The Coca-Cola History Through Ads. 1 – 1886-1919

It all started with Dr. Pemberton’s severe back pain.

Dr. John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist and Confederate Colonel wounded in the American Civil War, was addicted to morphine to fight severe back pain. Thanks also to his medical degree, he began to search for a substitute for the problematic drug.
After several attempts, Dr. Pemberton blended an extract of cocaine-rich coca leaves and caffeine-rich cola nuts. These ingredients formed the basis of the original Coca-Cola recipe.
Initially conceived as a patent medicine, the drink was also marketed as a temperance drink. This dual purpose reflected the prevailing health concerns and social attitudes of the time.
On May 8, 1886, he sold the first glass of the drink, later named Coca-Cola, in his pharmacy in Atlanta. During that year, an average of nine drinks a day were sold, marking the humble beginnings of a global phenomenon.

All images are available as hi-res files or fine-art prints.

Asa Griggs Candler.

Dr. Pemberton, though a brilliant mind, faced challenges in the business. His partnership with Asa Griggs Chandler, a visionary businessman, was a turning point.
Mr. Candler, from 1886 to 1888, bought the Coca‑Cola formula and patents from John Pemberton and his partners. In a few decades, Candler’s innovative marketing tactics led Coca-Cola to dominate the global soft drink market.
The first crucial move was the creation of a distinctive logo featuring the two Cs in a Spencerian script. This logo would become a cornerstone of Coca-Cola’s branding strategy.
On May 14, 1892, The Coca-Cola Company registered, with patent N. 22,406, name, logo, and trademark as a “Nutrient or Tonic Beverage.”
By the late 1890s, Coca-Cola had become a household name and America’s most popular fountain drink. The scale of its success was staggering, with Coca-Cola sales skyrocketing from one million a year in 1890 to an astonishing one hundred million in 1900.

1901. Removing Cocaine from the Recipe for Racial Reasons.

The medical community viewed tonics like Coca-Cola—advertised to white, middle-class consumers for their aphrodisiac qualities—as harmless. The situation changed dramatically when black workers in the New Orleans area began using Cocaine to cope with the grueling demands of long, physically taxing workdays. The use of Cocaine spread to workers on plantations and in urban areas throughout the South, becoming a recreational drug in Black and mixed-race neighborhoods as well. Source

Medical journals warned of the so-called “Negro cocaine menace,” and newspapers claimed that the drug drove black men to commit crimes, particularly the rape of white women. Despite these concerns, the company continued to include Cocaine in its formula. However, this approach became increasingly problematic in 1899 when the company expanded its sales of bottled Coke to a national market, and Coca-Cola became accessible outside of white soda fountains to anyone with a nickel, including Black men. Source
1901 the company removed Cocaine from the recipe, replacing it with more sugar and caffeine.

Hilda Clark. The first Coca-Cola Model.

The model Hilda Clark, a testimonial of the brand, was a popular music hall singer and actress. She became famous as a model in 1895 when she was the first woman featured on a tin Coca-Cola tray. She remained the advertising “face” of Coca-Cola until February 1903.

First Coca-Cola Advertisements.

The first ads for Coca‑Cola appeared in national magazines in 1904, but the oldest we found was from 1905.
Given the brand’s meteoric and impactful success, it’s a stretch to say that the company’s first advertisements, Hilda Clarks one’s aside, were poor and lacked even a minimum corporate image.

Of course, we are discussing something published at the turn of the century. Still, in those years, several companies, such as Kellogg’s Corn Flakes or Queen City Printing Inks, released organic ad campaigns with an excellent corporate, coordinated image.