What does the adaptation of Coca-Cola's core visual identity for White Coke suggest about brands during the nascent Cold War?
That the global reach of brands often involved navigating complex political waters far beyond simple market penetration
The lengths to which Coca-Cola went—altering the fundamental visual identity including color and cap design—to satisfy the political sensibilities of a single high-ranking Soviet official serve as a potent illustration of soft power dynamics in the early Cold War. This effort demonstrates that maintaining positive relations with key Allied figures required corporate entities to become deeply involved in high-stakes political maneuvering. The strategy extended far beyond standard marketing or achieving mere market penetration; it required complex adaptation to highly sensitive international relations and ideological conflict.
