Inc.: The Great Leaders Series: Asa Candler, Founder of the Coca-Cola Company

By: Amy Gunderson

The power of advertising is ubiquitous today, but Asa Candler was among the earliest entrepreneurs to aggressively use it. Candler wasn't an inventor; he didn't come up with a great company name or distinctive logo. Rather his greatest achievement was as a marketer. When he purchased control of Coca-Cola, it was a fledging five-cent soda fountain drink that only sold about nine glasses a day in its first year on the market.

Under Candler's watch, Coca-Cola's advertising budget grew from $100,000 in 1901 to $1 million in 1911. The Coca-Cola name was plastered on everything from calendars, clocks, fans, and even urns. Pharmacists selling the drink had apothecary scales emblazoned with the name. A team of traveling Coca-Cola syrup salesmen was sent out to ensure that pharmacists were mixing the beverage correctly with carbonated water, and that their stores were properly adorned with Coca-Cola logos and signs. Candler even contracted actress and singer Hilda Clark to be the face of Coca-Cola, initiating one of the first-ever celebrity endorsements. (more)