Camelback

then that the future of Coca-Cola would be with portable, bottled beverages customers could take anywhere. He still didn't realize it five years later, when, in 1899, two Chattanooga lawyers, Benjamin F. Thomas and Joseph B. Whitehead, secured exclusive rights from Candler to bottle and sell the beverage -- for the sum of only one dollar.

SAFEGUARDING THE BRAND
Imitation may be thesincerest form of flattery, but The Coca-Cola Company was none too pleased about the proliferation of copycat beverages taking advantage of its success. This was a great product, and a great brand. Both needed to be protected. Advertising focused on the authenticity of Coca-Cola, urging consumers to "Demand the genuine" and "Accept no substitute."
The Company also decided to create a distinctivebottle shape to assure people they were actually getting a real Coca-Cola. The Root Glass Company of Terre Haute, Indiana, won a contest to design a bottle that could be recognized in the dark. In 1916, they began manufacturing the famous contour bottle. The contour bottle, which remains the signature shape of Coca-Cola today, was chosen for its attractive appearance, original design and the fact that,even in the dark, you could identify the genuine article. As the country roared into the new century, The Coca-Cola Company grew rapidly, moving into Canada, Panama, Cuba, Puerto Rico, France, and other countries and U.S. territories. In 1900, there were two bottlers of Coca-Cola; by 1920, there would be about 1,000.

THE WOODRUFF LEGACY
Perhaps no person had more impact on The Coca-ColaCompany than Robert Woodruff. In 1923, four years after his father Ernest purchased the Company from Asa Candler, Woodruff became the Company president. While Candler had introduced the U.S. to Coca-Cola, Woodruff would spend more than 60 years as Company leader introducing the beverage to the world beyond.
Woodruff was a marketing genius who saw opportunities for expansion everywhere. He led theexpansion of Coca-Cola overseas and in 1928 introduced Coca-Cola to the Olympic Games for the first time when Coca-Cola travelled with the U.S. team to the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics. Woodruff pushed development and distribution of the six-pack, the open top cooler, and many other innovations that made it easier for people to drink Coca-Cola at home or away. This new thinking made Coca-Cola not justa huge success, but a big part of people's lives.



THE WAR AND ITS LEGACY
In 1941, America entered World War II. Thousands of men and women were sent overseas. The country, and Coca-Cola, rallied behind them. Woodruff ordered that "every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for 5 cents, wherever he is, and whatever it costs the Company." In 1943, General Dwight D. Eisenhower sent anurgent cablegram to Coca-Cola, requesting shipment of materials for 10 bottling plants. During the war, many people enjoyed their first taste of the beverage, and when peace finally came, the foundations were laid for Coca-Cola to do business overseas. Woodruff’s vision that Coca-Cola be placed within "arm's reach of desire," was coming true -- from the mid-1940s until 1960, the number of countrieswith bottling operations nearly doubled. Post-war America was alive with optimism and prosperity. Coca-Cola was part of a fun, carefree American lifestyle, and the imagery of its advertising -- happy couples at the drive-in, carefree moms driving big yellow convertibles -- reflected the spirit of the times.

A WORLD OF CUSTOMERS
After 70 years of success with one brand, Coca-Cola®, theCompany decided to expand with new flavors: Fanta®, originally developed in the 1940s and introduced in the 1950s; Sprite® followed in 1961, with TAB® in 1963 and Fresca® in 1966. In 1960, The Coca-Cola Company acquired The Minute Maid Company, adding an entirely new line of business -- juices -- to the Company.
The Company's presence worldwide was growing rapidly, and year after year, Coca-Cola...