Coke Ads Through the AgesWhether they feature human folk singers or computer-generated beasts, ads for the fizzy staple have made history and sold a sea of sodaBy Dean Foust

1.For more than a century, Coca-Cola has produced some of the world's greatest advertising (in fact, a few years ago Advertising Age ranked three of Coke's ad campaigns among the 100 greatest of the last century). From polar bears to Mean Joe Greene to the "Hilltop" singers, Coke's ads have remained among the most beloved by consumers. Here's a slide show of 13 of the bubbly beverage's campaigns of the past decades(1)

Refreshing EndorsementThis 1900 print ad appeared when Coke was only available at pharmacies and soda fountains (bottled and canned versions didn't appear until years later). This ad is notable on several fronts: One, it shows Coke's use as far back as the turn of the century of celebrity endorsers (the female is Hilda Clark, a popular music hall actress and songstress of the period). Also, the price for a fountain Coke shown in the ad (5 cents) remained constant for more than 40 years, until World War II (amazing given the propensity of today's packaged good companies for trying to raise prices each year). Last, notice how little the Coca-Cola script as shown on the tray has changed over the past century?

All-Season SodaThis 1922 ad featuring the slogan "Thirst knows no season," represents one of the earliest organized advertising campaigns the soda maker ever ran. It also marks one of the company's first attempts to market Coke, which at the time was primarily a summer drink, as a beverage to enjoy in winter, too.

Piece of the RockwellThis billboard ad from 1930 sports a tagline ("The pause that refreshes") that Ad Age called the third best of the last century. This ad, showing a young office clerk bringing two Cokes to his boss, was notable for another reason: It was one of six ads that artist Norman Rockwell painted under commission by Coca-Cola.

Merry CokemasThis 1941 poster, used in window displays, was the handiwork of celebrated Chicago illustrator Haddon "Sunny" Sundblom, who painted Santa ads for Coke between 1931 and 1964. Interestingly, Sundblom is credited with creating the modern image of what most of us believe Santa Claus to look like: a red-cheeked grandfatherly figure

Bubbles in BattleThis 1944 ad depicts a U.S. soldier abroad smiling when he realizes Coca-Cola is available in Europe. Then-Coke chairman Robert Woodruff had vowed from the beginning of World War II that he would make Cokes available to U.S. soldiers abroad for a nickel each—no matter what it cost to manufacture the drinks. To honor Woodruff's pledge, Coke assembled 64 portable bottling plants in Europe to deliver drinks to GIs during the war.

TV Goes Better With CokeThis 1963 ad sports a slogan, "Things Go Better With Coke," that turned into one of the brand's most popular campaigns ever. This was also the first campaign that employed TV, rather than print, as the principal medium, and to that end Coke used popular recording artists in its TV and radio jingles. Among them: the Supremes, Aretha Franklin, the Moody Blues, and Jan & Dean.

The Red and the WhiteThis 1970 ad was part of the "It's the Real Thing" campaign, which ran for many years. This also appeared during the period when Coke introduced its trademark white ribbon with the script logo set against a red background. The ribbon still appears on Coke cans and is also in use today in such venues as New York City's Times Square

Teaching the World a ThingThis clip from a 1971 TV commercial is probably Coke's most revered ad. Called "Hilltop," it shows a group of young singers standing atop a mountain in the Italian countryside, performing an original song called "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing." The public reaction was overwhelming—people around the country besieged radio stations, asking them to put the song into their regular music rotation.

So overwhelming was the response that Coke took a music group called the New Seekers back into the studio to record a variation of the song (without references to Coca-Cola) that became not just a Top 10 hit but also a peace anthem during the Vietnam War. Coke donated its profits from the commercial recording to UNESCO, a children's charity affiliated with the United Nations.

Athletic PauseThis 1984 ad showing an Olympic swimmer was produced to appear before and during the Los Angeles games. It symbolizes the tight link between the company and the Olympic Games: Coke is the oldest active Olympic corporate sponsor, going back to the Amsterdam games in 1928

When Coke Went FlatThis 1985 magazine ad was used to promote the launch of the New Coke, which goes down as one of the biggest busts in corporate marketing. Almost from the moment Coke released this variation of its flagship cola, consumers revolted, forcing the manufacturer to quickly reintroduce the original version as Coca-Cola Classic. While Coke execs tried to maintain both brands—largely to save face—New Coke quietly disappeared from store shelves over the next couple of years.

Touchdown!This frame comes from a 1979 TV commercial that grew into one of Coke's most beloved ads of all time. It shows football star Mean Joe Greene downing a Coke handed to him by a young fan (Greene says thanks by handing his jersey to the star-struck child). The ad was so popular that Coke adapted it to other countries, including Argentina, where soccer star Diego Maradona assumed the role played by Greene.

Beary ChristmasThis 1994 ad was one of the first Coke spots showing computer-generated polar bears, which have since turned into a yearly holiday staple for the company. At the time, the use of computer-generated images was considered cutting edge—one more example of Coke standing at the forefront of marketing techniques.

Biking AwayThis still comes from a commercial released as part of the company's new "Coke Side of Life" campaign. The ad, which airs primarily in big venues such as movie theaters, shows a youth riding his bike through a succession of parades, both urban and rural. Interestingly, focus groups hated the dream-like music that overlays the commercial, but Coke's ad agency, Wieden + Kennedy, felt strongly that it added to the overall effect, so it was kept.