Thursday, December 17, 2009

Pepsi not advertising at SuperBowl this year

Pepsi will end it's 23 year streak of advertising during the SuperBowl and instead conserve it's funds so it can put more strength into it's online efforts.

See the whole article here.

How expensive is it to advertise during the biggest football game of the year?
Last year it cost an average of 3 million dollars for a 30 second spot.

That's a lot of Pepsi to sell to cover that bill!

There is no reason to 'doubt' Pepsi's reasons for pulling out of SuperBowl this year, but one has to wonder if they are just being polite. In other words, are they selling 6 or 8 million Pepsi's per ad? Have they finally decided that they are not getting enough bang for the buck?

It's incredibly hard to gauge. If they were offering an entirely new product/brand, then you could count sales for 10 days following SuperBowl and estimate a majority came from the ad. But to spend 3 million dollars for 30 seconds to show off an already globally-recognized product...how do you know if the marketing is WORKING?!

Last year, FedEx sat out the SuperBowl...and they plan to do so again this year.
Maybe Corporate America is finding that the price tag is just too high, and not worth it.

I once worked for a company that participated in a big trade show each year.
We got very little business from the show itself...but it was a 'status symbol' to be there.

So if you were NOT there, it looked bad. People would talk. Rumours would start.

Maybe Pepsi (and many others) has been hanging in just so no one speculates that they can't afford to be there?

By sticking their neck and their press release out NOW to announce the parting of ways...and to use an excuse that will draw attention and get people looking for new marketing...Pepsi has squashed any rumours. Personally, I say let Coke spend the millions of millions just to say they were there. It's a very costly venture.

(and watch them fight it out on www.Squidoo.com/CokevsPepsi!)

We all know that marketing endeavors are only valuable if you can measure them.
If you don't know how many Pepsis your 30 second spot sells, then 3 million dollars is 2.9 million dollars too many!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Social Butterfly talks up ColaLife

Now and again I talk up Simon Berry's ColaLife project.
It's simple and brilliant at the same time!

ColaLife is a non-profit organization that strives to get CocaCola to leverage it's distribution strength to bring aid to the malnourished Third World nations in Africa.

In other words, if they can bring Coca Cola into Africa, then they should be able to easily bring water and medicine as well.

While I pride myself on keeping the world updated on Simon's work, I found a GREAT article about ColaLife in a recent Social Butterfly post here. (Be sure to click on the video. It's very cute, despite the grave message).

Social marketing is being used to get the public on board with products. But it's just as powerful a tool for sharing valuable 'non profit' ideas...like saving lives!

Alexandra's blog is fabulous, and the ColaLife article is concise and thorough at the same time!
Be sure to check it out...and then read further into ColaLife's efforts and see if and where you can help!


And for something less "political", don't forget our friends at Coke versus Pepsi!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Coke versus Costco - Greed is not so Good!

It's all over the news. Well, the 'Soda' news.
Costco isn't getting the pricing it wants from Coca Cola, so they've decided to no longer carry their products.

Well...they'll sell out what they have and THEN stop carrying it. The quote in the Associated Press article reads like this:

The wholesale club operator, based in Issaquah, Wash., is not removing products like Coke and Diet Coke from store shelves, but it does not plan to restock them "until the matter is resolved,".

The Chicago Tribune, Huffington Post and Walletpop reported the story also...but both sides of the argument are being rather tight lipped about it all so there isn't much for them to share.

Which products? Apparently ALL of them: Coke, Cherry Coke (Jay-Z's favorite!), Classic Coke, Black Cherry Vanilla Coke (yes, really!), Diet Coke, Coke Zero and Sprite. And Disani water! and Vitamin Water! And Energy Drinks!

But who is really being the price bully here? Have you ever bought soda in a price club? I have NEVER seen brand-name soda at a reasonable price at ANY price club. I don't care if it's Costco, Sam's, BJ's...they all have been consistently higher in price than the grocery chain stores.

How big a discount does the #1 soda distributor have to give a retailer? Soda is like soap...people are going to keep buying it no matter WHAT it costs. This is not to say that it's reasonable to 'price gouge'...but my point is that if the national Grocery Chains can sell soda at a given price, then the wholesale stores should be able to sell 'competitively' as well.

