Life — March 15, 1928 — page 3: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis This is a **Coca-Cola advertisement** disguised as satirical commentary, published in *Life* magazine (dated March 15, 1928, based on the footer). The ad humorously attributes a fake Shakespeare quote to King Lear, claiming the Bard endorsed Coca-Cola as a "pure drink of natural flavors." The illustration shows King Lear in his traditional royal garb surrounded by flowers, positioned as if endorsing the product. The satire works on two levels: it mocks both Shakespeare scholarship (misquoting the Bard) and advertising's tendency to invoke classical authority to sell modern products. The phrase "8 million a day" boasts of Coca-Cola's sales volume. The bottom tagline—"It had to be good to get where it is"—drives home the commercial message: popularity proves quality. This represents early 20th-century advertising's creative appropriation of high culture to market consumer goods.