| RC Cola | |
|---|---|
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| Type | Cola |
| Manufacturer | Cott Beverages/ Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages |
| Country of origin | Columbus, Georgia USA |
| Introduced | 1905 |
| Related products | Coca-Cola, Pepsi |
RC Cola (or Royal Crown Cola) is a cola soft drink developed in 1905 by Columbus, Georgia pharmacist Claude A. Hatcher.
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History
The first product in the Royal Crown line was "Chero-Cola" in 1905, followed by Royal Crown Ginger Ale, Royal Crown Strawberry and Royal Crown Root Beer. The company was renamed Chero-Cola, and in 1925 called Nehi Corporation after its colored and flavored drinks. In 1934, Chero-Cola was reformulated and re-released as Royal Crown Cola. In the 1950s, the combination of Royal Crown Cola and Moonpies became popular in the American South.[1] In 1958, the company introduced the first diet cola, Diet Rite, and in 1980, the first caffeine free cola, "RC 100". In the mid-1990s, the company released Royal Crown Draft Cola, billed as a "premium" cola and using pure sugarcane, rather than the high fructose corn syrup commonly used to sweeten U.S. soft drinks. Offered only in 12-ounce bottles, the cola's sales were disappointing and it was quickly discontinued with the exceptions of Australia, New Zealand, and France. The company has also released Cherry RC a cherry flavored version of the R.C. soft drink to compete with Coca-Cola Cherry and Wild Cherry Pepsi. In the 1970s, RC Cola was popular in the Philippines with its franchisee Asiawide Beverages, after the brand disappeared for 3 decades, RC Cola was relaunched and now became the third largest-selling cola brand, toppling Coca-Cola's Pop Cola, and now behind Pepsi-Cola and Coca-Cola. It also started advertising with a "smooth, laid back" image that it portrayed since the 60s. In October 2000, Royal Crown was acquired by Cadbury Schweppes plc through its acquisition of Snapple. Royal Crown operations were folded into Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc., a former subsidiary of Cadbury Schweppes. In 2001, all international RC-branded business was sold to Cott Beverages of Mississauga, Ontario and is operated as Royal Crown Cola International. Operations in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and other U.S. territories are now handled by Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages.
Brand portfolio
- Royal Crown Cola (RC Cola)
- Diet RC
- Diet Rite
- Royal Crown Draft Cola (Limited in U.S.)
- Cherry RC (available in limited markets)
- RC Edge (discontinued)
- RC 100 (discontinued)
- Caffeine Free RC (available in limited markets)
Advertising campaigns
- In the 1930s, Alex Osborn, with BBDO, made them an ad campaign, in which was included the following slogan: "The season's best."
- In the 1960s, Royal Crown Cola did an ad campaign featuring two birds, made by Jim Henson; these birds later became the inspiration for Big Bird from Sesame Street.
- Nancy Sinatra was featured in two Royal Crown Cola commercials in her one hour special called "Movin' with Nancy" featuring various singers in November,1967. She sang "it's a mad, mad, mad Cola... RC the one with the mad, mad taste!...RC! "
- Royal Crown was the official sponsor of New York Mets during the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
- In the mid 1970s, Royal Crown ran an advertising campaign called "Me & My RC", the most famous of which featured actress Sharon Stone delivering pizza on a skateboard. Others featured independent people in a variety of scenic outdoor locations. The jingle, sung by Louise Mandrell, went "Me and my RC! Me and my RC!..What's good enough for anyone else, ain't good enough for me."
- RC was introduced to Israel in 1995 with the slogan "RC: Just like in America!" eliciting chuckles among local expats and students who remembered RC being a distant third behind Coke and Pepsi in the U.S. market.
- Bell Buckle, TN hosts the annual RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival.
See also
External links
References
- ^ Jan Duke. The Souths Fascination with RC Colas and Moonpies. About. Retrieved on 2006-09-27.
