[net.consumers] Why Coke did all of this.

gm@trsvax (07/12/85)

Well, look at it this way. If back in March, Coke announced that they would
be producing a new drink called Yechola, to compete with Pepsi, how many
people would buy it? How many would try it? 

About 3. (The same 3 folks, incidently, who are proud owners of the Brooklyn
Bridge). 

But say some Coke exec (the type who wears gold chains and drives a Corvette
with personalized plates reading "Stud") jumps up at one of those famous
smoke-filled board room meetings and yells "I've got it!! Let's just stop
producing the old Coke and replace it with Yechola in the same cans!! 
Instant publicity!! Then after a month or two, we'll bring back the old
Coke, now called `Coca-Cola Classic'!! We'll be the good guy all of a sudden,
because we listened to Joe Consumer (who grew a third arm after drinking
Yechola)!! The people who like Yechola will stick with it, and the people
who like battery ac -- Old Coke will switch back!!"

This executive now gets a heafty raise (enought to buy a Lamborgini with
personalized plates reading "Stud"), Coca-Cola Inc. gets free publicity,
and Joe Consumer got Old Coke back at a new price (but now can get a job
as a window washer because he has three arms).
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					"My hovercraft is full of eels."
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						George Moore (gm@trsvax.UUCP)

devine@asgb.UUCP (Robert J. Devine) (07/18/85)

>George Moore (gm@trsvax.UUCP) sez:
> But say some Coke exec (the type who wears gold chains and drives a Corvette
> with personalized plates reading "Stud") jumps up at one of those famous
> smoke-filled board room meetings and yells "I've got it!! Let's just stop
> producing the old Coke and replace it with Yechola in the same cans!! 
> Instant publicity!! Then after a month or two, we'll bring back the old
> Coke, now called `Coca-Cola Classic'!!

  From all reports, there was not a conniving, ulterior motive behind
Coca Cola's decision to drop the old-formula Coke.  Apparently, they
came up with a different formula that, in blind taste tests, people
simple liked better than Coke or Pepsi.  They tested for about 3 years!!
The big goof came is the unanticipated demand for a product that had
a very loyal following.  

  However, they are not blind to consumer pressure.

  BTW, for a product that is associated with all things American, it is
strange the several of the top execs of CocaCola are foreign born....

Bob Devine