On May 8, 2025, Coca-Cola will celebra𝐆te its 139th anniversary. With a history that spans more than a century and a quarter, it is no surprise that the brand has seen many changes.

From selling nine drinks a day at Jacobs' Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia to selling more than 2.2 billion servings in more than 200 countries around the world daily as of 2024, here is how The Coca-Cola Company brand has changed over the years and how that evolution has affected its business.

Coca-Cola Advertising Strategies

Coca-Cola is one of the best-known brands in the world today. However, that wasn't always the case.

Early on, 🃏consumers were offered coupons for free drinks to raise interest in the product.

In 1892, marketer Asa Candler finalized the purchase of the Coca-Cola formula from inventor Dr. John Pemberton and incorporated The Coca-Cola Company. Candler's original advertising budget was $11,000.

He used calendars, so𓄧da fountain urns, painted wall signs, napkins, pencils, and clocks to advertise Coca-Cola.

By 1895, the beverage was sold and drunk in every U.S. state and territory. Thus, its worldwide market saturation began.

1900-1950s

By the beginning of the 1900s, the marketing budget for the soft drink has already multiplied ten-fold to $100,000. Coca-Cola purchased space in national magazines for the first time in 1904. By 1911, the company's advertising budget had skyrocketed to more than $1 million.

In the 1920s, Coca-Cola added outdoor billboards and radio program sponsorships into its advertising mix. The famous Coca-Cola Christmas advertising campaigns began in 1931 with illustrations of St. Nicholas drinking Coca-Cola.

1950s-1990s

The first television commercial for Coca-Cola premiered on Thanksgiving Day in 1950. By this time, advertising accounted for a significant portion of the company's expenses.

In 1956, McCann-Erickson, Inc. replaced the D’Arcy Advertising Company as Coca-Cola's official ad agency, marking a shift in strategy. The latter had a history of more than 50 years of advertising Coca-Cola. By 1957, sales outside the U.S. accounted for about 33% of revenue.

By the 1960s, the company had begun to diversify its product lines, acquiring The Minute Maid Corporation in 1960 and introducing Sprite in 1961.

In 1971, the famous "I'd Like To Buy the World a Coke" television commercial was launched. To this day, it remains one of the most popular and successful ads for Coca-Cola.

Not all of Coca-Cola's marketing ideas were hits. In 1985, in an effort to compete with Pepsi, the company decided to change the formula for Coke for the first time in 99 years. The new drink was called "New Coke."

The reaction to the new flavor was overwhelmingly negative, and Coca-Cola went back to the original recipe in just 79 days.

1990s and On

One of the most memorable Coca-Cola TV commercials was 1993's "Northern Lights," which marked the debut of the Coca-Cola polar bears.

The company spent over $3.2 billion on advertising in 2011. The major spending paid off as Coca-Cola was named Marketer of the Year in 2011 by AdAge.

The growth in spending continued. According to a Forbes interview with Joe Tripodi, chief marketing and commercial officer for Coca-Cola from 2007 to 2015, the company spent more than $4 billion on marketing worldwide in 2013.

In 2021, Coca-Cola named London-based WPP as its primary global marketing partner. In turn, WPP created a new agency called OpenX dedicated to the long-term growth of all of Coca-Cola's brands.

Then, in March 2025, Publicis Groupe SA took over the media buying and planning contract for Coke in the U.S. and Canada. That represents approximately $800 million in annual spending by Coca-Cola. WPP retained such contracts for the rest of the world.

Coca-Cola Packaging

Coca-Cola was served only as a fountain drink until 1899 when Candler sold the U.S. bottling rights to Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead for $1ꦬ.

The Coca-Cola contour bottle went into production in 1916. The 6.5 ounce bottle's unique shape was designed to distinguish Coca-Cola from its imitators. It was the only packaging Coca-Cola used until 1955 when the king-sized bottle was introduced.

Consumers had the option to purchase Coke in 10-, 12-, 16- and 26-ounce bottles in addition to the standard 6.5-ounce bottle. In 1960, Coca-Cola introduced 12-ounce steel cans to make its drinks more portable.

Seasonal Packaging Problems

In 2011, Coca-Cola's holiday packaging was met with disdain by consumers. For the first time, regular Coke was put in white cans that customers said looked similar to the silver Diet Coke cans.

The white cans were supposed to stay on shelves until February 2012 but were discontinued in December 2011 in favor of the classic red cans.

Green Packaging

Coca-Cola began a movement towards more climate-friendly packaging in 2009 with its 30% plant-based bottles, and a commitment to further improvements.

In 2024, the company introduced bottles made from 100% recycled plastic.

History of the Coca-Cola Logo

The trademark Coca-Cola script logo was created in 1886 by Frank M. Robinson. Then, a red and white graphic that represented two adjacent contour bottles, called the Dynamic Ribbon Device,▨ was added to the logo in 1969.

And in 2003, a shock of yellow and floating bubbles was added to the white twist as part of the Coca-Cola Real campaign. Those enhancements were removed by 2007.

For its 125^th birthday in 2021, the company created a special logo that featured bubbles coming out of the contour bottle.

The Bottom Line

In 2025, The Coca-Cola Company was ranked sixth on the Forbes list of the World's Most Valuable Brands. Competitor Pepsi followed well behind at 36th.

For🎐 well more than a century, Coca-Cola has retained its popularity and kept up with the times while honoring its history and supporting feelings of nostalgia for the brand.

Despite the competition, Coc🎐a-Cola is stillꦇ one of the most successful and well-known brands in the world.