Modern Day America & The Bigwigs
...seen as the father of Coca-Cola and Robinson as the father of the idea of Coca-Cola? . In the beginning, business went really poor. Because of the poor luck that Pemberton was having, and his failing health, he sold two-thirds of the company in 1888. In 1891the druggist Asa Candler became the owner of the entire enterprise. Because Pemberton died so early on in the development of the company he never got to see the enormous success of his drink in the following century. World War I and the following sugar rationing slowed down the growth of the company. Because of the shortage of sugar Candler?s son, Charles Howard, invented a process in which sugar and water could be mixed without heat, thus saving fuel and a lot of time. This process of mixing is still used today. Marketing can make or break a company and Coca-Cola is a good example of a company always working for a new slogan or theme. Over the years Coca-Cola became the world?s best-known refreshment, because the company continually invested in advertising to make people comfortable and familiar with the drink. Even beginning in the early days Coke has relied on short, but catchy slogans to get them through. A few examples of those slogans are as follows: (1889) Drink Coca-Cola, (1922) Thirst knows no season, (1932) Ice-cold Sunshine, (1957) Sign of good Taste, (1970) It?s the real Thing, (1993) Always Coca-Cola. In 1892 the Coca-Cola Company used materials like free sample tickets or clocks and lampshades with the word ?Coca-Cola? upon them. These advertising strategies were the largest promotional campaign for one product until then and for selling the syrup, salesmen traveled throughout the entire country. Coca-Cola was sold in every American state by the year 1895. From 1910-1920 the Company used everything from beautiful woman to everyday people drinking Cokes, hoping the appeal of the drink would reach rich and poor alike. In 1929 the stock market crash made all people suffer but during that year the consumption of Coca-Cola doubled. With the slogan, ?The pause that refreshes?, people were more than happy to buy Coke. During the 1930?s Coca-Cola had it?s first radio spot and in 1950 the Company?s first television advertising commercial appeared. The problem that Coca-Cola faced in the 1930?s was the sudden burst of new competition on the market, Pepsi, which was received with unexpected success. They offered twelve ounces of cola instead of six for the same price. The families that had to save money began to buy Pepsi instead of Coke. With a new radio song and sales beginning to fall, World War II helped Coca-Cola to rise above the Pepsi Company in sales. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on in December 14th , Coca-Cola announced their wartime policy, ?We will see that every man in a uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for five cents wherever he is and whatever it costs.? This was a very smart marketing move and sent Coke over the top. In 1942 one would see two smiling soldiers instead of the young couple sitting at the soda fountain in the Saturday Evening Post. These advertisements appealed to friendship and community, two things that people wanted during the wartime. Over the years Coke has went with the times and their advertising strategy has always been to meet the new demand or newest craze. In the 1950?s black people were found in Coca-Cola ads and such icons like the Beetles or American presidents were also found in the advertisements. The advertising has always gone with the times and reflected the mood. With the current war on terrorism in full effect, it makes one wonder what they will come up with next. Coca-Cola has gone through many changes and been forced to come up with many new strategies to make their company work but in the end it has evolved into a five billion dollar company. Coca-Cola is an excellent example of the evolution of a modern day company. It has had it?s share of hard times and it?s share of good times but what makes people come back to it over and over again is the history it has built with the American consumers. Coca-Cola is the all American drink, it always has been and it always will be. Coca-Cola is here to stay, hands down. ?You push the button, we do the rest?, the first slogan that Kodak started out with in 1888. George Eastman, the man who made the first simple camera available on the market and a man that built a billion dollar company from the ground up. Kodak is an excellent example of a company who had evolved over the years and become a successful major corporation. Over the years, Kodak has lead the way with many new products, including digital technology which has increased the quality and simplicity of traditional photography. Kodak is a company that takes initiative in their field of expertise and is always willing to push the envelope. Setting for mediocrity is not an option in the eyes of the Eastman-Kodak Company. Kodak?s