Now, another person has come forward with what they believe to be the world’s most sought-after formula. According to an NBC 11 report, a Ringgold, Georgia man named Cliff Kluge states that the has “accidentally” found the formula.

The man told reporters that he and his wife bought a box of letters at an estate sale. The box contained a cola recipe that Kluge believes is the real deal. He states that it is very similar to the recipe uncovered by This American Life.

Kluge is now auctioning off the formula on eBay, asking for a starting bid of $5 million and a Buy Now price of $15 million.

Coca-Cola has stated, as it always has, that this formula is another in a series of failed attempts to recreate Coca-Cola, and that the only copy of the real thing is locked in a vault in Atlanta.

According to the New York Times’ Media Decoder, Coca-Cola is becoming a minority investor in the company as part of the round, and that Goldman Sachs is contributing about half of the investment, with Coca-Cola contributing 10% and Fidelity Investments also contributing 15%.

News came out in April that Spotify had partnered with Coca-Cola. The announcement was that Spotify would provide technology for Coca-Cola Music globally. Coke would integrate Spotify into its Facebook Timeline media.

“Coca-Cola is the most recognized and respected brand in the world and we are proud to be their music partner,” Spotify CEO Daniel Ek said at the time. Spotify and Coca-Cola both believe that music, technology and creativity can connect people around the globe.”

There has been no official announcement or statement from Spotify at this point.

Of 19 colas tested, the nine which did not contain alcohol were made by brands including Auchan, Cora, Casino, Leader Price and Man U-Cola. Ten which had traces of alcohol in them included Coca-Cola, Pepsi Cola, Coca-Cola Classic Light and Coke Zero.

Michel Pepin, scientific director for Coca-Cola France, said: ‘It is possible that traces of alcohol come from the process’ of making Coca Cola according to its secret recipe. He insisted, however, that Coca-Cola drinks were provably ‘soft’ and recognized as such ‘by the government authorities in which they are sold’. Mr Peppin went on to add that “the Paris Mosque has provided us with a certificate stating that our products can be consumed by the Muslim community in line with the religious opinions of the Committee of the Mosque of Paris.”

Coca-Cola was invented in 1886 by the American John Pemberton and was originally patented as a medicine which could cure everything from headache to impotence. It has since gone on to dominate the international soft drinks market and is now a US icon sold in more than 200 countries.

Art courtesy of coca-cola-art.com

The company has taken to social media to promote the machine and drum up interest in Coke (as if that’s lacking), posting about it on Twitter and YouTube.

Follow @WorldofCocaCola

World of Coca-Cola
@WorldofCocaCola

@CocaCola Happiness Machine strikes again! This time, outside the World of Coca-Cola. http://t.co/qvX6CQmO #WWHSN ^BZ

 Reply  ·  Retweet  ·  Favorite
14 minutes ago via SocialEngage · powered by @socialditto

People who use Coke’s Happiness Machine may get things like Soccer balls, cupcakes, digital cameras or bicycles, to name a few. The company is giving away 4,000 prizes throughout the summer, from the machine, which will reside outside of the World of Coca-Cola at Pemberton Place in downtown Atlanta.

“Unlike in the past, people now can plan to visit a Coca-Cola Happiness Machine,” said Russell Jacobs, General Manager of Retail and Attractions for The Coca-Cola Company. “With this machine, the question is no longer where will happiness strike again, but when – and who knows, you might be next.”

In an attempt to separate themselves from such negative press, Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent recently sat down with the Wall Street Journal for an interview, which was published on Monday. During the chat, Kent spoke frankly about Bloomberg’s plan to rid the city of their extra pounds by limiting their intake of sugary beverages.

According to Kent, the company doesn’t feel they are responsible for the increasing number of obese individuals who are currently living — and dying — in our country. So ridiculously overweight are we that the United States recently ranked as one of the heaviest nations in the world. In case you were wondering, that’s not an accolade to be particularly proud of. Unless, of course, unchecked gluttony is your reason for living.

“We’ve gone from being a single-beverage, single-brand company to now 500-plus brands, 3,000 products. Eight hundred of these products we’ve introduced in the last four or five years are calorie-free or low-calorie,” Kent said in defense of his products. “It is, I believe, incorrect and unjust to put the blame on any single ingredient, any single product, any single category of food.”

If Bloomberg has his way, Coca-Cola, along with other carbonated beverage manufacturers, will see their products dispensed in limited quantities at restaurants, delis, and various entertainment venues. The ban, oddly enough, does not include diet, fruit, dairy or alcoholic drinks, the latter of which are notoriously high in calories.

According to Harc: “A convex logo substitutes colorfully sprayed can. Naked can help to reduce air and water pollution occurred in its coloring process. It also reduces energy and effort to separate toxic color paint from aluminum in recycling process. Huge amount of energy and paint required to manufacture colored cans will be saved.Instead of toxic paint, manufacturers process aluminum with a pressing machine that indicates brand identity on surface.”

