Coca-Cola's Genius System: Brand, Bottlers, and Global Dominance

Resources

Resources & Recommendations

Books

• "For God, Country and Coca-Cola" by Mark Pendergrast - This book was a main source for the episode, described as a microcosm of American history through Coca-Cola's lens.
• "Secret Formula" - A book on the history of Coca-Cola that had access to corporate archives, detailing the invention of Coca-Cola and its formula.
• "Seven Powers" by Hamilton Helmer - A book that examines what enables a business to achieve persistent differential returns, from which the "Powers" section of the podcast is derived.
• "Poor Charlie's Almanack" - Mentioned as a source for Charlie Munger's thought experiment, though the host had forgotten it from a previous reading.

Videos & Documentaries

• "Mad Men" series finale - The hosts discuss the fictional creation of the "Hilltop" ad by Don Draper in the finale, highlighting its impact and the show's portrayal of advertising.
• "I'd like to buy the world a Coke" (Hilltop ad) - This 1971 Coca-Cola commercial, famously referenced in Mad Men, is discussed as a legendary and highly successful piece of lifestyle advertising.
• Tab commercial (1960s) - An astonishing ad for Tab is mentioned, which featured a jingle promoting the drink for maintaining a good shape.
• Pepsi Challenge commercials (1970s) - Mentioned as grassroots marketing campaigns, often filmed with home video camcorders in malls and supermarkets, demonstrating consumers' preference for Pepsi.
• Bill Cosby Coca-Cola commercials (early 1980s) - These commercials featured Bill Cosby directly addressing the Pepsi Challenge, a rare instance of Coke acknowledging a competitor.
• Michael Jackson Pepsi commercial - Referenced as Pepsi's response to Coke signing Bill Cosby, highlighting the celebrity endorsement "cola wars."

Research & Studies

• Coke vs. Pepsi blind taste test (late 1950s/early 1960s) (McCann Erickson for Coca-Cola) - An internal study conducted by Coke's ad agency that found consumers preferred the taste of Pepsi, which Robert Woodruff suppressed.
• Coca-Cola bottle identification study (1949) - A study showing that less than 1% of Americans could not identify the Coke bottle by shape alone, used to support its trademark status.
• Consumer preference for Pepsi (1970s) (Local ad agency for Dallas Pepsi bottler, then expanded by John Sculley) - Market research that revealed consumers in blind taste tests preferred Pepsi over Coke.

Tools & Software

• Claude - An AI used by one of the hosts to review a lease agreement, finding it quite helpful for flagging issues.
• SkiErg (Concept2) - A vertical rowing machine designed for cross-country skiing simulation, praised for its space-saving design and effective workout.
• Smash Brothers Ultimate - A video game mentioned as a favorite of one host's daughter.

Articles & Papers

• "The other guy just blinked" (Full-page newspaper ad) (Pepsi) - An advertisement published by Pepsi in national newspapers on the day before New Coke's official announcement, mocking Coke's decision.

People Mentioned

• Charlie Munger - Referenced for his famous thought experiment about building a 2 trillion dollar company from a 2 million dollar start in the non-alcoholic beverage business.
• John D. Rockefeller's dad - Mentioned as a traveling snake oil salesman, connecting to the origins of patent medicines.
• Dr. John Pemberton - The inventor of Coca-Cola, a Civil War veteran seeking a cure for his morphine addiction, who developed the original formula.
• Frank Robinson - Pemberton's business partner and bookkeeper, who named Coca-Cola and designed its iconic Spencerian script logo.
• Asa Candler - A wealthy Atlanta businessman who bought the rights to Coca-Cola and founded The Coca-Cola Company in 1892, professionalizing the business.
• Benjamin Thomas and Joseph Whitehead - Two entrepreneurs from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who secured the exclusive, assignable rights to bottle and sell Coca-Cola for free from Asa Candler.
• Howard Hirsh - The head of legal for The Coca-Cola Company in the early 1900s, who advocated for the bottlers to invest in the contour bottle to protect their business.
• Robert Woodruff - President (1923-1955) and Chairman of the Board (until 1985) of The Coca-Cola Company, known as "the boss," who transformed Coke into a global brand.
• Archie Lee - The main creative account man at The D'Arcy Ad Agency, who worked with Robert Woodruff to create iconic Coca-Cola advertising campaigns and slogans.
• Norman Rockwell, N.C. Wyeth, Haddon Sundblom - Famous American artists and illustrators commissioned by Coke to create idyllic Americana imagery for their ads. Sundblom specifically created the modern Santa Claus image for Coke.
• Ty Cobb, Jesse Owens, Satchel Paige, Willie Mays - Athletes mentioned as early celebrity endorsers for Coca-Cola, associating the brand with health and Americana.
• Ray Kroc - The founder of McDonald's, who established a handshake deal with Coca-Cola for beverage supply in 1955, leading to a long-standing partnership.
• Waddy Pratt - Ran Coke's fountain division and made the handshake deal with Ray Kroc for McDonald's beverage supply.
• Alfred Steele - A former Coca-Cola executive who defected to Pepsi in the late 1940s, became its president, and implemented radical marketing strategies, including targeting black Americans and using television.
• James Dean - The actor, whose very first acting job was in a Pepsi commercial in 1949 or 1950.
• Paul Austin - CEO of Coca-Cola in the late 1970s, whose struggles with Alzheimer's contributed to the company's paralysis in responding to the Pepsi Challenge.
• Roberto Goizueta - A Cuban immigrant and chemical engineer who became CEO of Coca-Cola in 1980, known for replacing sugar with high fructose corn syrup and for the New Coke debacle.
• Don Keough - The long-time president and COO of Coca-Cola, who partnered with Goizueta and was famous for his quote during the New Coke announcement.
• Herb Allen Jr. - A principal shareholder of Columbia Pictures, who joined Coca-Cola's board after the acquisition and whose family maintains a relationship with the company.
• Warren Buffett - The investor, who became a Coca-Cola shareholder and board member, and whose investment in Coke is discussed. His famous quote about a "ham sandwich" running Coke is also mentioned.
• Bill Gates - Mentioned in relation to Warren Buffett's "ham sandwich" quote about Coca-Cola.
• John Sculley - A Wharton MBA graduate who joined Pepsi in 1967, became VP of marketing, spearheaded the Pepsi Challenge, and later became CEO of Apple after Steve Jobs famously recruited him.
• Michael Ovitz - Super agent and co-founder of CAA, who advised on the sale of Columbia Pictures to Sony and later pitched CAA to become Coke's ad agency, leading to the creation of the polar bear ads.
• Arvind Navaratnam (Worldly Partners) - Thanked for his write-up on Coca-Cola and his close relationship with Charlie Munger.
• Bill Combs - Past president of the Coca-Cola Collectors Club, who provided insights for the episode.
• Simeon Siegel (Guggenheim Partners) - A retail and consumer brands analyst who helped the hosts understand brand power in financials.
• Michael Truell (Cursor) - CEO of Cursor, who attended a Sentry event and mentioned his favorite Acquired episode was PowerPoint.
• Jess Smith (Golden State Valkyries) - President of the new WNBA team, interviewed at a Sentry event.
• Claire Vo - Founder of Chat PRD, who interviewed the hosts at a Sentry event.
• Andy Sparks - A friend who introduced the hosts to the music of Hermanos Gutierrez.

