Prompt Cast
How Coca-Cola kept its price at a nickel for 70 years
TLDR Despite significant historical events and economic changes, Coca-Cola managed to keep its price at a nickel for 70 years through fixed syrup prices, heavy advertising, and a clever vending machine strategy, until inflation eventually led to a change.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The price of Coca-Cola remained at a nickel for 70 years, defying typical market price fluctuations.
03:51
A mystery economist investigates how Coca-Cola managed to keep its price at a nickel for 70 years despite significant historical events and economic changes.
06:49
Coca-Cola kept its price at a nickel for 70 years by agreeing to sell the syrup to bottlers for a fixed price forever, even as bottled drinks became popular.
09:39
Coca-Cola kept the price at a nickel for 70 years by heavily advertising the 5 cent price, making it difficult for anyone to raise the price without looking bad.
12:47
Coca-Cola couldn't raise the price of Coke above a nickel for 70 years due to vending machines only accepting one coin, so they devised a plan where every ninth bottle would be empty, forcing customers to pay slightly more than a nickel on average.
15:51
Inflation led to the end of the nickel Coke era as prices kept rising after the U.S. went off the gold standard.
18:54
The price of a Nickel Coke eventually changed after 70 years, but the legacy of the Nickel Coke era influenced Coca-Cola's widespread presence today.