The original design won the Biennale Internationale Design award at the end of 2010, but was never picked up by Coke. It’s a shame. This design would have caught on, or at least would have been popular as a promotional tool. At least for a short time.

Not surprising, of the over 200 brands included in the study, the two parties mostly disagree about which are the best, but there was some consensus. Both Democrats and Republican agree that Coca-Cola is their favorite beverage. They also both indicate that Visa is their number one credit card of choice.

Who is number one in technology and gadgets? They both chose Apple and Google as the top most desired brands (I am sure most would agree). Beauty products, which seems like an odd place to find consensus, had them both agreeing that Olay is their favorite brand.

Gary Singer, Founding Partner & CEO of Buyology Inc. comments on the interesting results of the study:

“Both candidates and brands have never fought harder for our affection and our votes,”

“It’s never been more important to understand why people make the choices that they do. Brands can learn a lot by having a deeper understanding of the deep-seated connections that drive our decision-making.”

So, now for the contrast you’ve all been waiting to hear about; are you a Jeep or a BMW? But I think you already know the answer to that one. If you’re a Republican, you most likely prefer a BMW, and if you’re a Democrat, you most likely desire a Jeep. Almost cliche, is it not?

Republicans prefer Sharp for electronics and Democrats prefer Sony. As far as gaming systems, Republicans prefer XBOX and Democrats prefer Wii. Coffee? Starbucks for the Democrats and Dunkin’ Donuts for the Republicans.

Most Democrats chose the NFL as their most desired sport, while Republicans chose MLB. The most desired restaurant? Republicans said Subway and Democrats said Wendy’s.

As far as what they watch on television, Democrats like Animal Planet, and Republicans prefer the History Channel. Most Democrats prefer Progressive for insurance coverage, while Republicans typically go with Allstate.

Interesting results. As with any good research study, the results seem to reflect what many could have guessed, especially when we are talking about automobiles and television programming preferences. I doubt this knowledge will help them do a better job running the country, but it’s still fun to take a look at.

It makes me wonder, what’s going on with families that have a BMW and a Jeep in the driveway?

(Image courtesy of Utahhousedemocrats.com)

When asked about the possible purchase, a Monster spokesperson said, “it is the company’s policy not to comment on rumors.”

This is not the first time in the last few years that rumors have circulated regarding Coca-Cola’s acquisition of Monster, due to the fact that Coca-Cola distributes the energy drink.

The purchase of Monster by Coca-Cola would prove to be difficult because of the price tag attached. At $11 billion, any company in America would be hard pressed to come up with that kind of cash.

Update:

After trading for the day had ended, Coca-Cola was asked about a possible take over of Monster and this is what they had to say: “We are not in discussions to acquire the Monster Beverage Corporation.” They will consider a partnership but are not trying to acquire them.

The good news about the Coca-Cola/Spotify partnership is that it will allow users of the streaming music service to share and discover music all over the world like never before.
Under the new agreement, Spotify will provide technology for Coca-Cola Music globally, and support the Coke in their mission to provide consumers with universal access to music. In return, the soft drink super giant will integrate Spotify into all of its Facebook and Timeline media, creating a seamless and refreshing social music experience.

Obviously it’s a mutually beneficial relationship as Spotify gains access to huge new markets through the Coke brand, and Coca-Cola gains product placement opportunities through Spotify’s ever increasing and enthusiastic user-base.

Daniel Ek, Founder and CEO, Spotify comments on the powerful new partnership:

“Coca-Cola is the most recognized and respected brand in the world and we are proud to be their music partner,”

“Spotify and Coca-Cola both believe that music, technology and creativity can connect people around the globe.”

Joe Belliotti, Director of Global Entertainment Marketing at the Coca-Cola Company also comments on the new partnership:

“At Coca-Cola we have long recognized the power of music to connect people around the world,”

“As we step up our activation through Coca-Cola Music, we are excited by the innovative music technology platform created by Spotify and the opportunity to create a truly global music network. The potential for this partnership is limitless.”

Take a look at this video on the Coca-Cola and Spotify Hackden event to learn more about what the partnership has in store for users:

Through a new Facebook application, users will be able to choose from one of four underwater settings and place a photo of themselves into the setting of their choice. For every person who uses the underwater photo app, Coca-Cola will donate $1, up to a total of $200,000, to support Ocean Conservancy’s marine debris program identifying policies to prevent trash from reaching the ocean and waterways.

Also, via the company’s MyCokeRewards points program and a direct donation-matching program through LivePositively.com, Coca-Cola will contribute up to an additional $50,000.

Facebook users will be able to share and embed the underwater image within their own profile and also via the site’s newsfeed. The underwater images can be saved to a "Let’s All Join Fins" photo album, which can be share with Facebook friends.

Using this entertaining, unique social media campaign to partner with Facebook fans, creating a full interactive communication program to support

"Ocean Conservancy is just one of the many ways we are engaging people to lessen their climate footprint — not just during Earth Month, but all year long," said Celeste Bottorff, Vice President, Living Well, Coca-Cola North America