Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola (also known as Coke, a name which was trademarked by The Coca-Cola Company after it was discovered many people called it by that particular name) is a very popular cola, a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by the Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO), which is also often referred to as simply Coca-Cola or Coke. Coke is one of the world's most recognizable and widely sold commercial brands; its major rival is Pepsi.

International appeal

Coca-Cola is the best-selling soft drink in most countries. Nevertheless, there are some places like Scotland, where the locally produced Irn-Bru is more popular; Peru, where Inca Kola, the "national beverage" (independently produced until 1999, when Coca-Cola acquired Corporación Inca Kola del Perú S.A., the Peruvian company that formerly produced it) is more popular; and Quebec, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island in Canada, where Pepsi is the market leader. In Sweden, despite Coca-Cola's strong holiday-oriented marketing efforts, Julmust outsells Coca-Cola during the Christmas season.

Related Topics:
Scotland - Irn-Bru - Inca Kola - Quebec - Newfoundland and Labrador - Prince Edward Island - Canada - Pepsi - Sweden - Julmust - Christmas

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"Bite the wax tadpole" is a rough translation for one of the names previously used by Coca-Cola to translate the name of their produce into Chinese. The original Chinese is k?uk?-k?ulà (????), which does approximate the sound of "Coca-Cola" quite closely, and which might more literally be translated as "mouth tadpole, mouth wax". When it was discovered that this name had an unappetizing sound, Coca-Cola changed their translation to k?k?u-k?lè (????), meaning roughly "tasty and fun", after which the beverage became increasingly popular in China.

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The drink as a political and corporate symbol

The Coca-Cola drink has a high degree of identification with the United States itself, being considered an "American brand" or to a small extent as representing America (compare Mickey Mouse). The drink is also often a metonymy for the Coca-Cola Company. The identification with the spread of American culture has led to the pun "Coca-Colonisation".

Related Topics:
Mickey Mouse - Metonymy

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Coke is less popular in other places, such as India, due to suspicions regarding the health standards of the drink, and in Arab countries, due to disapproval of U.S. foreign policy in Israel and elsewhere. Mecca Cola has become a hit in the Middle East in the past few years.

Related Topics:
India - Mecca Cola

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Colombian trade Union SINALTRAINAL called for an international boycott of Coca-Cola products because of intimidation, kidnapping and murder of workers in Coca Cola bottling plants by paramilitaries who were allegedly acting on behalf of the Coca Cola Company in order to drive down wages in Colombia. With the help of the United Steelworkers of America, SINALTRAINAL filed a lawsuit against the Coca Cola Company.

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As part of their 2005 'Experience The Experience' tour, art group monochrom created a 'Brick Of Coke': they put several gallons of Coca-Cola into a pot and boiled it down until the residue left behind could be molded into a brick. The performance and talk dealt with the sugar industry and other multinational corporation policies and Coca-Cola as a symbol of corporate power.

Related Topics:
2005 - Monochrom

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