These 'price clubs' have made a career of asking the public to pay a membership fee so that they can buy products in bulk. Sure, you get a good price on Mayonaise...it's because you're buying a 2-gallon jug of it! Less plastic, less glass, less paper labels...lower price.

But maybe Joe Blow doesn't WANT to buy 300 cans of Coca Cola in order to get a good price. He wants to go where he buys his chopped meat and chicken and buy everything for dinner in 1 place. If Costco can't make money selling Coca Cola then they should stick to selling no-name brands at a profit.

Costco is a huge chain, but will Coca Cola suffer dramatically from the loss?
I'm inclined to say 'no'.

Sure, you want every sale you can get...but this might open Coca Cola up to finding some markets they have NOT yet exploited...and tell Costco to get back in line with everyone else and pay what everyone else is paying.

And do you think Costco can find enough no-name substitutes for the brands they are discontinuing? How many people are going to say "Oh look! It's Cola Zero! Sure, it's not COKE Zero, but I'll drink it! And LOOK! They have Dish-ani! Sure, it's not Disani..but I'm sure it's similar!"

Almost none.

Much of the feedback I've seen has been based around "glad to see Costco telling Coke to shove it." As a business man and a Costco customer I say "tough noogies, Costco."

Friday, November 6, 2009

In the land of Mr. Pibb

I flew from Newark, New Jersey to Phoenix, Arizona earlier this week.
When the airline stewardess (I can't remember the Politically Correct term, so I'm going with the ol' standard...) came by with the Soda Cart, I noticed that someone 2 rows up had gotten a can of Pibb Xtra.

Pibb Xtra? That's the revised name for Mr. Pibb!
I like Mr. Pibb!
(I like Dr. Pepper better, I think, but I haven't had a Mr. Pibb in some time.)

So I had one.

Ever notice that these young ladies give you a cup FILLED with ice, and then pour in whatever soda will fit? BLEAUGHGH. I had to use the back of my fork to pull out all of the ice and pour IN more soda. Of course, after 3 pours I was left with WARM soda...but at least it wasn't FLAT watered down cold soda....

That afternoon, after a very good client visit, we went to lunch.
The Soda Fountain had a few standards (Coke, Lipton Iced Tea...)...and Pibb Xtra!
YEAH! I'll have another Pibb!
Can't get them in New Jersey!

I'm still calling it Mr. Pibb, by the way.
There didn't seem to be anything 'extra' about Pibb Xtra.
Extra colors on the can, maybe.
Maybe it costs extra these days...but what doesn't?

(Actually, according to Wikipedia:

In 2001, a new flavor called Pibb Xtra has 23 flavors and was introduced with added cinnamon flavor, replacing the original flavor in many parts of the US.)


Ok, all definitions aside, this time it was already cold and it had NO ice in the cup.
MUUUUUCH better!

So now I've got a few Mr. Pibbs in me and I realize...as much as I want to like this soda I really DO like Dr. Pepper better.
In fact, the public in general seems to like Dr. Pepper better...some are even Bootlegging it!

Sorry, Pibb. You're a nice guy and all but a Doctor trumps a Mister every time.
An no one needs an Extra Mister.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Strange Little Sodas Kept Alive

I found a GREAT article in Fortune magazine that I wanted to share/summarize for you.
It talked about 5 'niche' sodas that have not lived up to their owner's expectations, but will not die due to their cult following.

Which 5 sodas?

1) Moxie - in the 1900's this cola outsold Coke and Pepsi! Now, it's a cult favorite in the NorthEast and a virtual unknown elsewhere in the States.

2) Mr. Pibb - forget the 'MILF' articles I've written about Mr. Pibb, the bigger story is that the Coke-owned answer to "Dr. Pepper' sold 57 million cases last year. Of course, Dr. Pepper sold 586 million. And it has it's own museum.

3) Slice - strongly endorsed by Roger Enrico when he ran PepsiCo, it never achieved the 10% of market that he envisioned.

4) TAB - Owned by Coke, this diet beverage never surpassed competitor Diet Coke. But last year 3 million cases were bought..some dieters SOMEWHERE are drinking it!

