Friday Fun - Lufkin, Texas Float

For this week's contest, I have selected a photo of a float used by the Lufkin, Texas bottler at a county fair in 1922.The float was trimmed with red and yellow to match the advertising of the period, and the four girls were dressed in red. The float took second prize in the competition.

Your challenge is to create an amusing and creative caption for the photo. All entries should be posted by 5pm on April 1. A winner will be announced on April 2.

We Have a Winner - King Sized Bottle

This weeks contest had the following submissions:

http://www.coca-colaconversations.com/my_weblog/2009/03/friday-funking-sized-coke.html#comments

Our judges selected: "Have a (big) Coke and a(n even bigger) smile!" submitted by Danny.

Thanks to all our participants.  Check back this afternoon for a new contest.

The Contour Bottle is Born

In 1916, we introduced the 6 1/2-ounce refillable glass contour bottle. For nearly 15 years, Coca-Cola bottlers had used straight-sided bottles in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. However, as the popularity of Coke increased, so did the number of imitators. To address the problem, a distinctive bottle used exclusively for Coca-Cola was developed.

The Root Glass Company of Terre Haute, Indiana, created the contour bottle -- so distinctive it could be recognized in the dark. There is even a historical marker at the site of the former Root Glass Factory in Terre Haute to commemorate the Coca-Cola contour bottle's birthplace!

The original design of the contour bottle (seen here) was a bit wider than the contour bottle you know. We had to narrow it to meet the specifications of the bottling equipment. One of these prototype bottles is on display at the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta.

Though patented in 1915, the contour bottle was introduced to the public in 1916.

 

 

Super Fan Gets "Canned" for his Birthday

Some friends of the blog sent us this video showing how they 'canned' the office of their boss.  He is a Coke collector and super fan of the brand.  We had to reward their efforts, so we sent them a set of Norman Rockwell prints to give as a birthday gift.  I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did.

Nashville's "Coke Time" Phone Line

Today we all use our watches or cell phones to give us the time, but in the past many people used to regularly call the time/weather/temperature phone line. The messages were sponsored by local churches or businesses, and included ads for their products and services. As early as the 1920s, the Coke bottler in Nashville, TN, had its own time-telling phone line, and it was amazingly popular!

By 1943, Nashville had a bit more than 167,000 residents. Of those, 30,000-40,000 called the Coke line each day! It had its own listing in the phone book (as "Coca-Cola Time Service”), and word obviously got around town!

I found an article about the time service in one of our employee magazines. The article (from 1943) focused on the modern technology used on the phone line. (Not so modern today, but think of the 1930s and 40s!) Here’s a bit from the article in The Red Barrel:

“Time service" (enclosed in a metal box) is on the second floor of the building. It is, of course, entirely automatic and contains two rolls of sound-film. One roll is changed each month and it “gives out,” in a very pleasant feminine voice, the advertising message of the month and the hour.
This roll is timed perfectly so that it changes each hour. The second roll gives the minutes of the hour and changes each minute. Both rolls of film operate continuously, even though no one might be calling in at any given time.

When you dial the number you are connected to the machine, but you may wait a second or two as each caller gets the entire message, starting at the beginning.

Here it is:
"Give to the War Fund. 'Coca-Cola' time is now THREE ... (and while you'd never know anything was happening, the machine switches over to the second roll and you hear) SIXTEEN.”

Though it may seem quaint today, this is a great example of a way Coke reached out to people and gave them something really useful for their everyday lives.

Friday Fun - King Sized Coke

Once again, it is time to test your skill in developing a caption for this photograph taken in the late 1920s.As you can see, the young man in the foreground is holding a standard 6.5 oz. bottle of Coca-Cola in one hand and a somewhat larger bottle of Coke in the other.

 King sized packaging for consumers did not begin until 1955, but in the late 1920s, bottlers could purchase a glass bottle 20 inches in height for use in retail displays. The bottles cost 59 cents each. Today, collectors would pay upwards of $300 for one of those bottles.

The challenge before you is to create an amusing caption for the photograph by 5pm on March 25. A winner will be announced on March 26. Let the submissions begin.

   

The Animated History of Coca-Cola

I wanted to share a video with you that provides a great overview of the history of The Coca-Cola Company.  The video has an interesting history itself.  It was originally produced in Russia as part of a 30 minute television special called ‘In Search of the Secret Formula.’  That program was created to introduce Coca-Cola to the Russian market.   We liked the video so much that I had it translated to English and used it as an introduction to the World of Coca-Cola in Atlanta.  Even though it is more than 10 years old, the interesting animation style and enduring story are still interesting.

We Have a Winner-Costume Party in Holland

This week’s contest had the following submissions:

http://www.coca-colaconversations.com/my_weblog/2009/03/friday-funa-costume-party-in-holland.html#comments

Our judges selected: “The Top 32 contestants in 1928's Holland Idol take time to acknowledge the show's sponsor, Coca-Cola” submitted by rockS as the winner.

Thanks to all our participants. Please check back tomorrow for a new contest

A Costume Party in Holland

 For this week's caption contest, I have selected a 1928 photograph from Holland that shows a group of children at a costume party that was sponsored by the Coca-Cola bottler in Haarlem. The photo also shows some great advertising pieces that any collector would love to acquire.

Your challenge is to submit a witty caption for this photo before 5pm on Wednesday, March 18. A winner will be announced on Thursday, March 19. Good luck to all!

We Have a Winner-Delivering Coca-Cola in Ireland

This past week, we had over thirty submissions to our Friday Fun captioning contest.

http://www.coca-colaconversations.com/my_weblog/2009/03/friday-fundelivering-coke-in-ireland.html#comments

There were a lot of great entries, but the winner was:

-- LAWSUIT JINGLE --
72 bottles of Coke on the lift
72 bottles of Coke
If one of those bottles should happen to fall
Jimmy will look for a job at the mall.

"look out Below!"

Posted by the Greek.

As usual, we will be sending a gift from the prize closet to this week’s champion.

Be sure to check back tomorrow for a new contest!