Life, 1909-05-20 · page 2 of 36
Life — May 20, 1909 — page 2: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a **Coca-Cola advertisement**, not satirical content. The page shows a man at a soda fountain operating a Coca-Cola dispenser beneath an arrow sign. The ad's central message uses arrows as a marketing device: "Whenever you see an Arrow, Think of Coca-Cola." The copy claims that arrows should redirect people to Coca-Cola fountains, establishing the brand as synonymous with refreshment. The advertisement lists practical benefits (cooling when hot, relieving fatigue, quenching thirst) and emphasizes taste ("delicious"), positioning Coca-Cola as an essential everyday beverage available "5c Everywhere." This represents early 20th-century brand-building through pervasive marketing symbolism—attempting to make the arrow an involuntary mental trigger for the product.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“Whenever, wherever, however you see an arrow, let it - point ithe way to a soda fountain, and a glass of the bever- age that is so delicious and popular that it and even its. advertising are constant inspiration for imitators. Are you hot? ===> Coca-Cola is cooling, Are you tired? <==, Coca-Cola relieves fatigue. Are'you thirsty? ==—» Coca-Cola is thirst-quenching.. Do you crave something just to tickle your Bs not too sweet, but alive: with vim and go? Coca-Cola is delicious. ee aa a a eS ea ay a oe. a a <7: Il Coe, eee comicbooks.com