Coca-Cola is today celebrating the 100th birthday of the iconic Contour bottle, a design that has cemented itself as a global pop culture icon and loved by millions around the world.
Patented in 1915, the Coca-Cola bottle was created with unmistakable curves and a distinctive contour following a brief that called for “a design so distinctive that it could be recognised by touch alone and so unique that it could be identified when shattered on the ground.”
Despite countless attempts from imitators, the Coca-Cola bottle has become an undisputed icon that has remained the same for 100 years, but has managed to remain relevant to generations around the world.
Throughout its 100 years, the Contour bottle has rubbed shoulders with the likes of Marilyn Munroe, Elvis Presley and Ray Charles, become a muse to artists and designers such as Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell and Dolce & Gabbana, made its way onto the silver screen in film classics such as Strictly Ballroom (1992) and The Coca-Cola Kid (1985), and sung with the legend that is John Farnham with his major hit Age of Reason featuring in the 1988 Coca-Cola TVC.
Coca-Cola South Pacific Group Marketing Manager, Dianne Everett, says: “Today is a true milestone birthday for Coca-Cola. One hundred years ago, a design was created that would go on to become a global icon. It’s a truly special thing to think that although Coca-Cola as a brand has changed and reinvented itself over the years, this design icon has remained the same. Here in Australia, we’re delighted to finally mark the actual 100th birthday of the Contour bottle after a wonderful year of exciting celebrations.”
The 100th birthday also marks the end of a yearlong major Australian campaign titled ‘Pop Art’, which drew from globally developed creative of the Contour bottle to visually transform the brand giving it a new modern look. The Contour Pop Art campaign also marked the first time the full trademark appeared together to include the newest addition, Coke Life.