origins began in London around the turn of the century, 1879. George Eastman began the commercial manufacturing of dry plates. With the overwhelming success of his design, businessman Henry A. Strong invested some of his money into the new technology. On January 1, 1881, Eastman and Strong formed a partnership called the Eastman Dry Plate Company. In 1883, Eastman announced the availability of film in rolls, with the roll holder adaptable to almost every plate camera on the market. With the Kodak camera in 1888, he put down the foundation for making photography available to everyone. By 1884, the Eastman-Strong partnership gave way for a new firm, the Eastman Dry Plate and Film Company. The company had fourteen shareowners and took off with great success. Eastman had four basic principles for the business, mass production at low cost, international distribution, extensive advertising, and a focus on the customer. With those four ideas in mind the Eastman-Kodak Company was golden. Eastman saw the four principles as going hand in hand. Mass production could not be justified without wide distribution, which, in turn, needed the support of strong advertising. From the beginning he stressed the importance of fulfilling customer needs and desires, which is the only road to corporate success. To his basic principles, he added these policies: faster growth and development through continued research, treat employees in a fair, self-respecting way, and re-invest profits to build and extend business. The history of the Eastman Kodak Company is one of progress in development of these basic principles and policies. Much of the company?s success all stems from those principles and policies and without them they would of never became the company they are today. Advertising played a key role in the development of the Kodak Company. The very first Kodak products were advertised in leading papers of the day and what made them special is that Eastman himself wrote them. Eastman designed the idea of the ?Kodak Girl?; with the style of her clothes and the camera she carried changing every year. She became a face of Kodak and a very popular one at that, men, women, and children all knew and loved the ?Kodak Girl?. By associating a face with a product, it made their product all that more real and believable. In 1897, the word ?Kodak? appeared from an electric sign on London?s Trafalgar Square?this was one of the first such signs to be used. It wasn?t until 1888 that the word ?Kodak? was first registered as a trademark. There has been many questions and speculations as to were the name originated but truth be told, Eastman invented it out of thin air. Eastman had a dream, the dream turned to an idea, and the idea turned to reality. Kodak, a company every American knows and has used at least once in their lifetime. Anyone can now take pictures by simply pressing a button. He made everyone a photographer. "Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography" ~George Eastman~ (July 12, 1854-March 14, 1932) ?As a die hard Apple fan, people ask me, ?There are many PC?s less expensive than a Mac. Isn?t it smarter to buy the cheaper one?? You know, that same argument was used to sell a lot of Yugos and Hyundai?s in the 1980s, but nobody was calling for the death of Mercedes-Benz? Apple computers, started by Steve Jobs and Steven Wozniak is a corporation that was literally started in the minds of two high school friends, destined to be the most well known entrepreneurs in history. It all began as two guys with a garage, some ideas, and a VW bus (after selling it they had enough money to make the Apple I). Now, twenty-three years later, Apple Computer has a $7.6 billion dollar market value and has millions of faithful followers, me included. Jobs and Wozniak built the prototype for the Apple I in Job?s garage and began marketing their product in 1976 at a price of $666. The Apple I was the first single-board computer with built in video interface. Right after the Apple I was released Jobs and Wozniak began working on the Apple II. In 1977 the Apple II was released and sold at $1295. Quickly setting the standard in personal computers, the Apple II had earnings of $139,000,000 within three years, a growth of 700 percent. With astounding numbers and amazing technology that promised to keep getting better, Morgan Stanley, Inc., took Apple public in 1980. Shares stared at $22 dollars and rose to $29 on the first day, bringing the market value of Apple to $1.2 billion. In 1982 Apple had sales of $583,000,000, up 74 percent from 1981. Its net earnings were $1.06 a share, up 55 percent, and as of December 1982, the company?s stock was selling for approximately $30 a share. A story that looks much like a fairytale did have its ups and downs just like everyone else. With the pressure from IBM becoming fierce, Apple began releasing products that either had to be re-called for design flaws or were too pricy for their own mar...