Department 56 Christmas Village, Coca-Cola, and Some of the Best Marketing of All Time!

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Coca-Cola Brand Billboard," #54810

Would you like to know how popular Coca-Cola is?  Well, consider that the Coca-Cola trademark is recognized by 94% of the world's population, probably making it the most known commercial product on earth.  Or, consider that 7000 coke products are consumed every SECOND  of every day.  Here's another great bit of trivia:  in the 1950's, service stations were selling more Coca-Cola than motor oil!  Coca-Cola® Brand Billboard

Image from
http://www.drugstoremuseum.com/sections/level_info2.php?level_id=47

But it isn't just the product that makes Coca-Cola a great company.  It is their intensely effective product branding and marketing that has catapulted Coke into one of the most successful brands on the planet.

Dept. 56, North Pole Series,
"Ice Cold Coca-Cola,"
56873
Image from
http://www.dept56retirees.com/northpole.htm

No wonder that Department 56 partnered with Coca-Cola to create a series of licensed Christmas buildings and accessories.  To celebrate this partnership, I have picked out a series of Coca-Cola ads, posters, and other marketing devises that relate beautifully to the Dept. 56 items.  For me, this has been a walk down memory lane....though,  regardless of what my kids say, unlike Coke, I was not born in the 19th century.

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Coca-Cola Brand Corner Drugstore,"
#54844

In the Beginning....  On May 8, 1886, the drink that was to become Coca-Cola went on sale  at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia.  It was marketed not as a pleasurable fountain drink, but as a pharmaceutical.  It's inventor, John Pemberton,  claimed that Coca-Cola was not only what we might call the "Viagara of the day," but so much more.  He claimed it could cure not only impotence, but also morphine addiction, dyspepsia, neurasthenia, and headache. 

Image from
http://www.psdeluxe.com/articles/inspiration
 /100-old-coca-cola-posters/

A glass of coke cost $.05, and in the first year brought in $50 in sales, but had $70 in expenditures.  (I suspect it took Viagara even longer to turn a profit.)  Many soda drinks of the day did contain caffeine and/or cocaine, which probably did cure headaches.  On the other hand, rebound headaches would also ensure, drawing the customer back for another round of soda drinks!

Dept. 56, Christmas in the City,
"Coca-Cola Soda Fountain,"
#59221

This all changed in 1914, with the passage of the "Harrison Act," which banned the sale of cocaine and opiates in over-the-counter products.  From that time on, soda drinks were marketed only because of their good taste.  As the Liquid Carbon Company advertised:  "...it isn't medicinal, won't cure anything....isn't intoxicating or habit-forming--it's just flavory, fruity, snappy, sparkling, delicious."  Fountain operators started to leave drug stores and open their own soda fountains, or at the very least, shed the reputation of serving "habit-forming" drinks.  http://www.drugstoremuseum.com/sections/level_

info2.php?level_id=47

1900 Coca-Cola ad.
http://www.beautifullife.info/
advertisment/
history-of-coca-cola-in-ads/

Soda Fountains  Starting in the late 19th century, soda fountains had become very popular, the Starbucks of their time. They were the  crossroads of people from all walks of life, the place to see and be seen.  I just love Dept. 56's "Coca-Cola Brand Corner Drugstore," since one of the best jobs I have ever had was as a soda jerk during high school in a Rexall Drug Store in the 1960's.  As you walked into the drug store, there was a marble-countered soda fountain that catered to all the kids in the small community, as well as to the men and women who worked downtown in the banks, the groceries, the radio station, the lawyer offices, the stationary store, the clothing and shoe shops, the insurance offices, and the small restaurants.

Coca-Cola poster
from allposters.com

I made cherry, chocolate, and vanilla Cokes, malts and shakes, and sodas.  I sold Seventeen Magazines and wrap-around sunglasses, and I was cool.   

Dept. 56, Christmas in the City,

"Coca-Cola Bottling Company,"

#59258

Bottle Beginnings  At first, all Cokes were hand-made at the soda fountain counter, using a syrup concentrate from Coca-Cola, water, and sweeteners.  In 1899, though, three attorneys from Chattanooga came to believe that bottling would rapidly expand sales.  They purchased the exclusive rights to bottle Coke, for the sum of one Dollar.  $1.00  A buck.  100 cents.  This business model endures.  Coca-cola manufactures the syrup concentrate, and sells it to franchises which mix, carbonate, bottle or can, sell, and distribute the final product. Department 56 Christmas In The City Coca-Cola Bottling Company

Copyright, Coca-Cola, 1947

By 1909 there were nearly 400 Coca-Cola bottling plants.

