Why Coca-Cola Has Had So Many Different Slogans
With its savvy marketing and iconic ad campaigns, Coca-Cola has found its way into nearly every home in the U.S. and globally. With a presence in over 200 countries and nearly 19,400 beverages consumed every second, it's clear that all of the effort put into advertising has paid off.
One of the reasons that Coca-Cola remains so iconic is because of the catchy slogans the brand has developed through the years. In fact, Coca-Cola has developed 49 different slogans since it was founded in 1886. If you're a '90s kid, chances are you have the slogan "Always Coca-Cola" hard-wired into your brain. If you're a child of the '80s, "Coke Is It!" might be the one that immediately pops into your mind.
But why exactly does Coca-Cola keep changing its slogan year after year? Hasn't the soft drink company ever heard of the phrase "if it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Well, just as Coca-Cola has changed everything from the shape of its bottles to its product selection to stay relevant throughout the decades, the brand has used different slogans periodically to keep up with the market.
The journey to remain relevant never ends
The slogans Coca-Cola develops aim to do more than promote their product — they're also meant to be a reflection of the current times and trends. To keep up with the times, the brand has updated its slogans from one to eight times every decade.
Early on, when the brand was still trying to grow its audience, Coca-Cola focused on the qualities of its beverage with slogans like "Delicious and Refreshing" and "Coca-Cola Revives and Sustains." In 1906, at a time when the U.S. was trying to limit alcohol consumption, the brand used the slogan "The Great National Temperance Beverage," to establish the drink as the best alternative to alcohol. Fast-forwarding to the 2000s, Coca-Cola slogans focused more on experiences and emotional imagery with slogans like "Life Tastes Good" and "Taste the Feeling."
In 2021, Coca-Cola launched its current slogan, "Real Magic," to emphasize the magic of humanity, uniqueness, and connection. "'Real Magic' is about creating a movement to choose a more human way of doing things by embracing our unique perspectives," says Manolo Arroyo, Chief Marketing Officer of The Coca-Cola Company.
While Coca-Cola's formula remains unchanged (aside from the short-lived blunder of New Coke in 1985), its ever-changing slogans demonstrate that change can be a good thing when it comes to the longevity of a brand. Coca-Cola also keeps things fresh with marketing and a seemingly endless array of new coke flavors.