When Image Became Everything: The New Coke Fiasco At 25

The Faster Times ^ | 4/23/10 | Patrick Cassels

[oh8eleven]

“A phenomenal shift!” remarked Pauley, wide eyed. “We now by soft drinks for the image.”
Good thing we don't buy them that way too.

[Izzy Dunne]

Monkeying with the recipe is akin to diddling with the U.S. Constitution,

I sure wish THAT was true.

I'd like to see a similar backlash of outrage about the Constitution.

[qam1]

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[MAexile]

I knew people that took the Pepsi Challenge, and picked Coke.

Funny how they didn't appear in any commercials...

[bert]

I have a carton of 6 original cokes in the king sized bottle. They will sell for a zillion $$$ one of these days

[Yo-Yo]

In an attempt to win over those customers who prefered the taste of Pepsi, Coke changed their formula to be sweeter and less carbonated. To say it flopped is an understatement. People who like the taste of Pepsi continued to buy Pepsi, while those who preferred the taste of the old Coke revolted in droves.

Somewhere in all of this should be a lesson for John McCain, Linsay Graham, and the rest of the RINOs.

[Persevero]

I want diet vanilla Coke back.

I WANT DIET VANILLA COKE BACK.

[KarlInOhio]

and took their seats around an ominous circular table straight out of Dr. Strangelove. And, like Dr. Strangelove, an eccentric foreign scientist, the flavor chemist-turned Coke vice president Sergio Zyman, announced a shocking plan: “We’re replacing Coke with a new Coke.”

Mandrake, have you never wondered why I drink only distilled water, or rain water, pure grain alcohol and Pepsi?

[Buckeye McFrog]

it did give us Max Headroom, who served as sort of the early prototype for the Obama campaign...

[dfwgator]

I have heard this theory floated about, that Coke did this to hide the fact they were replacing cane sugar with HFCS.

So the idea was to make New Coke so bad, that people would gladly accept “Classic” Coke with the HFCS.

[Talisker]

[Talisker]

I have heard this theory floated about, that Coke did this to hide the fact they were replacing cane sugar with HFCS.

So the idea was to make New Coke so bad, that people would gladly accept “Classic” Coke with the HFCS.

IMO that's exactly what it was all about. To this day, I believe HFCS Coke is mainly (if not only) sold in the US. If you want to taste some good Coke, get it from a Mexican grocery store - they sell the real stuff (and the Mexicans won't buy the HFCS crap).

[Not now, Not ever!]

pelosi New Coke, the Edsel of softdrinks.

[FoxPro]

I WANT DIET VANILLA COKE BACK.

I WANT MY LEMON FLAVORED JOLLY RANCHER CANDIES BACK!!!!!!!!!!!

[OldMissileer]

I still had half a case of the original coke when the “Classic” came back.

The Coke Classic tasted different than the true original. They still diddled with the formula somehow and I still do not enjoy it as much.

[Crolis]

I remember New Coke. It was horrible. But for the 80s, with the swish doubled in metallic silver and the bold block print lettering on the can it certainly got everyone’s attention. Until they tried it.

“Sweeter and flatter” is exactly how I’d describe Pepsi to Coke. To this day I will go out of my way to avoid Pepsi. In restaurants which serve Pepsi, I usually order iced tea or water.

[Crolis]

LOL. That is about the best comparison I’ve seen in a long time!

[fireforeffect]

Same here.

During my time in Afghanistan all the soft drinks were from Dubai or Kuwait. Real sugar, will not dring the sludge they call soft drinks here anymore.

I will stick to beer.

On the other hand, you can still buy sugar Coca-Cola in the mexican stores.

There is also a Dr. Pepper bottling plant in Texas that still uses sugar.

[Crolis]

True, although you can get the cane sugar coke during Passover from certain grocery stores. The 2-liter bottles I bought this year had a yellow cap which had some Hebrew lettering printed on the top.

Overall, it was very good. The sweetness was a little muted and seemed linger a bit. I think I’m used to the HFCS stuff though. When served in glass bottles, it takes the best in my opinion.

I have also heard that HFCS is used based on cost, as the USA has some sugar import tariffs in place to protect our producers.