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Coca-Cola Brand Bottling Plant,"#54690

By the 1920's there were more than 1000 bottlers, and Coke was expanding into 44 countries. In the 1990's, $1.5 billion was committed to new bottling facilities, in Africa alone.  It is no wonder that Department 56 included 2 Coca-Cola Bottling plants in their Christmas Village line. http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/
ourcompany/
historybottling.
html  Dept.56 Retired Brand New Coca-cola Bottling Plant, Snow Village [Item #54690]

Dept. 56, Christmas in the City,

"Vintage Coca-Cola Truck,"

59428

Trucks and Logos  The distribution of bottled Coke required a transportation system, and the Coca-Cola truck was born.  And at this point, it is important to talk about the enduring Coca-Cola logo, because regardless of the size, style, or year of the Coca-Cola truck, they were all identified by the proud display of that logo.

Coca-Cola Truck, 1931,
Ford Model AA,
Image from
http://www.adbranch.com/coca-
cola-delivery-trucks-1930-1940s/

From the very beginning, the Coca-Cola company had employees who understood the important of product branding.  John Pemberton, the man who formulated the original recipe, hired a bookkeeper by the name of Frank Mason Robinson in 1885.  Robinson was the man who came up with the company's name and chose the distinctive cursive for the Coca-Cola label, called the Spencerian Script.

Dept. 56,  Snow Village,
"Coca-Cola Brand Delivery Truck,"
#54798

Trucks used for hauling coke products have always displayed the company logo and have been moving advertisements that came into visual contact with millions of people a week. 

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Coca-Cola Brand Delivery Men,"
#54801

Coca-Cola delivery men who drove the trucks have also been honored by Department 56 ...

http://www.beautifullife.info/
advertisment/
history-of-coca-cola-in-ads/

...just as Coca-Cola honored blue collar workers with this ad in 1937.  Even back then they were using the famous Coke phrase, "The pause that refreshes..." 

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Santa Comes to Town-2005," #55266

Coca-Cola and Santa Claus Coke advertising has influenced our lives in many ways that are not immediately obvious.  For example, none of us would be jolted to see an image of Santa drinking a Coke.  But why is that?

1931 Coca-Cola ad
http://www.beautifullife.info/
advertisment/
history-of-coca-cola-in-ads/

Well, consider that the Coca-Cola company itself takes credit  for popularizing the modern image of Santa in red suit and white beard.  Here is a quote from the company website:  "Starting in 1931, magazine ads for Coca-Cola featured St. Nick as a kind, jolly man in a red suit.  Because magazines were so widely viewed, and because this image of Santa appeared for more than three decades, the image of Santa most people have to day is largely based on our advertising." http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_santa.html 

Dept. 56, North Pole Series,
"Coca-Cola Fizz Factory,"
#56754

So what does this have to do with a Christmas miniature village.  Well, you can just image Santa sitting in this whimsical North Pole Series building "Coca-Cola Fizz Factory"....

1953 Coca-Cola ad,
http://www.beautifullife.info/
advertisment/
history-of-coca-cola-in-ads/

...Why, there he is, sipping a bottle of Coke and surrounded by toys!  

Dept. 56, North Pole Series,
"Coca-Cola Taste Test," #56841

The Coke Polar Bear Among marketing gurus, Coca-Cola reigns supreme in  branding and advertising spheres.  Over the years they have had a succession of hugely successful advertising runs, and among my all-time favorites are the ads featuring the polar bears who love Coke.

