What was the name of Coca-Cola’s 1969 advertising slogan that followed “Things Go Better with Coke”?

“It’s the Real Thing” was Coca-Cola’s major advertising slogan introduced in 1969.

The phrase presented Coca-Cola as the authentic, original choice at a time when soft-drink advertising increasingly emphasized youth, music, and shared experiences. It followed the company’s earlier slogan “Things Go Better with Coke,” which had been used during the 1960s.

The slogan became especially memorable through the 1971 “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” television commercial. That advertisement connected the product with an imagined international gathering and helped turn the phrase into a lasting part of popular culture.

Coca-Cola used many related expressions over the decades, so slogans are sometimes mixed up. “Have a Coke and a Smile” belonged to a later campaign, while “Open Happiness” was introduced in the twenty-first century. “It’s the Real Thing” is specifically associated with Coca-Cola’s late-1960s positioning of the drink as the original and genuine cola.