New RC Cola branding puts Columbus front-and-center

New designs for RC Cola’s soft drink cans and bottles put the fizzy drink’s hometown of Columbus front-and-center. The cans now have a solid blue background with the RC Cola logo and “Columbus, Georgia, USA — Since 1905” featured prominently on the front of the container.

The new packaging is strictly for RC Cola’s international products, which are owned by Cott Corporation. Domestic products are managed by the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and do not have the design.

A representative from RC Cola Internatiomsl said she usually isn’t allowed to answer specific questions from U.S. media about their international products, but emphasized that the decision to feature Columbus was intentional and integral to the design of the containers.

A glass bottle featuring the new design appears in a commercial for RC Cola.

Royal Crown Cola was created in Columbus by a young pharmacist named Claud A. Hatcher in 1905. The company began by making ginger ale, cream soda and fruity drinks that eventually evolved into the popular Nehi brand. Later, after Hatcher’s death, Royal Crown Cola was created, and consumers gradually took to shortening it to “RC Cola.” It became an “instant sensation” after its launch, the company’s history says.

Cott Beverages still maintains an office and flavor laboratory on 10th Avenue in Columbus.

This story was originally published August 17, 2017 at 3:52 PM with the headline "New RC Cola branding puts Columbus front-and-center."