1993 Coca-Cola ad,
http://www.beautifullife.info/
advertisment/
history-of-coca-cola-in-ads/

In 1993 the beverage company made a major shift in its advertising by introducing the "Always Coca-Cola" campaign.  Creator Ken Stewart of Coke imagined that his Labrador Retriever resembled a polar bear, and Stewart made the creative leap that polar bears could enjoy watching the aurora borealis at the North Pole and drink Coke while they did it!  In order to create naturalistic cartoon images, Coca-Cola's artistic team watched actual films of polar bears to see how they moved, and then made 3-d representations.Dept. 56 North Pole Series Coca-Cola Taste Test

Dept. 56, North Pole Series

"Coca-Cola Sliding Hill,"

#56851

Each commercial took about about 12 weeks for the furry friends to come alive with human attributes.  Coke tried to create bear characters that were "...innocent, fun, and reflect the best attributes we like to call 'human.'  The bears are cute, mischievous, playful and filled with fun." The bears captured the imagination of the public, and  Dept. 56 has celebrated that mood in the whimsical North Pole Series, piece, "Coca-Cola Sliding Hill." http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/heritage/cokelore_polarbears.html

1994 Winter Olympics
Coca-Cola Campaign

Only a year after the introduction of the "Always Coca-Cola" campaign, the company introduced a series of Olympic ads and  Olympic collector pins-of-the-day featuring very classy and cool polar bears.  Our ursine friends were portrayed as taking part in winter activities like bobsledding, playing hockey, ski jumping, and skating.  To the left is a very cool ski-jumpin', coke-drinkin' polar bear...

1994 Coke Olympic Pin,
http://www.midwestpins.com/
Lillehammer_pins.htm

...and to the right is a collectors pin featuring a speed skating polar bear drinking Coke!  During the Lillehammer Olympic, in fact, Coke sponsored a "Pin of the Day" series which featured a different design each day. The Coke ad regiment drove an impressive 7 % annual increase in volume in the US, though other variables probably also played a part in the returns.

10 of the Most Interesting People Who Ride Harley-Davidsons in a Miniature Christmas Village

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Harley-Davidson Manufacturing,"
#54948

The Harley-Davidson brand has come a long way from Milwaukee in 1903, when William Harley and Arthur Davidson decided to attach a motor to a bicycle.  By 2010 the company had revenues of $4.86 billion, and supports 1400 active clubs of around half a million Harley riders.  But that is only half the story, the business and financial part.  The other half the story is just as interesting. Harley-Davidson Manufacturing

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Harley-Davidson Fat Boy and Softail"
#54900

The Harley-Davidson motorcycle has also become one of the most potent iconic images of the past half century.  For some lucky people, a Harley can conjure up some wonderful memories; for many of us, it is just a symbol imbued with strong feelings that are a part of our  culture.  When we see a Harley we feel a sense of strength, individuality, and freedom....a sense we will live forever.   Wind in my hair.  Endless road ahead.  No wonder we find Harley buildings in our Christmas village displays! Department 56 - Snow Village "Harley-davidson Fat Boy & Softail"

James Dean and Marilyn Monroe
in "Spellbound" by
Paul Gasenhemier,
http://www.best-motorcycle.com/posters/james-
dean-marilyn-monroe.shtm

This dream-like image of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe on a Harley sums up many of these feelings.  And when you think about it, it is not a feeling based on logic.  James Dean never even met Marilyn Monroe.  James Dean died very young in a crash, but not on a Harley. Marilyn Monroe also died young, and as Elton John sang, "(Her) candle burned out long before, (Her) legend ever did."  And, actually, the Harley's right side is shown in the picture, not the left, as it should. This is not reality.  This is iconic, and the Harley is absolutely necessary to the image.

So I have put together a list of the 10 most interesting people who have owned a Harley, based on their iconic strength, individuality, and adventure.  When you add Harley Christmas buildings and accessories to your miniature village, you can remember these images!

Brigitte Bardot,
Image from
bikematchmaking.com
(which I do not use.)

NUMBER 10:  Brigitte Bardot: Actress, vocalist, model, and animal activist.  Simon de Beauvoir, a French philosopher and intellectual, said that Brigitte Bardot was the first and most liberated woman of post-war France.  She was not only a star in 47 films and several theater productions, but recorded 80 songs.   Brigitte Bardot liked a Harley so much that she titled one of her first songs "Harley Davidson," and you can watch her sing it here, though you have to understand French, and you may be disappointed:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3IOZ0NbrVs

Dept. 56, Christmas in the City,
"Ready for the Road," #58907

To the left is a picture of how Brigitte Bardot would look if she wore pants when she rode a Harley. Department 56 Ready for the Road! Harley Davidson

Add caption

NUMBER 9:  Ann Richards: Prominent Democrat and former Treasurer and Governor of Texas.   For her 60th birthday, Ann Richards said in an interview that she wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle.  Well, Harley-Davidson heard about it, and shipped her one!  So when Texas Monthly wanted to do a cover story on her, the magazines's artistic director D. J. Stout came up with the idea of her on a Harley.  "I had an image in my head of Ann, the feisty grandmother governor, decked out in all-white leathers--to match her famous white bouffant hairdo--straddling a hog.  Ann Richards on a Harley seemed to me to be the perfect metaphor for capturing her salty wit and irreverent personality. It was an image that summed up all those things that people loved about her."

