Posted on 04/23/2010 12:44:37 PM PDT by qam1
“It’s hard to see that type of thing coming.”
No it’s not. It’s an institution and had been for 90 years.
All diet root beers aren’t that different from their baseline. At least, not the way regular soft drinks are.
I grew up with Pepsi(sorry. not Coke) and loved it. When I grew up I could not tolerate a full can without feeling very gaseous for days. A few months ago I tried the Throwback. I not only liked it better, but did not have the burpy feeling. Now I know it was the HFCS.
But that's ridiculous. Coke still existed, and people preferred the flavor of New Coke. As a company, I'm supposed to anticipate that people will revolt over a product that bears the same name and has a taste that more people prefer?
I get that people don't like change, but still. Here is essentially what people said: "I demand that you replace this better tasting product with one that tastes worse. Otherwise, I will stop buying your new, better tasting product."
I’ve heard this theory too, and I for one am inclined to believe it. About a year ago I was in Texas visiting a friend and he introduced me to “mexican coca-cola”. Apparently coke is able to use cane sugar in the product they manufacture down there. The difference was staggering. I was immediately transported to back to the age of six . . . or the last time I’d had a “real” coke. I’ve also read about coca-cola offering “kosher coke” for passover, and some other holidays, that is sweetened with sugar instead of corn syrup . . . but I’ve yet to see it offered in my area.
As I recall, there was some testing like that, but the question wasn’t quite so direct. Something like, “assume this is Coke. Would you buy it?”
Clearly a textbook marketing blunder in retrospect, but I think that the folks at Coke get skewered a little too much for a decision that made rational sense at the time. Coke invested a lot of money in testing the product and got good results. Weird thing happened when they went to market.
I’d read that before the release of new coke the drink contained a mixture of HFCS and sugar but when coke classic was rolled back out all of the sweetener was HFCS. Can’t account for the validity of that though . . . I don’t recall the source.
New Coke was a debacle no doubt but this passage is the same old lazy shorthand for the 80s.
We could use some aggression, ruthlessness and cockiness right now instead of the death-by-bureaucracy-and-taxes we are getting along with the embarrassing daily antics of the Scarecrow In Chief.
The Mexican coke is the best.
Yeah, I’m not too impressed by the let’s-make-fun-of-the-’80s statements, especially when their commentary on what the public was like vs. earlier turn out to be false. As if everyone wanted to reject “old” Coke - yet they wanted it as is.
My husband read that Throwbacks were only for a limited time, NOT including now but months ago. Are you still getting this?
I picked up a 12-pack here at Vons about two weeks ago. I avoid HFCS and normally drink Hansen's cane soda (about a can every other day). I thought I'd show my appreciation to PespiCo by purchasing their "throwback" brand (what a horrible name, IMHO). Good stuff! But if they discontinue it, I'll be back to drinking Hansen's.
Thanks for your service!
When I've been carrier-deployed in the Gulf, we got the same stuff. Coke, Pepsi, Mt. Dew, 7-Up, etc. all with Arabic lettering of the logos, all in those old-fashioned pull tabs cans, and all sweetened with sugar. Some of the younger sailors would comment that the soda tastes funny. I'd reply, "This is what it's supposed to taste like!"
And Fanta orange. Saw a lot of that. The Arabs drink that stuff like water!
Thanks for the article. Whatever the writer says, though, New Coke was a stroke of unintended genius. The demand for the old Coke shot sales through the roof. BTW, for the people interested, the Dr. Pepper with real sugar is bottled in Dublin, Texas. Their web site is http://www.dublindrpepper.com/ and you can order the real Dr. Pepper made with pure cane sugar from their web site.
For Coca Cola with real sugar, passover is the only time I know you can get it.
....yes, as of two weeks ago my c-store still had a Throwback end cap....local WalMart is sold out however.
The Mexican grocery stores have all sorts of wonderful things, especially if you have a sweet tooth. Try Malta or some of the other non-alcoholic malted beverages.
Thanks for the suggestion. I look forward to sampling it!
Thanks for the suggestion. I look forward to sampling it!
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