As you point out people putting sugar in coffee or tea might be as old as tea or coffee in the western world. People even add sugar in their fruits when they fe

As you point out people putting sugar in coffee or tea might be as old as tea or coffee in the western world. People even add sugar in their fruits when they feel they're no savory enough. I think though that it makes it all the more interesting that soda drinks succeeded in a market with a ton of other traditional alternatives. In my eyes the very fact that all the other standard sugary drinks have been displaced by commercial soda in so many countries is a reflection of the power of advertising. Interestingly from your link, in the last few years Chile has become the #1 soda drinking country...and of course: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/coca-cola-to-invest-13-bln-in-chile-over-5-years-2012-11-16 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/coca-cola-to-invest-13-bln... Aside from the health argument, I think advertisement can have deep and long lasting effects on a society. For a completely different take, De Beers decades of campaign to push diamonds on wedding rings is another example of it.