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Harley-Davidson Water Tower,"
#54975
What a Texas water tower
might look like.
Original Snow Village Harley-Davidson Water Tower, 56.54975

Stout and Richards were unable to get a mutually convenient photo session, so she suggested Stout "photoshop" her head onto another person aboard the Harley. Stout did, and they shared many laughs over the picture.  http://observatory.designobserver.com/feature/remembering-ann-richards/4757/

Dept. 56, Christmas in the City,
"Harley-Davidson Detailing, Parts, & Service,"
#59214

NUMBER 8: Jay Leno: Stand-up comedian, host of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and automobile collector.  Jay Leno famously owns about 200 vehicles, including around 100 cars.  Much of his spare time is spent working with on mechanical issues and visiting other car collections, in addition to writing reviews of sports cars and humorous articles about all issues automotive.  He obviously buys parts from the Dept. 56 shop shown above. Dept 56 Harley Davidson Detailing Parts and Service

Jay Leno and the 2005 Harley auctioned
off to raise money for the Harley-Davidson Foundation Tsunami Relief Fund.
Image from www.cycleconnections.com.

Leno and Harley-Davidson teamed up to auction off a "hog" to raise money for Tsunami relief when the deadly waves hit Southeast Asia in 2005.  Harley-Davidson donated a white 2005 Road King, and Leno arranged to have 60 celebrities sign the bike.  Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Cosby, Kiefer Sutherland, and Donald Trump were among those on the star-studded list who participated.   The winning bidder was David P. Steiner, CEO of Waste Management, Inc., who paid $801,100 toward the relief effort.

Malcom Forbes's
Harley-Davidson Hot Air Balloon,
Forbes is in the gondola.
Image from www.corbisimages.com.

NUMBER 7: Malcom Forbes:  New Jersey State Senator, publisher of "Forbes Magazine," Faberge Egg collector.  Malcom Forbes was very wealthy when he became a motorcycle enthusiast later in life.  He founded a club called the Capitalist Tools, and hosted meetings and tours at his New Jersey estate.  He not only collected motorcycles, but was instrumental in the political maneuvering to pass legislation to allow motorcycles on the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey. For all of this, in 1999 he was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in Pickerington, OH.

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"A Harley-Davidson Holiday," #54898

Malcom Forbes gave Elizabeth Taylor a Harley called the Purple Passion, because he said it reminded him or her beautiful eyes.  And Elizabeth Taylor gave her husband Larry Fortensky a Harley in 1992 for Christmas!

Dept. 56, Christmas in the City,
"Harley-Davidson City Dealership,
#59202

Elizabeth Taylor might have purchased the Harley-Davidson at the dealership on the left.

NUMBERS 5 and 6:  Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda:  Actors in "Easy Rider".  "Easy Rider" is an iconic movie about two bikers who travel through the south in the 1960's exploring the dark issues of this generation, drugs, alienation, intolerance, and violence.  The film won a host of awards and the accolades of an entire generation.  Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda not only assumed the lead roles, but they also wrote it the movie, conjunction with Terry Souther, and Fonda produced and Hopper directed.

Dept. 56, Christmas in the City,
"America's Finest," #58998

Harley-Davison frames and engines from four former police officer bikes were used to create the two bikes for the main characters, plus two back-ups.  Fonda and others designed and had the bikes "chopper-built" for the film.  One "Captain America" bike was demolished in the final scene.  It was later rebuilt and was sold at auction.  The other three bikes were stole and never recovered, though numerous replicas have been made. Department 56 Christmas in the City America's Finest 58998

"Easy Rider" is 88th on the list of the American Film Institute's List of 100 Years, 100 Movies.  In 1998 it was added to the US National Film Registry, having been designated as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Arnold Schwarzenegger,
"Terminator 2:  Judgement Day,"
Image from www.starcarstn.com/T2_Harley.html