Organizations & Institutions

• J.P. Morgan Payments - Presenting partner of the podcast, providing payments infrastructure for businesses.
• WorkOS - Friend of the show, providing APIs for enterprise features like SSO, SCIM, and audit logs.
• Shopify - Partner of the show, an e-commerce platform for businesses of all sizes.
• Sentry - Partner of the show, an application performance monitoring tool for developers.
• D'Arcy Ad Agency (St. Louis) - Coca-Cola's main ad agency for many years, where Archie Lee created iconic campaigns.
• McCann Erickson - A premium ad agency that took over Coca-Cola's account from D'Arcy in the mid-1950s, conducting taste tests and developing unified marketing campaigns.
• White Motor Company - A large truck manufacturer where Robert Woodruff was a star executive before joining Coca-Cola.
• Standard Oil of New Jersey - An oil company that tried to recruit Robert Woodruff as an heir apparent, which is now Exxon.
• Dupont - The company that engineered polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic for Pepsi's 64 oz bottles.
• IPG (Interpublic Group) - The big ad agency that owned McCann Erickson and where John Sculley worked before joining Pepsi.
• Allen & Company - An investment bank, whose principals Herb Allen Jr. and Herb Allen III have had long-standing relationships with Coca-Cola.
• CAA (Creative Artists Agency) - The talent agency led by Michael Ovitz, which expanded into investment banking and later won Coca-Cola's advertising business.
• Quaker Oats - The company that owned Gatorade, which Coca-Cola tried to acquire but was ultimately bought by Pepsi.
• Frito-Lay - The snack food company bought by Pepsi in 1965, becoming a highly profitable part of PepsiCo.
• Yum! Brands - The company that spun out of PepsiCo, comprising Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC.
• Monsanto - Started as a saccharin manufacturer, with Coca-Cola as its first major customer in the early 1900s.

Courses & Educational Resources

• Wharton MBA - John Sculley's educational background, highlighting his business acumen.

Websites & Online Resources

• acquired.fm/email - The podcast's email list for episode updates, summaries, and voting for future topics.
• jpmorgan.com/acquired - Website to learn more about J.P. Morgan Payments' commerce solutions.
• workos.com - Website for WorkOS, offering enterprise-ready APIs.
• shopify.com/acquired - Website for Shopify, the e-commerce platform.
• sentry.io/acquired - Website for Sentry, the application performance monitoring tool.
• acquired.fm/slack - Link to the Acquired Slack community.
• Wikipedia (image of 1888 coupon) - Mentioned as a source for an image of the oldest known coupon used in America.

Other Resources

• Path Water bottles - Reusable metal water bottles mentioned by a host for travel.
• Nike Vomero Plus - A running shoe model, mentioned as a current favorite.
• Hermanos Gutierrez - An artist producing chill music, recommended by a host.
• Coca-Cola formula (secret) - The famously guarded trade secret, discussed in detail regarding its history, storage, and role in the company's lore.
• Coca-Cola polar bears - An iconic Christmas advertising motif created by CAA for Coca-Cola.
• Saccharin - An artificial sweetener, the initial product of Monsanto, purchased by Coca-Cola early in its history.