Never-ending share battles to support first truly global brand generate array of memorable ads ;3 Coca-Cola .

Advertising Age, December, 1999 by Kramer, Louise

It's just fizzy brown sugar water. But in one of the most masterful marketing efforts of the 20th century, Coca-Cola Co. managed to transform its soda into a brand that promises to make the world a better place.

The global beverage giant has done this by creating, and then nurturing, an array of brand symbols and slogans it continues to reinforce with feel-good advertising backed by the heaviest media spending in the beverage business.

The contoured bottle, the secret formula, the word "Always," the red color red and white script lettering have all become part of the $18.8 billion company's legend. So has the power of Coca-Cola Classic, the flagship brand at the top of the company's list of 160 other beverages. Classic's power was reinforced by the...

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