Always Coca-Cola

I mentioned that our Coca-Cola Polar Bear turned 15 in 2008. The Bear was introduced as part of the “Always Coca-Cola” advertising campaign, which was really groundbreaking for us.

In 1993, we made a sharp shift in our advertising with the “Always” campaign. “Always” was diverse in nature, with an initial run of 27 commercials created to appeal to specific audiences. (That was very different from our past campaigns, when we often had ads following a specific theme or that were meant to appeal to a large audience.)

The “Always” ads ran around the world and included a variety of innovative technical approaches, such as computer animation. (Remember, it was innovative at the time!) The commercials used everything from humor, music, animation and even Shakespearean parody to appeal to people's enjoyment of the Coke taste and the refreshment it provides.

The "Always Coca-Cola" campaign ran from 1993 to 2000. Do you have a favorite?

Write your own caption - Snow delivery

For this week’s Friday Fun caption contest, I thought we’d embrace the winter season!

Here in Atlanta, we don’t have snow (and hopefully won’t!), but I know many of you are in areas where this kind of snow is a regular occurrence. I hope that pushing Coke uphill in that snow is not!

The game: Write a funny, clever or “punny” caption for this 1949 photo from Switzerland. Yes, the poor man really is delivering Coca-Cola on a sled! Use the “comments” area below to submit your caption(s). Send them to me by 5 PM (EST) on Wed., January 14.

The winner: I’ll pick my favorite caption (and that usually means a funny one!) and announce the winner on Jan. 15. The winner will receive a Coca-Cola prize from my “goodie closet.”

Good luck, and stay warm!

We have a winner - the skiing server

For last week’s Friday Fun contest, I asked you to give me funny captions for this picture of a skiing waiter, balancing a tray of Coke bottles, from Switzerland in the 1950s.

You sent in some great captions!

• ...5 bottles of Coke on my palm, 5 bottles of Coke, If one of these bottles should happen to fall, 4 bottles of Coke on my palm.
• Never taking a pause anywhere to bring you the refreshing taste of Coke.
• My sign says "Pause", but this hill and skis says otherwise.
• I'm glad I was able to talk them out of ordering a case of Coca-Cola.
• The day Frozen Coke was invented.
• I don't need a 'Pause' coz' I am serving to Claus!
• Coke keeps me balanced!
• Bond makes another clean getaway, this time with the good stuff!
• Whiz ... I had one (or five)!
• I told our waiter that I would like him to serve a free round of Cokes but I guess he thought I said "Ski down with Cokes."
• Gratuity Deserved!
• Too bad being such a SKI-llful Coca-Cola waiter, there is still no help for the opening of extremely shaken coca cola!
• ICE OR SNOW,
  COKES A GO!
  WIND OR RAIN,
  COKE STILL THE SAME!
• "Thirst Knows No Season!"
• When it feels like life is going downhill. Jeeves says "I say ol' chap, slow down,'shoosh' up, and take a break. Everything's better with Coke!"
• I say: pause talk, take (1,2,3,4,5) a bottle Coke refresh mouth and play your talk!!!:)
• "The road to the Lodge is iced over, Boss, but I found a way to get to our Customers!"
• He took after both sides of the family--- His Mom was a waitress, and his Dad won the Gold in the 1980 Winter Olympic Downhill Ski-Jump!
• Mais oui, the last Coke of the 6-pack is in my cumberbund. Skis don't fail me now!
• Ice cold Coca-Cola tastes great going down.
• Sorry sir, I lost the other bottle of Coke on the jump, but I still have five and they are ice cold.
• I say sir, Cokes for the basketball team, coming right down the slope.
• Alfred the Butler does as Batman requested, "Go get Robin and myself an Ice Cold Coke and meet us at the Bat-Ski Lodge.”
• I must be one short of a 6 pack to do this job.
• From the Swiss Alps News:
  Penguins are now being used to serve ice cold Cokes to resort skiers. They are equipped with tiny skis and a PAUSE Coke sign. And they balance up to five bottles of Coke on an iceberg. "This is quite the attraction and very refreshing" said Jean Claude Killy, World Cup Champion.
• Down the slopes with some 'dopes'
• I assure you, sir, Swiss Cokes only come in 5-packs.
• Straight from the vendo is ok but these are as cold and Refreshing as you'd want! MMMMMM Coke on Ice

And the winner is: “Bond makes another clean getaway, this time with the good stuff!,” sent in by Somebodyunfamous. Congratulations! I’ll send you a prize from my Coca-Cola “goodie closet.”

