First Product of World Famous Companies
26th March 2018: Success of companies is always known by the brands they have created for the world to relish, use or consume them. Launching the first product is always so very challenging and cumbersome. How the public will react or accept is the biggest challenge for companies to face! The niche, each company has created since the past two Centuries have catapulted their first product with great success stories. The recipe or technicalities to create a new product is always built or created in top secrecy. Intensive research and development process is the first step when an idea is born in the creative mind. The trial and error methods may take months or even years of perseverance, dedication, hard work, optimism, confidence and the will to succeed ultimately gives birth to the ultimate brand or product. Presenting and marketing the product is the final stage of the journey of success. The famous four-wheeler companies of the world have certainly come a long way since the past two Centuries to remain successfully unbeatable as ‘THE BRAND’ par excellence.
1886: Coca-Cola
The historical journey of the creation of Coca-Cola dates back to 1885. Spanish brand ‘Kola Coca’ drink was presented in 1885 at a contest in Philadelphia. It was perhaps the first inspiration for brand Coca Cola’s birth. ‘Vin Mariani’ – a French coca wine was a successful drink during the American Civil War in the late 18th Century. ‘Vin Mariani’ is attributed to be the inspiration behind Coca Cola’s birth. John Pemberton, a Confederate Colonel’s morphine addiction during his wounded stage in the American Civil War, began his quest to substitute the drug. He was successful to formulate a prototype of the first recipe of Coca-Cola in his drugstore in Columbus, Georgia. Pemberton’s Eagle Drug and Chemical House started making initially as a coca wine. Pemberton’s French Wine Coca nerve tonic was registered in 1885.
A year later, Atlanta and Fulton County passed prohibition legislation in 1886. Pemberton was a cunning businessman, who immediately responded by developing the non-alcoholic version of French Wine Coca, branding it as Coca-Cola. On the 8th of May 1886, in Atlanta, Jacob Pharmacy became the first shop to officially sell Coca-Cola. For just 5 cents per glass, Coca-Cola was sold as a patent medicine initially. It became popular in America because of Pemberton’s claim, which was a brilliant marketing strategy. He stated that Coca-Cola cured indigestion, morphine addiction, nerve disorders, headaches, and impotence. The first advertisement of brand Coca-Cola ran on the 29th of May 1886 in the Atlanta Journal.
1886 to 2018, 132 years on… Coca-Cola is one of the top most brands in the world!
1886: Benz Motorwagen
Karl Benz was perhaps one of the first to design and built his first engine in 1878. A year later, he got his engine patented in 1879. Benz & Cie. was established in 1883 by Karl Benz. It took him almost six years to build his first ‘Motorwagen’ in 1885. Benz was awarded the patent in 1886 in Mannheim, Germany.
On the 3rd of July 1886, Benz began promotion of his vehicle. From 1888 to 1893, Benz sold 25 of his first four-wheeler. The model was introduced with an intention of being affordable. Karl Benz’s wife Bertha Benz undertook the first road trip by car in August 1888. She drove to prove her husband’s invention and their product’s road-worthiness with great success.
During the 1880s, horseless carriage was becoming the fad for the rich connoisseurs of the society. French inventor Gustave Trouvé revealed the first three-wheeled car, powered by electricity in November 1881 at the International Exposition of Electricity in Paris. Many German engineers were working on the mechanics of a car and prominent among them were Siegfried Marcus, Gottlieb Daimler, and Wilhelm. Karl Benz is attributed as the inventor of the modern car.
In the history of a modern car, 1886 is marked as the birth year for the modern machine. German inventor Karl Benz is acknowledged for building his Benz Patent-Motorwagen. Needless to say, since the late 18th Century to the modern era, a ‘Benz’ has become a prized possession of car aficionados.
1896: Ford Quadricycle Henry Ford was a creative inventor, who was very passionate to build the car of his own. Imaginations among various inventors were running wild during the 1890s. However, the concept of a car was at its nascent stage. Henry Ford, at the age of 32, invented the first ‘Quadricycle’. It was considered to be an important innovation, which laid the foundation for future designs of the automobile industry.
The earliest of cars were very expensive since they were hand-built one at a time. Ford’s Quadricycle had a simple frame with four bicycle wheels mounted on it. It was build-to-run by an ethanol-powered engine in his tiny workshop behind his home. The two years of hard work and multiple experiments finally was successful.
The first Quadricycle was created and test driven by Henry Ford on the 4th of June 1896. Ford established his company. 7 years later, the Ford Motor Company came into existence in 1903. Ford is considered as one of the top brands of cars even today in the 21st Century.
Charles Ainsley was Ford’s first Quadricycle customer. He bought the Quadricycle for $200. Henry built two more Quadricycles, one in 1899 and the second one in 1901. Ford’s first Quadricycle is placed at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
1898: Renault Voiturette 1CV
At the age of 21, Louis Renault designed the first Voiturette in 1898. Renault’s Little Car branded as Renault Voiturette was the first automobile from the French Industrialist. On the 24th of December 1898, Louis sold the first Voiturette to his father’s friend. From 1898 to 1903, Renault manufactured Voiturette in five different models.
Louis won the bet with his friends with his innovative crankshaft invention in his first Voiturette. Immediately, 13 cars were ordered by car customers. Louis teamed up with elder brothers Marcel and Fernand to establish ‘Renault Frères’ company on the 25th of February 1899. His elder brothers took care of business and administration. Louis immersed himself in designing and manufacturing Voiturette. In 1903, Marcel died in Paris-Madrid motor race. Fernand was often sick, so in 1908, Louis Renault took overall control of the Company.
The brand has stood the test of time among stiff competition from other car manufacturers. Renault is a trusted brand worldwide even today.
1976: Apple I Computer
Steve Wozniak attended the first meeting of Homebrew Computer Club in Gordon French’s garage in March 1975. 5th of March 1975 is etched in the history books of Apple Inc. Wozniak was so inspired at the garage meeting that he worked instantaneously to make the first Apple I Computer – the first-ever product, which will later go on to build a huge empire in the information technology world.
Steve Wozniak not only designed the Apple I Computer, but also hand-built it. Steve Jobs, his friend suggested they should sell it. The idea clicked and both of them agreed to sell their precious items to finance the project. Steve Jobs sold his VW Microbus for few hundred dollars. Wozniak was able to raise $500 from his HP-65 Calculator. The genius minds got to their goal with amazing success.
Wozniak and Jobs first unveiled the Apple I Computer at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, California in July 1976. The desktop computer went onto be known as Apple I. In 1976, Apple Computer Company launched its first product. The desktop computer was priced at $666.66, thereby making a profit of $166.66 over its investment of $500.
The first unit was donated to Liza Loop’s Public Access Computer Center and used in high school Math class. Wozniak and Jobs produced 200 units of Apple I. They were successful to sell 175 out of the 200 within a period of 10 months. A year later, the production of Apple I was discontinued on the 30th of September 1977 after the introduction of its successor – the Apple II.
Apple Inc has come a long way to make a niche with its product portfolio worldwide.
