Through the years, it has been "Pure as Sunlight," "The Best Friend Thirst Ever Had," "The Real Thing" and that beverage someone wants to buy for the whole world.
Coca-Cola, founded in 1886 in Atlanta, has had some of the most influential advertising campaigns of the last century and its instantly recognizable bottle is now turning 100. It's a birthday the Clinton Presidential Center didn't want to pass unheralded.
“Coca-Cola: An American Original”
Clinton Presidential Center, 1200 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock
9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 15
Admission: $7; ages 62 and older, college students, retired U.S. military $5; children 6-17 $3; active U.S. military free; free admission this Saturday
(501) 374-4242
"We thought this was a great time to share the Coca-Cola story with our guests," explains Rebecca Tennille, spokesman for the Clinton Center. "I think people are going to be surprised at how many of our cultural references have to do with either a Coca-Cola advertisement or brand. We just wanted to bring all that together and tell a really cool story about a global brand that started not really too far from here."
"Coca-Cola: An American Original," the newest temporary exhibit at the center, is designed to tell the story of the brand and its impact on culture.
It's a big story and the exhibit is broken into four pieces:
• The first-floor Garden View Room houses "Illustrations of an American Original," which displays Coca-Cola-themed art and advertisements through the years.
That includes Coca-Cola's influence on pop culture, like its famous series of Santa Claus-themed ads that promoted the jolly, white-bearded, rosy-cheeked image of St. Nick at Christmastime.
Many well-known artists worked on Coca-Cola campaigns and the exhibit includes works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Howard Finster and Norman Rockwell.
"What I'm really excited about in the exhibit is the three original Norman Rockwells that were created for Coca-Cola," Tennille says. "He did six but three are missing. ... If anybody finds any in a basement or a yard sale, Coca-Cola is looking for them."
• "An American Original at 100" in the temporary gallery follows the evolution of the Coke bottle from its inception to the rounded bottle everyone knows.
• There is an original Coca-Cola delivery truck in the lobby.
• Upstairs near the campaign exhibits, a huge mobile made of 750 cut-out spiral bottles hangs from the chandelier.
Parts of the exhibit were brought in from the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. The rest has been pieced together by the Clinton Center.
All parts of the exhibit were designed to appeal to all ages of visitors. Whether they remember the "I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke" ad from its first airing in 1971 or from the Mad Men series finale in May, there should be something that will ping the nostalgia of a wide range of people.
Tennille says, "What we look for is something that appeals to the whole family. We want to be able to have something families can do on the weekends or during the holidays. We also want retirees to be able to enjoy it."
For those who want to explore the exhibit but shrink away from admission fees, this Saturday is one of the Clinton Center's regular free days.
All Clinton Center exhibits are designed to have some sort of educational component and this one lends itself to studies of art, marketing, advertising and pop culture. Various art workshops, continuing education workshops for teachers and a panel discussion for young entrepreneurs are scheduled through the exhibit's run.
"I think it's going to be a really fun exhibit, especially to have around Christmas with all the Santa Clauses," Tennille says. "It's this completely iconic brand. And the fact that it's a Southern brand is a good story to tell."
Weekend on 11/12/2015