The Cola Conquest 1 of 3: The Big Sell

Shot in the U. S., Canada, Russia, England, France, Mexico, Papua New Guinea, the Sahara Desert and China, The Cola Conquest takes us from Coke's invention by a morphine-addicted Civil War vet to the brink of the 21st century. Along the way, we explore the delicious paradox at the heart of Coke: How does a soft drink, more than 99% sweetened water, come to wield enormous power and assume such significance in so many people's lives?

PART I: THE BIG SELL. Through a century of image-making with master artists - including the creation of our modern version of Santa - Coke sheds its patent medicine image to become first the drink for young moderns, and finally the most recognized brand name on earth. Coke's success spawns numerous imitators, including Pepsi, which is just another cola until it targets the "Pepsi Generation." With Pepsi's launch of the Michael Jackson campaign, the Cola Wars explode.