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). ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "My hovercraft is full of eels." ------------ 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