The war in Ukraine: How are brands responding?

In times of war, there is a precedent of brands taking actions that are remembered long after peace returns. During World War II, Coca-Cola Company president Robert W. Woodruff declared that ‘every man in uniform gets a bottle of Coca-Cola for five cents, wherever he is and whatever it costs the company’. In a mutually beneficial attempt to raise morale, at the request of General Dwight Eisenhower, the US Army sought a ready supply of Coke wherever soldiers went and worked with Coca-Cola Company to establish bottling plants near all its frontlines. Employees were deployed as Technical Observers, affectionately known as ‘Coca-Cola Colonels’ within army ranks, and Coke became an international symbol of refreshment and solidarity. After the war ended, many employees stayed on, and the temporary bottling plants were converted to permanent production facilities that played a significant role in the brand’s eventual global domination.