"Originally published in hardcover in the United Statesin slightly different form by Random House ... in 2004."--T.p. verso. "Random House Trade Paperback Edition."--T.p. verso. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
The road to Rome -- Partnership -- Time to spare -- This little Cuban fellow -- New Coke -- Everything according to plan -- Something instantly recognizable -- Changing of the guard -- The imitator awakes -- Too busy to discriminate -- Cracks in the empire -- Whatever it takes -- Wonderful world -- Zeus works for Pepsi -- Headaches in Belgium -- A letter in the mail -- Obviously unhappy -- Enjoy -- The unscripted part -- Epilogue : always Coca-Cola -- Afterword : nerve tonic.
Summary:
Publisher's description: The Real Thing is a portrait of America's most famous product and the people who transformed it from mere soft drink to symbol of freedom. With fresh insights and a penetrating eye, New York Times reporter Constance L. Hays examines a century of Coca-Cola history through deft portraits of the charismatic, driven men who used luck, spin, and the open door of enterprise to turn a beverage with no nutritional value into a remedy, a refreshment, and an international object of consumer desire. The rise of Coke is also a catalog of carbonation, soda fountains, dynastic bottling businesses, global expansion, and outsize promotional campaigns, not all of which succeeded. By examining relationships at every level of the company, Hays reveals the psyche of a great American corporation--and also tells a larger story about business and this nation's cuture.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.