’s peanut butter and jelly) sandwiches growing up. (Some members of the Archives still eat it for lunch quite often!)

The peanut butter and Coca-Cola image here is actually from a festoon used in Canada in 1941. The piece showed a variety of foods – from ham to fruit salad to canapés – that went well with Coke.

You might be surprised at the number of odd and perhaps random “holidays” that I can relate to Coke. But that’s one of the things that I love about our advertising!

Because Coca-Cola is a part of everyday life, our advertising really does include aspects of daily life – even something like peanut butter on crackers!

So for the peanut butter lovers around the world, enjoy the rest of this month! And if you have a holiday I should celebrate here, I’d love to hear from you.

Happy birthday to caffeine free diet Coke

2008 marks the 25th anniversary of caffeine free diet Coke. (Diet Coke came out in 1982.)

In April 1983, we introduced caffeine-free versions of diet Coke, Coca-Cola and TaB.

Since then, a number of celebrities have appeared in ads for caffeine free diet Coke, including Shari Belafonte, singer Whitney Houston, musical group Manhattan Transfer, comedian Martin Mull, singer Linda Ronstadt and even Superman.

And actress Demi Moore starred in a 1987 ad for caffeine free diet Coke called “Sophisticated Lady with Demi Moore” (which today sounds like a Saturday Night Live skit!).

Write your own caption - TV Day

Today is World Television Day, and I thought it would make a good subject for this week’s Friday Fun contest.

Coke and TV go perfectly together, though this 1950 painting seems to favor the Coca-Cola! The artwork was used to create a magazine ad that appeared in May-June of that year.

This is another piece from the Archives I’ve never quite understood. I really have no idea why the bottle of Coke is taller than the people and why it’s hovering above the living room floor!

The game: Write a clever or funny caption for this Coke & TV image. (If you’re too young to recognize it, the large brown box on the right side is actually the TV!)

The prize and an extra week to be creative: Submit your caption through the “comments” area below this post. Entries are due by 8 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 4 (Eastern time). I’ll pick the winner and announce it on Dec. 4. (You get extra time for this contest due to the Thanksgiving holiday next week.)

The winner will receive a Coca-Cola prize from our “goodie closet.”

I can’t wait to see what you come up with!

See the winning caption.

We have a winner - bicycle delivery

For last week’s Friday Fun contest, my team asked you to send a clever caption for this 1947 photo showing delivery by bicycle cart.

To use my own pun, you all really delivered!

We received a record number of captions!

• When they told me I'd be peddling Coca-Cola, I didn't think they meant literally!
• I don't care how much they pay me, I am NOT delivering up that mountain!!
• The ice cream man is a weenie!
• The faster I drink - the lighter the load
• This week in Coca-Cola history: 1st ever coke bicycle delivery guy, later to be shut down for drinking all the product!
• The Coca-Cola Company may have introduced the first plastic Coke bottle in 1969, but this kid was thinking about it in 1947!
• After Mr. Woodruff caught LeRoy drinking a P***I, his punishment was peddling the cart for two weeks instead of driving his route truck.
• Delicious and Refreshing Coca-Cola ... along the highway to anywhere, even delivered on a bicycle cart. Where there's Coke there's hospitality.
• Boy, I'm sure glad I ran my mouth about losing a couple pounds?
• I hope I don't sell ALL these Cokes, 'cause I sure am working up a thirst.
• Fueled By Coca-Cola
• Did you hear about the Coca-Cola powered car? No this isn’t what they had in mind.
• Jump aboard the "Coke Cycle"
• If you think this is funny, the Pepsi man is on a skateboard!
• I don’t care what gas prices are! This is bull!
• Well at least I'm not walking like the Pepsi deliveryman!
• Through rain, sleet, bad economy, and high gas prices, there's nothing like the real thing.
• There he goes, peddling under the influence of Coke again.
• I know that things go better with Coke but...
• This is Coke's answer to people who insist on drinking and driving!
• This is a real UPO sighting!!!! UNIDENTIFIED PEDDLING OBJECT!
• As the first Honolulu patrol officers arrived at the empty bicycle cart, Johnny told them: "I'd like to report a crime and, um, I'm thirsty for more!"
• Want a coke? Watch for the delivery man!
• The more Coke I drink, the easier it is to pedal!
• Aloha! Welcome to Hawaii! I am Dennis your friendly Coca-Cola delivery Boy. For a nickel you may Have a Coke so I don't drink them all.
• 30 years from now, peddling Coke would get me 15-20 years, in the Big House!
• The young Freddie in action. Thirsty years ahead, the whole world would sing along: "I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike - I want to ride it where I like."
• Original slogan "DRINK COCA-COLA IN SPORTS BOTTLES" was too long to fit the cart.
• Do you wonder where the Coca-Cola management got the idea for their “Exercise & Healthy Living” campaign? Oh, yeah!
• The flex-fuel vehicle of the future has arrived: the Coke-mobile.
• "Peddling" is thirsty work!

