My Coke

Here is a little story about me and my favorite brand – Coke.
I grew up with Pepsi. Unlike Pepsi, which was sold in every grocery store in the Soviet Union since 70’s, Coke has not come to Russia until late 80’s. My best friend was a son of a local Pepsi bottler executive, so I learned to love Pepsi through a peer pressure. No matter what, Pepsi still tastes somehow more familiar and close to a heart.
I do not remember then I tried Pepsi for a first time, but vividly remember the magical moment in November of 1993 when my friends and I run out from our counselor on a school trip to Moscow and bought our first Cokes. It tasted less sweet than Pepsi, but felt more like a breeze of freedom. (The fact that we just had our first McDonalds probably contributed to that feeling, too:)
I moved to Minnesota, one of rare Pepsi strongholds in the US in 2001, and stopped drinking pop around 2004.
Call me brainwashed, but this summer really changed my perception about the brand management and the Coca-Cola Company products. When I chose the place for internship, I picked Coke based on the brand recognition and was coming aboard a little skeptical about the company business model and hated soft drinks category overall.
Everything changed just in two or three weeks. To give you a little feeling on what a day at Coke looked like, every person coming to work in the morning saw this commercial on the multiple screens (From June to July, then it was switched for World Cup promotions):



Leaving home we were greeted by a security guard wishing everybody good evening or a wonderful weekend. It felt like employees really enjoyed working for the company and had pride in their brand, the most valuable in the world. I never saw so many genuinely happy people at work. I guess it was a perfect example that a strong brand is coming from a strong organization and a strong corporate culture.
I reintroduced myself to soft drinks and now crave Coca-Cola every now and then. It is hard to express it, but there was something magical about the company. Even that I chose not to pursue a career with Coke for now, I still feel something very close to a heart when I see the brand. (And I have to admit, it is hard not to see it on a daily basis).