Coca-Cola has owned a specific shade of red for over 130 years. No other major brand has successfully claimed a single hue as completely as Coke has claimed this one — not even Pepsi, which has been blue since 1950.
Coca-Cola's red has roots in the 1890s, when the company first used red to distinguish its barrels from untaxed alcohol (tax inspectors painted taxed alcohol barrels red). The specific shade evolved over decades, landing on a warm, slightly blue-leaning red that works on both white and black backgrounds. The brand is so associated with this exact color that it's often just called "Coca-Cola Red." No other major brand has successfully owned a single hue the way Coke owns red — not even the rival Pepsi Red, which has been blue since 1950.
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