Coca-Cola's Contour Bottle Design: A Century of Genius Marketing Moves

The iconic contour bottle design of Coca-Cola has been a recognizable symbol for over a century. However, it wasn't always this way.

In its first 16 years, Coca-Cola sold drinks in standard bottles before evolving into the distinctive shape that customers know today.

According to branding expert Marty Bauer, Director of Partnerships & Ecommerce Expert at Omnisend, the decision to use the unique bottle design was 'a genius move by the early Coca-Cola marketing team.'

The original Coca-Cola bottles from 1899 were described as 'very ordinary, functional, jar-like.' Over time, the company made small changes, adding a longer neck and diamond-shaped paper label.

In 1915, the company held a design competition to create an iconic bottle. The winning design was inspired by a cocoa bean and has remained largely unchanged since then.