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"When I haven't any blue, I use red."
—Pablo Picasso
Before Coca-Cola adopted red, merchant ships in the late 1800s commonly used vivid red flags and markings on their barrels.
This helped these early businessmen distinguish their goods, setting a precedent for consumer good companies to weave in red into their branding materials.
In 1886, Georgia pharmacist John S. Pemberton created Coca-Cola, a caramel-colored beverage.
However, it had no logo, branding, or color to help it stand out from the competition.
Frank Robinson, the company’s bookkeeper, helped make two pivotal decisions in the early days:
The red color and logo would be forever associated with the cola.
Coca-Cola’s launch coincided with regional rivals like Waco’s Dr. Pepper (1885) and North Carolina’s Pepsi-Cola (1893).
The competition was fierce in this early soft drink market.
Its iconic vivid red helped distinguish the brand from the pack.
Unlike the others, its bold red color helped associate Coca-Cola with energy and passion.
Red became even more associated with Coca-Cola during the Prohibition era of the 1920s.
Coca-Cola distinguished itself by painting its barrels bright red, a move that helped it be associated as alcohol-free, unlike barrels holding real alcohol, which was illegal to consume at the time.
After Prohibition’s end in 1933, Coca-Cola’s signature red had become a symbol of the company’s compliance with the law.
Coca-Cola’s 1930s campaign featuring artist Haddon Sundblom’s illustrations of Santa Claus—a jolly, red-suited figure enjoying a bottle of Coke—became one of the most influential advertising initiatives in history.
Coca-Cola’s seasonal advertisements popularized the depiction of Santa in bright red robes, creating an enduring association between their brand, the color red, and the magic of the holiday season.
Red is one of humanity’s most emotionally charged colors.
The color has been known for its sacred status in ancient civilizations due to its biological ability to elevate heart rates and command attention.
This primal power made red particularly attractive to modern brands like Coca-Cola.
The company has masterfully used red’s psychological impact to associate their product with energy and excitement.
The iconic Coca-Cola red has been carefully standardized across global markets since the early 20th century and has become one of the world’s most recognized and protected brand colors.
Coca-Cola has set a precedent for chromatic trademark protection with the trademark of its own unique color: Coke Red.
Other brands like Tiffany & Co. and Cadbury have followed suit in legally safeguarding their signature colors.
Throughout history, red has commanded attention as a powerful visual symbol.
It has been seen in ancient royal courts and has been common in warning signs.
When Coca-Cola adopted it as its signature color, it masterfully tapped into these deep-rooted associations.
The company’s consistent use of “Coke Red” across all markets transformed a simple color choice into a global visual language.
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