5) Fanta - In the U.S., Coke sold 175 million cases of this tasty little beverage. That's about 7 times more than it's 2000 sales.

You can read the Fortune article in it's entirety here.


5 more sodas that deserve to be showcased on Coke vs. Pepsi!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Soda Prices Going Up when New Taxes Kick In?

And now for something political...

I'm doin' the Google Search for a clever soda-term today, and in my travels I come across a few (recent) articles that debate and discuss the idea of a surcharge/tax on Soda!

Some claim it will help in the fight against obesity.
Others see it as just another way to fill the political coffers.
Others see it as an infrigement of their rights and freedoms!
(Ok, settle down there Thomas Jefferson...)

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom likens soda to Tobacco, and wants to tax the retailers who sell it! The American Beverage Association seems to share my view on politics and food. They released a statement that read in part, "If our goal is to address obesity, then educating consumers about the importance of balancing calories consumed from all foods and beverages with the calories expended through physical activity is what matters - not demonizing any one particular food."

CollegeNET Forum further discusses the act here.

A New York Times online article discusses taxing soda in an effort to fight obesity and other health-issues here. It's a very thorough article, and the author does a nice job of showing both sides of the equation.

It opens with an interesting quote. It's attributed to Adam Smith, the economist, and dates back to “The Wealth of Nations,” (1776) where he wrote: “Sugar, rum and tobacco are commodities which are nowhere necessaries of life, which are become objects of almost universal consumption, and which are therefore extremely proper subjects of taxation.”

Thanks, Adam. I like Rum AND Soda. In fact, I think it's called a "Captain and Coke" if I'm not mistaken....

Again, I am opposed hurting people who CAN manage their weight by making them pay (no pun intended) for the follies of those who cannot. But maybe that's just me? I'm not so sure. In fact, I found an interesting on-line article in the Delaware Libertarian where the author does a very nice job of showing the flaw in people's thinking when it comes to accepting such a tax. Very clever article here.


Lastly, when you want information quickly and not with all the New York Times stuffiness, there is always USA Today! Here is there on-line article on the subject of taxing sodas. Sorry, no pie charts in this article!

Remember, when it comes to taxes, you are essentially giving money to the government to do with what they will. It's important that no matter how you vote on such a topic, that you 100% understand the issue from all sides. It's equally important that your Senator/Representative is voting with your best interests in mind...regardless of what you weight, what you earn and what you drink.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

MILF + Soda is NOT a good mix!

Several months ago I wrote a blog entry called This MILF likes Mr. Pibb. I thought I was doing a nice thing...giving a stranger some free traffic to her blog...and I have to admit I was interested to see if the 'MILF" term was going to bring additional traffic to MY blog.

Today I was studying some stats and wondered if it was worth trying the MILF tag again in the title. So I visited our friends at Google and searched "MILF" + "Soda".

In my heart I HONESTLY believed that I would find pages of articles, blogs and photos of MILFs discussing or showing off their favorite sodas. I mean, after all, many women believe they are a MILF...some are even told so. And MANY of them drink soda! So since Google can find almost ANYthing (and quickly!) I thought this was going to be a home run and my work would be done in minutes.

Boy was I wrong!

All I got was a handful of links of women doing some pretty graphic stuff with soda cans and soda bottles.

YIKES!!

I like beautiful women as much as the next (straight) guy...but if you can get an entire soda can (or bottle!) up there then we have nothing to talk about. Really. But thanks for sharing...!

Pretty funny "MILF + Soda" quote = When you go to Yahoo Answers you see that someone posts the question "Would you consider yourself as a MILF" and one of the answers was "I think I'm an attractive mother. Women who think they are MILFs usually give their babies soda in a bottle."

Good one, Rachel...whoever and wherever you are!!!

(BTW - I had a female friend who told me, in the same conversation, that a) she has low self esteem about her looks and b) she had been called a MILF a few times before. So you know what? She is either lying about 'a' or she is lying about 'b' because never the twain should meet!)

By the way...I know many of you refer to Soda as 'pop'.
(Don't believe me? Check the poll results here.)