And the winner is: “When they told me I'd be peddling Coca-Cola, I didn't think they meant literally!” sent in by Ray. Congratulations! You’ll receive a prize from my Coca-Cola “goodie closet.”

Thanks to everyone who sent us a caption. Let’s keep up this participation!

And I hope you’ll come back tomorrow for the next Friday Fun contest.

Coke and National Geographic

The third week in November is National Geographic Awareness Week.

Most collectors – and many people who may not consider themselves Coke collectors – have Coca-Cola ads that ran in the National Geographic magazine.

Our ads ran continually in National Geographic from 1933 to 1965. That means there are a lot of ads! And if you think about how many people subscribe to National Geographic, the number gets even larger.

Because the magazine ads were plentiful – and still are commonly sold today – individual ads are worth around $2-$5. Often collectors sell magazine ads in lots, encompassing a few years’ worth of National Geographic ads. Even these collections of ads do not bring in very high prices (only $25 or so).

If you have a set of magazine ads to sell, leave them in the magazines or cut them out at the seam. You don’t need to mount them on anything (nor should you, as that can destroy the paper). I’ve seen a number of ad collections sold in simple school notebooks, with each ad slipped into a clear plastic sleeve. The most important thing is to protect the ads and make sure they don’t rumple.

The ad I’ve included here ran in National Geographic in June 1936. By looking at a number of them, you can see how fashions, pastimes and everyday life changed over the years.

I'm back from vacation

You may have noticed I took a break from Coca-Cola Conversations earlier this month, but I’m back.

My wife and I took a cruise through the Panama Canal. This photo with bottles of Coke is from the Canal, around 1940.

Needless to say, what I saw over the last few weeks looked quite different! However, they are still using locomotives to help guide large ships through the canal locks.

We had a great time and loved seeing the process of traveling through the Canal. I’m glad to be home, though, and look forward to talking with you more here on the blog.

The Coca-Cola Sprite Boy

In the early 1940s, the "Sprite Boy," an elf-like cartoon figure -- a sprite -- made his appearance in magazine ads for Coca-Cola.

Though it is a common misconception that the Sprite Boy is named for our Sprite brand, the two are unrelated. In fact, Coke did not introduce the drink Sprite until 1961, after the Sprite Boy was no longer really used in advertising.

The Sprite Boy was created to help associate the term "Coke" with Coca-Cola. (For some time, our Company fought the idea of using the shorthand "Coke" to refer to Coca-Cola.)

We used the word "Coke" for the first time in magazine ads in June 1941, and began a campaign to connect the names "Coke" and "Coca-Cola" -- with the Sprite Boy as its primary image.

The Sprite Boy was used so often in advertising he wore two hats -- a bottle cap and a soda jerk's hat -- to represent both sides of our business (Coke in the bottle and Coke at a soda fountain).

Sprite Boy was featured on advertising and promotional materials into the 1950s.

Check back later to read about the collectibles that feature Sprite Boy.