"Open Happpiness"

My fascination with Coca-Cola didn’t begin until I was in high school. My parents are very health conscious and would only drink a Coke product on special occasions such as a parties or while attending a Major League Baseball game. Learning from their example, I also would only consume the bubbly goodness on special occasions. This connection with Coke and special occasions emphasized the “specialness” of the globally renowned product.

            As I got older and spent more time on my own away from my parents influences I began to take part in the Coca-Cola madness. It seemed that no matter where you were at any time there was a Coke within reach. Every gas station, there was Coke, every school, shopping mall, sporting event and park, there was Coke. You could probably even go to the White House and find it. Coca-Cola is like Nadja in Nadja. It is mysterious and surreal. It draws you in and makes you crave more, driving you mad when you are unable to fulfill your desires. So what is it that makes this simple beverage so enticing? What is it that makes us crave it every day at every place we go? The answers have to do with the brainwashing abilities of marketing and advertising.

            After taking a few classes on marking I learned that the reason why I, as well as almost everyone else in the entire world,  loves Coke so much is because of the associations between Coke and happiness. The tagline for Coke is “Open Happiness” which is exactly what everyone thinks about when they open their very own Coke. In the commercials we see and through the images we examine we see people smiling with their Cokes in hand. We hear cheerful music and laughter, and we witness the magical effects that Coke has on people.

            When I open my Coke and take that first crisp, bubbly, sweet sip, I am comforted by the memories I’ve had while opening another Coke, at another place, at another time.