When you search "MILF + Pop" the results aren't any better (as you might have guessed!). In fact, the first 10 items on Google are all about a video that Lexi Stone made. No, there is no soda involved and no you should not let your children watch it!!!!!!

So here is what I have learned today:
1 - using "MILF" in your blog title may raise your hit count...but not so much in a Soda blog
2 - giving a MILF free press often goes un-appreciated
3 - tyring to find MILF articles that do not include soda or a penis insertion is near impossible

That's all for today!

Monday, August 24, 2009

Coke vs. Pepsi Second Anniversary Top Stories

It's hard to believe, but Last Thursday (August 20th) marked the second anniversary of this blog. For 2 years I have been chronicling the soda wars, and everything else "soda" to go with it.

Hit rates have risen steadily until earlier this Summer (apparently swimmers and sun soakers have less time to read blogs) but the Top Stories remain the top stories. In fact, of the Top 7 most read blog entries from August 2008 to August 2009, more than half of them were written in 2008.

The #7 most read story this year was "This MILF likes Mr. Pibb" (March 2009)
Sure, it embarrassing to kick off this blog with a MILF reference...it's the only MILF reference in 2 years of blogging. But I put it out there to see what kind of response it got...and it's make it to #7 out of HUNDREDS of entries, so I guess sex DOES sell!

The #6 most read story this year was "Energy Drinks...Kicking Soda's Ass" (June 2008)
Certainly any story about an ass kicking is good reading! A year later, this one is still relevant and action packed! Energy drinks are taking over the beverage market with rapidity, so of course this was an article about the relevance of the industry and not a way to snare the UFC fan base. Really.

The #5 most read story this year was "Cola Please -No More Mello Yello" (September 2008)
This one had it all...irony, tragedy, sacrifice, friendship...and the tasty yellow beverage that you can't get 'just anywhere'! A great story 11 months later!

The #4 most read story this year was "Coca Cola Prices Going Up. Pepsi prices going up Next?"
(July 2008) Finally readers move away from MILFs, ass-kickings and sarcastic humour to read about something relevant and economical. Well, I mean it has to do with Economics. You know what I mean.

The #3 most read story this year was "Andy Warhol Coca Cola" (September 2008).
A great month for Top Stories! It used to really amaze me how popular this entry was, but the more I read it the more I can see it. Pop art, pop icons and Coca Cola are cornerstones of American culture, and this article covers all three. Maybe a pile of Coca Cola does not look like are to some (to ME, especially!), but it seems to ring true with a good portion of the audience.

The #2 most read story this year was "The History of Coca Cola Prices" (September 2008)
Trifecta! My birthday month yields my most creative work! Again, soda and pricing in the same story makes for a heavily read topic. Americans like their soda, and don't want to pay a lot. Any news about soda pricing is relevant.

The #1 most read story this year was "Pepsi and Coca Cola Sales Drop Drastically" (April 2009)
The most relevant story was also a recent one! Not so much a 'pricing' issue, but a story of economics and cultural tastes. (Literately!) Why are soda sales plummeting? Is it due to Energy Drinks (as mentioned above)? The current Health Kick? Pricing? If you drink beverages, this article speaks to you and your pallet.

So there are your Top 7, and as always I appreciate your readership!
Be sure to check out the Cola Wars on Squidoo: www.Squidoo.com/Cokevspepsi

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Returning to the Valley of Mello Yello

Last year I helped a friend move to South Carolina, and lamented over how much Mello Yello they tried to pour down my throat.

Last WEEK I returned to see my friends in South Carolina, and I'm pleased to report that they did not offer me a single glass of Mello Yello. In fact, we shared a chuckle over the experience and I drank a Coke-with-no-ice with dinner.

During the trip, we went to visit the Freestyle Music amusement park. This was formerly the Hard Rock amusement park, but it went bankrupt and was bought and re-named a year later.

When you have a brand as world recognized as Hard Rock, and you can't make money, you are doing something WRONG! An amusement park called Hard Rock should be able to host a concert every Friday in the Summer with a well recognized pop/rock star. Hell, Sun Tan Lake did it for all of those years!

