Cockta, the drink from our younger days: The heritage of Slovene Brands

The story of Cockta began in 1952, when the company Slovenija vino started to create a recipe for the first carbonated soft drink and its initial promotion at a ski-jumping competition in Planica in 1953, thus forging a connection between Cockta and sport that has endured to this day. The overall image, market position, slogans, target consumers, and television and radio advertisements connected with the drink that conquered the whole of Yugoslavia continued to change. But in spite of the rises and falls that have accompanied Cockta to this day, it has managed to anchor itself in the lives of different generations. Everyone remembers it for its characteristic forms, flavour, slogans and the period in their life when they drank it. And on the basis of talks with various people and after reading various sources, the exhibition author believes that Cockta will, in spite of its modern approach and development, remain the drink from our younger days, which was the slogan used in connection with Cockta in the mid-1970s.

Trademarks! These are a common, everyday feature of modern society. They accompany us at every step in the surroundings we live in and in other cultural environments. They often substitute for lack of experience and realizations about nature and culture, direct our decisions as users, help us assess quality, and express a wide range of economic, social, and cultural endeavors. Encyclopedias state that trademarks represent an intellectual property right that protects symbols. In trade, these symbols are used to distinguish goods of the same or similar kind. Of course, the importance of trademarks and symbols in modern society is much broader. They are components of people’s everyday lives and holidays. Their presence in the twentieth century, along with their nascent forms in previous centuries, is the best proof that trademarks can also be regarded as elements of cultural heritage.

Janez Bogataj