The Coca-Cola sign is an electro-kinetic sculpture on the Two Times Square building in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The current sign, installed in 2017, is tall and wide, and is the latest in a line of

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance bar, temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pembe ...

Times Square signs dating back to 1920. The new sign was installed in 2017, starting with the removal of the old sign in February. Construction of the new sign started in March, and the new sign was finished and premiered on August 8, 2017. Guinness World Records has awarded the sign the title of the "first 3D robotic billboard".

History and design

Early signs (1920–2003)

The first Coke Times Square debuted in 1920 at 49th Street and

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

with neon lighting being added in 1923. It flashed the words "Drink Coca-Cola, Delicious and Refreshing" and was the world's second-largest electric billboard at the time. This sign was replaced in 1932 with a new sign on 47th Street which highlighted a

soda jerk Soda jerk (or soda jerker) is an American term used to refer to a person — typically a young man — who would operate the soda fountain in a drugstore, preparing and serving soda drinks and ice cream sodas. The drinks were made by mixing fl ...

, and was replaced again in the 1960s with a simpler sign that read, "The Pause That Refreshes." By the mid 1960s, the slogan "Things Go Better With Coke" was the latest slogan on the sign. In late October 1969, Coca-Cola embarked on a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign which at its helm was a new logo for the company, in which the trademark was housed in a square with a "dynamic ribbon" near the bottom. A large electric sign, which alternated the new look and slogan "It's the Real Thing" in vibrant and eclectic red and white color patterns, replaced the previous one, remaining installed at Times Square for over 20 years. The sign wouldn't be updated again until 1991, with the addition of a $3 million, neon-illuminated display, which featured a Coke bottle as the centerpiece. The Coke bottle displayed was the world's largest Coca-Cola bottle, and the sign featured both daytime and evening routines.

2004 sign

The 1991 sign was replaced in 2004 by a new Coke sign. The Coca-Cola Company and

MoMA Moma may refer to: People * Moma Clarke (1869–1958), British journalist * Moma Marković (1912–1992), Serbian politician * Momčilo Rajin (born 1954), Serbian art and music critic, theorist and historian, artist and publisher Places ; ...

(The Museum of Modern Art) selected

Brand Architecture In the field of brand management, brand architecture is the structure of brands within an organizational entity. It is the way brands within a company's portfolio are related to, and differentiated from, one another. According to J.-N. Kapferer, ...

's distinctive design from fifteen design firms from the United States. The multi-layered billboard had a complex pattern of stainless steel planes and exposed superstructure. The sign's design was inspired by Manhattan's steel and glass monoliths and the frenetic pace of midtown street traffic. The three-dimensional composition rendered the Dynamic Ribbon Device in both positive form and negative space. The display also offered the possibility of live video streaming across the sign's curvature. Built by digital LED display manufacturer

Daktronics Daktronics is an American company based in Brookings, South Dakota that designs, manufactures, sells, and services video displays, scoreboards, digital billboards, dynamic message signs, sound systems, and related products. Founded in 1968 by ...

and titled "Simply Coke," the sign was covered in programmable

light-emitting diode A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...

s and allowed graphics to be displayed. The sign attained 180-degree visibility by sculpting LED panels around the horizontal thrust. Wright Massey, owner of Brand Architecture Inc. and creator of the sign, said, "We realized that a vibrant, simple design would draw focus in the frenzied pandemonium of Times Square. Drawing from recent

Coca-Cola marketing Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

research, we found the Dynamic Ribbon Device the best vehicle for conveying key brand values. We wanted a contemporary, authentic statement, full of energy, optimism, and youthful spirit. We wanted our sculpture to inspire consumers on all three emotional levels: head, heart and gut." During the unveiling ceremony on July 1, 2004, which was also in the middle of an advertising campaign for

Coca Cola C2 Coca-Cola C2 (also referred to as Coke C2, C2 Cola, or simply C2) was a cola-flavored beverage introduced by The Coca-Cola Company first in Japan, then later on June 7, 2004 in the United States (and shortly thereafter, Canada), in response to t ...

, the sign showed "The Time Machine", a tribute to the past of Coca Cola and New York City, soon after activation.http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/coke-lore-times-square Coke Lore- Coca-Cola Unveils a New Sign in Times Square

2017 sign

The 2017 sign measures approximately and contains 1,760 LED cubes that can move independently. The cubes are programmed to move in several preset configurations over the course of the day, producing different images. Some images are designed solely to elicit moods, while others communicate product names, seasonal promotions, and corporate logos in different languages. The images vary with the time of day and the season. The sign was designed and built by Space150 and Radius Displays, with sign testing, management, and assembly by other businesses.

Gallery

Image:cokesign 12.jpg, The 2004 Coca-Cola sign, which was replaced in 2017 by the current sign. Image:cokesign 09.jpg, At the unveiling of the 2004 Coca-Cola sign, silhouettes of construction workers add the final touches

References

External links

* {{Coca-Cola buildings and structures Coca-Cola buildings and structures Times Square Billboards Individual signs in the United States Kinetic sculptures in the United States