Thanks to everyone who sent in such clever captions! Please check back tomorrow for our next Friday Fun contest.

Minute Maid Shrimp Jambalaya recipe

If you’re new to my blog, you may be surprised to see a number of recipes on the site. But cooking with Coca-Cola -- and our other drinks -- is nothing new.

I love to cook, and -- while I haven’t tried each recipe on the site -- I love the idea of using juices, Coke and Sprite to add a special flavor to dishes.

Today’s recipe is from a 1971 recipe booklet from Minute Maid juices. Here in Atlanta, the cold weather and the football playoffs make this an ideal time to try a nice warm dish like jambalaya.

Minute Maid Shrimp Jambalaya

4 slices bacon
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped green pepper
½ cup uncooked long grain rice
1 ½ cups Minute Maid orange juice, reconstituted*
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 can (1 lb.) tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups frozen shrimp
1 package (10 oz.) frozen okra, partially thawed and sliced
¼ cup sherry, if desired

* Reconstituted concentrate: Add water to concentrate, per can directions.

In large fry pan, or Dutch oven, fry bacon until crisp; remove bacon and crumble. In bacon drippings, sauté onion and green pepper until tender crisp. Add remaining ingredients except shrimp, okra, sherry and crumbled bacon; cover and simmer for 30 minutes until rice is tender. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for about 15 minutes until okra is tender.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

The recipe booklet describes this as “an orange, tomato and sherry flavored fiesta!” With that description -- and bacon -- you really can’t go wrong!

See our other recipes.

Coca-Cola collecting and an unusual newspaper story placement

We often receive stories about the role Coca-Cola has played in people’s lives. My team reviews these stories, and I wanted to share one that comes from Coca-Cola Collectors Club member George Gilghrist.

It’s a unique look at the “celebrity” that can come to the people who collect Coca-Cola memorabilia!

The summer of 2006, the Coca-Cola bottler in Chattanooga, TN, put on an appraisal and auction to raise money for a charity. My wife Linda and I went to it and it was a fun day.

Linda ended up being interviewed by the local TV station. The interview was shown on the 6 PM, 11 PM news and on the local morning show the next day. She got tired of seeing it.

After seeing her on the morning show, we looked at the morning paper and to my surprise my picture was on the front page in the local section. I was looking at some bottles and did not know the picture was taken.

The next day we went out for dinner and my brother-in-law went to the bathroom. When he returned he told me that my picture was on the bathroom wall. I did not believe him so I went to see for myself.

To my amazement he was right. The newspaper story was posted directly over one of the urinals!

The restaurant was only a short distance from our home, so after we came home from dinner, I got my camera and went back.

I sure did get a funny look when I told the hostess that I wanted to go into the bathroom and take a picture of myself! I ended up telling her why and she had a good laugh about it too.

So it ended up that Linda and I both had our 15 minutes of fame thanks to Coca-Cola collecting.

Though Coke may not have brought you the notoriety it brought George, I’d love to hear from you if you have a Coca-Cola Story.

Write your own caption - the skiing server

Our Friday Fun contests are back, and I thought I’d start the year with a painting I’ve always loved, but found a bit odd.

This picture of a waiter on skis, balancing a tray of Coke bottles -- all while holding a Coca-Cola sign -- is from Switzerland in the 1950s.

The game: Give me your best caption for this image. Use the “comments” feature below to send the caption. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, January 7, at 5 p.m. (EST).

The prize: I’ll pick my favorite caption and announce the winner on Jan. 8. The person who sends me the best caption will win a Coca-Cola prize from my “goodie closet.”

Here’s a hint: If you’ve been following our contests, the funny, clever or “punny” captions tend to win!

See the winning caption.

Coke says Happy New Year!

It’s January 1st, which for many of us means making New Year’s resolutions we won’t keep!

It’s also, of course, a day to relax and enjoy a day of football on television. And it’s the day we all have changed our calendars to a new month and new year.

In the Southern U.S., one of the food traditions includes putting a silver dollar in a pot of black eyed peas. The person who gets the dollar in his/her bowl will have good luck for the year. Another custom involves eating greens such as collard greens, kale or spinach to bring money.

Whatever traditions you observe on January 1, I hope that you all have the best of luck in 2009.