A brand’s history plays a crucial role in building lasting brand equity, as the founders’ original vision often continues to influence how consumers perceive the brand for generations.

 

 

 

Replace the words 1-8 in the article extract with the words in bold below:

 

proclaiming                     walks of life                     ailments                 stirred

depicted                 relief                   purchased                given away

 

 

(…) Dr. John Pemberton, a pharmacist and inventor of proprietary medicines and beverages, introduced his invention, Coca-Cola, in the Spring of 1886. His concoction, a caramel-colored syrup 1. prepared in a brass kettle, contained ingredients from the coca leaf and the kola nut, thus the name of the beverage. Pemberton’s first sales were at Jacob’s Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia. He claimed, as was the custom of the time, that his carbonated beverage (five cents a glass at the soda fountain) cured a list of 2. illnesses.

Pemberton died in 1888 and the company was 3. acquired by a local businessman, Asa Candler, for $2,300. Although not the “inventor/founder,” Candler is, in my opinion, the founder of modern-day Coca-Cola. Asa Candler, in those first few years of The Coca-Cola Company, recognized that to succeed with a low-cost beverage required high sales. He wanted to make the drink available everywhere and aggressively used then-popular forms of marketing to motivate purchase as often and in as many occasions as possible. And those remain goals of the Company today. Candler used non-beverage products such as calendars, glasses, clocks, wallets, pocket knives, postcards, and others, all 4. promoting the qualities of the beverage, 5. distributed for free at soda fountains to promote the drink. Advertising 6. portrayed people drinking the beverage in all 7. backgrounds— at social, sporting, and music events with words such as “Delicious and Refreshing” and “Drink Coca-Cola.” Candler wanted the beverage to be ubiquitous and thought of as more than a drink, but rather, as a lifestyle. That messaging, those equities, pursued by Asa Candler in the early days of The Coca-Cola Company, remain two of the most important equities of the brand today. And the history of Coca-Cola reveals a brand that has 8. depended on ubiquity and recognition, a brand that was always presented as more than just a drink, but a lifestyle, decade after decade from the days of Asa Candler right up to today. (…)

In order to read the whole article/check your answers, go to: https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelstone/2020/09/16/brand-equity-history-matters/ 

Key: 1. stirred; 2. ailments; 3. purchased; 4. proclaiming; 5. given away; 6. depicted; 7. walks of life; 8. relief

 

 

Glossary

 

• equity – the value, reputation, or positive associations that a brand has in people’s minds
• to entangle – to twist or catch something so that it becomes difficult to separate or escape
• to withstand – to survive, resist, or remain strong despite something difficult or damaging
• ubiquitous – present or found everywhere
• albeit – although; even though
• volatility – the tendency to change quickly and unpredictably
• rampant – spreading quickly and widely, usually in a harmful or uncontrolled way
• cobbler – a person whose job is to make or repair shoes
• supple – soft and flexible, able to bend easily without breaking

 

Practice makes perfect

Watch the video and decide if the sentences below are true or false:

 

 

1. Ernest Shackleton’s expedition became stranded because they had underestimated the amount of food they would need.

2. The forced-march tablets contained caffeine and chocolate extract.

3. The kola nut is native to South America.

4. Kola nuts contain less caffeine than coffee beans.

5. The stimulating effects of the kola nut are caused by caffeine and theobromine.

6. Enslaved Africans brought kola nuts to the Americas only because their owners transported them there.

7. By the late 19th century, scientists had conclusively proved the kola nut’s medicinal benefits.

8. The original Coca-Cola recipe contained both kola nut extract and coca leaf extract.

9. Coca-Cola removed cocaine from its recipe before the First World War.

10. Today, nobody consumes kola nuts anymore.

 

Key: 1T; 2F; 3F; 4F; 5T; 6F; 7F; 8T; 9T; 10F

 

Discuss

 

• According to the article, what makes a brand memorable for decades?
• Which brands immediately come to your mind when you think of:

          – innovation?

          – luxury?

          – reliability?

          – sustainability?

          – happiness?

          – or a great story?

• Can you think of a brand whose image has changed dramatically over the years?
• If you started your own company today, what three words would you want customers to associate with your brand?
• How long do you think it takes to build strong brand equity? Can it be destroyed quickly??
• Are you loyal to any brands? Why?
• Have you ever stopped buying a brand because of something the company did?
• Do you think younger generations care more about a company’s values than previous generations?

 

Watch and Revise!

Why Brand History is Your Secret Weapon!

 

 

https://www.cloud.worldwideschool.pl/index.php/s/oxfmqzkoytCy4xi

 

(7480)