NUMBER 4:  Arnold Schwarzenegger: Body builder, actor, Governor of California.
In the hit movie, "Terminator 2: Judgment Day,"  released by Tri Star Pictures in 1991, the Governator rode a Harley-Davidson Softail Fatboy.  Schwarzenegger plays a Terminator, a liquid metal shape-shifting T-1000 who defends humans in their attempt to prevent Judgement Day, when machines would begin to exterminate humanity.  The film's visual effects, using computer-generated imagery, were very influential, and the movie won four Academy awards for technical feats.  At the time, it was the most expensive movie ever made, but it also became the highest-grossing film of 1991.  After the filming, Mario Kassar, the producer, kept the Terminator's bike in his personal collection, until he sold it to a private collector, who held it until it came into the collection of the Hollywood Star Cars Museum. http://www.starcarstn.com/T2_Harley.html

Dept. 56, Christmas in the City,
1930 Harley-Davidon VL W/Sidecar,"
#59409

Fifteen years later Schwarzenegger was involved in a minor accident in his sidecar-equipped Harley, and was facing a citation for driving without a valid motorcycle license. Fortunately for him, a loophole in California law allowed riders of a sidecar-equipped bike to have a valid car license, which Schwarzenegger did.

Elvis Presley on his
Harley-Davidson.
Image from
http://photos.elvispresley.com.au/1950s_2.html 

NUMBER 3: Elvis Presley: Singer and Actor. If you want to know how much Elvis loved Harleys, consider this: To commemorate what would have been Elvis' 75th birthday, the Harley-Davidson Museum mounted a special exhibit!  Paraphernalia in the show included one of his bikes, a bill of sale, registration papers, insurance application, and a number of historic photos loaned from Graceland Museum.  http://onmilwaukee.com/music/articles/harleymuseumelvisexhibit.html

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Shop,"
#54886

Elvis loved flashy costumes, Gibson guitars, and Harleys.  He bought his first hog in the 1950, before he even signed his first record deal.  Just after he turned 21, and just days after recording "Hearbreak Hotel," his first hit, he bought a KH Harley.  Harley-Davidson Museum employee Jim Fricke has said that he has seen photographs of Elvis on 8-10 different bikes.Dept 56 Harley Davidson Motorcycle Shop

Elvis rode Harleys in several films, including "Roustabout," a 1964 film in which he plays Charlie, a rider who sings at whopping malls, and takes a part-time carnival job to pay for repairs of his bike.  Presley also appeared on a Harley in "Viva Las Vegas," Clambake, and "Stay Away Joe." http://onmilwaukee.com/music/articles/harleymuseumelvisexhibit.html

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Patrolling the Road,"
#54971

NUMBER 2:  All Public Safety Officers .   In Detroit in 1908 Harley-Davidson sold the first motorcycle to a police force for metropolitan use.  By the 1920's, over 3000 police departments and agencies used the Hog.  The tradition continues today.  In 2010, according to the Harley Davidson representative I spoke with, the company sold approximately 2700 hogs to police and other public service departments worldwide.  In fact, the Los Angeles Police Department has 400 HD motorcycle units, Rio de Janeiro has 46, and Milwaukee has 57. Dept 56 Patrolling the Road Harley Davidson

"The Warning," by Eric Richards.
Image from
www.motofoto.cc/Police_Motorcycles.htm

This monument, "The Warning" by Eric Richards, commemorates the heroism of two police officers, Thornton Edwards (on the left on an Indian) and Stanley Baker (on the right on a Harley.)  The two were on duty on March 12, 1928 during the second worst disaster in the State of California's history.  The St. Francis Dam, 36 miles upstream from Santa Clarita, collapsed around midnight, releasing 52 billion gallons of water.

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"A New HarleyDavidson,"
#4020224

For three hours Thornton and Baker rode through the town of Santa Paula, which was on the path of the flood, notifying and evacuating residents. Though 470 people died in the disaster, because of the heroic actions of Edwards and Baker, few of the victims were from Santa Paula.  These are just two of Many officers mounted on motorcycles that have rendered profound service to our communities. The Original Snow Village from Department 56 A New ?56 Harley-Davidson® KH  http://www.motofoto.cc/Police_Motorcycles.htm

NUMBER 1--THE MOST ICONIC USER OF A HARLEY-DAVIDSON:

SANTA CLAUS

Dept. 56, North Pole, "A Happy Harley Day," #56706