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Coca-Cola

Overview

Shownote

Highlights

Transcript

Chapters

Pins

Coca-Cola

Acquired

6 DAYS AGO
Acquired

Acquired

6 DAYS AGO
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

Coca-Cola is… sugar water. And somehow it’s also America, Christmas, summertime, friendship and happiness. Today we tell the story of how The Coca-Cola Company amazingly transmogrified a beverage into emotion in all of our collective psyches, and ALSO buil...

Highlights

Few products in history have managed to transcend their physical form and become cultural symbols. Coca-Cola began as a modest medicinal tonic but evolved into a global icon, woven into the fabric of holidays, national identity, and shared human experiences. This is the story of how a simple beverage became synonymous with emotion, through a blend of visionary leadership, relentless branding, and one of the most infamous product failures that somehow made the brand stronger.
19:50
Coca-Cola was originally a cocaine-containing patent medicine
25:23
Free drink tickets were the first manufacturer's coupon, driving rapid consumer trial and distribution.
56:02
Over 7,000 copycat brands were shut down through trademark litigation.
1:09:01
The secret formula was written down for the first time in 1919 as collateral for a $25 million deal.
1:21:56
Coca-Cola standardized the modern image of Santa Claus through holiday ads.
1:37:48
Pepsi offered twice as much cola for the same nickel during the Depression, creating a powerful value proposition.
2:33:09
Blind taste tests showed consumers preferred Pepsi, leading to the nationwide Pepsi Challenge campaign
2:51:25
Diet Coke was announced at Radio City Music Hall in July 1982 and became the third best-selling soft drink by 1984
3:07:51
Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway earned $40 billion from Coca-Cola after the New Coke disaster.
3:23:22
Coca-Cola's $2 billion investment in Monster is now worth almost $12 billion
3:44:45
The value is in the meaning behind Coke's formula, not the formula itself.

Chapters

How a wounded veteran’s morphine habit led to a drink that changed the world
00:00
The genius free coupon strategy that turned a local tonic into a national sensation
25:23
Why selling the right to bottle Coke was the smartest move they never made themselves
44:04
How a misread plant sketch gave birth to one of the most recognizable bottles in history
58:58
When Coke stopped selling soda and started selling happiness
1:12:08
From Santa’s red suit to gas station coolers: building a brand into everyday life
1:25:29
How Pepsi stole momentum with a nickel and blind taste tests
1:41:05
The quiet CEO who bet big on Diet Coke—and caught Warren Buffett’s attention
2:42:00
What happened when Coke forgot what people really loved about it
2:58:16
How a $1.3 billion bet turned a disaster into decades of returns
3:11:00
Why Coca-Cola’s future isn’t in cola at all
3:35:34

Transcript

Ben Gilbert: David, I cannot believe we're about to do a four-hour podcast. On syrup, sugar, and water. I mean, that's the entire business, is just syrup, sugar, and water combined. And it's a $300 billion company. David Rosenthal: Well, Ben, you know wha...