mjranum@gouldsd.UUCP (Marcus J. Ranum) (08/11/86)
Have you noticed that New Coke seems to be vanishing ? I haven't seen a machine with the stuff for over 2 months, now, and some people I have spoken with are under the impression that it has gone out of production. Anyone know anything about this ? On the humorous side, let's all band together and write to Coke and scream and wail about how they *CAN'T* take away our beloved NEW Coke and they ought to stop jerking their loyal public around, etc, etc... :-) :-) ;-) "Think of it as marketing evolution in action" (apologies to larry & jerry)
halloran@unirot.UUCP (Bob Halloran) (08/12/86)
In article <155@gouldsd.UUCP> mjranum@gouldsd.UUCP (Marcus J. Ranum) writes: > Have you noticed that New Coke seems to be vanishing ? >I haven't seen a machine with the stuff for over 2 months, now, >and some people I have spoken with are under the impression >that it has gone out of production. Anyone know anything about >this ? It was my understanding that Classic was outselling the New C(h)oke by about 6 to 1; in the Southeast more like 10 to 1. It was also my understanding that some of the smaller bottling operations don't even bother producing it anymore. Apparently, though, it is selling well enough that it is no longer losing money for the company, and the recent Max Headroom ads on the tube indicate some interest on their part to keep it around (damn). Bob Halloran, Consultant ========================================================================= UUCP: topaz!caip!unirot!halloran DDD: (201)251-7514 CSNet/ARPA: unirot!halloran@caip.rutgers.edu ATTmail: RHALLORAN USPS: 19 Culver Ct, Old Bridge NJ 08857 Disclaimer: I speak for myself. Quote: "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." -- Thomas Jefferson
licsak@hsi.UUCP (Don Licsak) (08/13/86)
> > Have you noticed that New Coke seems to be vanishing ? > I haven't seen a machine with the stuff for over 2 months, now, > and some people I have spoken with are under the impression > that it has gone out of production. Anyone know anything about > this ? You could be right. A few people I know have said they heard "somewhere" that new coke isn't being made anymore. I always had this gut feeling that Coke pulled off one of the greatest marketing gimmicks of all time and never really intended to stop making the beverage by the original formula IF the new formula didn't catch on. What did they lose? Nothing. I read in either Time or USA Today that sales have never been better, and the sales gap between Coke and Pepsi is wider than before the introduction of the new formula. Coke is still number one! -- Don Licsak ihnp4!hsi!licsak Health Systems International New Haven, CT 06511 "For Peace Of Mind, Resign As General Manager Of The Universe"
dragon@mit-eddie.MIT.EDU (Brad J. Sagarin) (08/14/86)
In article <405@hsi.UUCP> licsak@hsi.UUCP (Don Licsak) writes: > ... I always had >this gut feeling that Coke pulled off one of the greatest >marketing gimmicks of all time and never really intended to stop >making the beverage by the original formula IF the new formula >didn't catch on. > >What did they lose? Nothing. I read in either Time or USA Today >that sales have never been better, and the sales gap between >Coke and Pepsi is wider than before the introduction of the new >formula. Coke is still number one! > Yes, in the eyes of the American public, Coke is number one. But look behind the facade, and you see the nasty manipulation of a rather malleable audence, the American consumer: From the very beginning, I was convinced that we were witnessing the greatest Machiavellian marketting scheme in the history of capitalism. Think about it: Old Coke is discontinued. Panic ensues. Protests are held !!! Forget politics or social injustice, here's an issue that gets the American public off there posteriors. So what is Coke's response? Put out this awful stuff called New Coke. More protests. "Bring back Old Coke". Here comes Classic Coke. Sales skyrocket. What did Coke have to do? Create a bad cola formula, produce it for a little while, and then start producing the old stuff under a new label. Sheer genius. They got tons of free advertisement (all those TV and newspaper articles), and Coke now enjoys the goodwill of a multitude of faithful customers, whose "demand" led to Classic Coke. My complements to those in power at Coke for such a scheme, but don't think it was spur of the moment. The beaurocracy in large companies doesn't work that quickly. - Brad ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Brad Sagarin ________ ________ ARPA:dragon@xx.lcs.mit.edu / /\ \ / /\ \ USENET:...seismo!mit-eddie!dragon / | | \ / | | \ | |{}| | | |{}| | \ | | / \ | | / "Put it on a plate, son, you'll enjoy it more" \___\/___/ \___\/___/ - Repo Man Fnord
hsu@eneevax.UUCP (Dave Hsu) (08/15/86)
In article <2896@mit-eddie.MIT.EDU> dragon@mit-eddie.UUCP (Brad J. Sagarin) writes: >In article <405@hsi.UUCP> licsak@hsi.UUCP (Don Licsak) writes: >> ... I always had >>this gut feeling that Coke pulled off one of the greatest >>marketing gimmicks of all time and never really intended to stop >>making the beverage by the original formula IF the new formula >>didn't catch on. >> >>What did they lose? Nothing. I read in either Time or USA Today >>that sales have never been better, and the sales gap between >>Coke and Pepsi is wider than before the introduction of the new >>formula. Coke is still number one! >> > Yes, in the eyes of the American public, Coke is number one. But look >behind the facade, and you see the nasty manipulation of a rather malleable >audence, the American consumer: > >Sales skyrocket. What did Coke have to do? Create a bad cola formula, produce >it for a little while, and then start producing the old stuff under a new >label. > >Brad Sagarin ________ ________ Actually, they got an even better deal than that...they managed to sneak a lot more corn syrup into the mixture when they brought Classic Coke out. I guess this also prevents you from suing them (because Classic Coke isn't necessarily (Old) Coke(tm)). BTW, during the New Coke controversy, one of my friends had the good fortune to have a Coca-Cola Company ad executive over at his house for dinner one night, and when the topic turned to Coke, he mentioned that the company would love nothing better than to change the formula back and to make an accompanying ad that would say something along the lines of "We changed the formula to taste more like Pepsi. The American public hated it. So we changed it back. Coke is it, again." You see, I really did enjoy myself a little more than usual last summer in Taiwan; they still made the Real Thing there. From my brother's report, they still make it now. -dave -- David Hsu (301) 454-1433 || -8798 || -8715 "I know no-thing!" -eneevax Communications & Signal Processing Laboratory / EE Systems Staff Systems Research Center, Bldg 093 / Engineering Computer Facility The University of Maryland -~- College Park, MD 20742 ARPA: hsu@eneevax.umd.edu UUCP: [seismo,allegra,rlgvax]!umcp-cs!eneevax!hsu "Evil...pure and simple!"