(The park, by the way, STILL has the giant Hard Rock guitar logo on top of a tower at the edge of the park. You would think the Hard Rock people would try to capitalize on SOME part of this...!)

HOWEVER, before I blast the hard Rock for their failure, let me give you some feedback on the Freestyle Music amusement park.

1) It was very clean and had some very cool roller coasters
2) It was practically empty.

INCREDIBLE! Here it was, July 5th. Great weather. Good prices (Four of us got in for $82.00) and the place was empty. It was like back in the day when Michael Jackson would have an amusement park privatized so he and his little friends could play! We felt like special guests or something. (Yeah -something from Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park!)

In all, we had a great time and I DID drink a soda while I was there.
Hey, after all, an empty amusement park can be good (not for the owners, of course)...and Soda is Good!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Cola (life), Twitter (mob) and a Rally!

My pal Simon Berry is using the power of Twitter (as well as Facebook) to get the message across.

This Friday (17/7/09), 3pm Trafalgar Square, he and his team of ColaLife supporters will be gathering in Trafalgar to celebrate ColaLife and see the giant aidpod take its rightful place on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square!

Simon has been encouraging the use of Twitter to get the message out, and gives some pointers on the best way to go about it here.

Personally, I HATE Twitter and find it to be a garbage app.
HOWEVER, if enough people use it for a common cause...and reach out to a large pool of people...then at least it's being used for something powerful and meaningful.

(as opposed to some recent 'tweets' I've seen like "Beautiful day in Denver!" or "Going to Taco Bell for a Fourthmeal. Yummmm....")

You'll be able to watch them live (pronounced LIE-v, not LIH-v) here: http://www.oneandother.co.uk/

The ColaLife website is awesome!
It's dedicated to getting Coca Cola to use their power of distribution to provide medicine and water to the Third World poor (as opposed to just sending soda....)

It's a powerful message with a lot of good behind it.
Even if you cannot be in Trafalgar Square to lend your support, I hope you'll check out their website.

Monday, June 29, 2009

The Death of Soda, or the Death of Readership

I know I don't post every day, but I try to post once a week.
And luckily enough, there are enough "soda related" things happening in the world that there is always something to share.

Something serious, like Pepsi Prices Going Up or Protests Against Coca Cola

Something silly, like a video called The Death of Pepsi. Or two.

Even Business news, like the profitability of Making Your Own Soda or this new Purple Soda company.

So here is the concern, if you will...
Readership is down. WAAAAY down.

Content issue? I don't think so. I've been posting the same soda-related drivel for almost 2 years now. It's not like my content has 'gotten worse'.

Frequency issue? Again, I posts once a week, try to keep it fresh, and keep it to relevant topics.

In fact, I'd say the 'tools' I use to promote the blog...from Facebook to choosing the right keywords...is BETTER than it was a year ago.

So why the drop?
Maybe it's not ' this blog' related?

Are people drinking less Coca Cola and Pepsi than a year ago?

Are people looking up soda-related terms less frequently than they were a year ago?

Are people reading blogs (in general) less frequently than a year ago?

Believe me, I'm not going to stare to death if readership drops below 10 a day...but I'm INCREDIBLY curious why it would change.

In the meantime, remember...there's always the Dusty Rhodes Mello Yello video!!!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

The smartest Coke machines on the Earth

Coca Cola is about to debut a self-serve drink dispenser that pours more than 100 varieties of soda, juice and flavoured waters!

The Freestyle drink dispenser will appear in Atlanta (obviously!), Salt Lake City and Orange County , CA by the end of the summer...but the long range plan is to have tens of thousands of them in McDonald's and Burger Kings nationwide.

You can read all about it in the article in InformatioWeek. That's what caught my eye and I was super impressed with it! (so much so that I called there and asked about serving as a national installer for the line!)

You think you have enough choices when you buy fast food NOW?! Imagine being able to order one of ONE HUNDRED different beverages!

And how clever is Coca Cola?! Instead of putting new flavors in cans and bottles and hoping you'll buy them...you can now try a new flavor for the $1.49 you were going to spend at the burger joint ANYWAY.

Why is this clever?! Because these new machines are smart little computers. Coca Cola can see how many units of 'New Flavor' is selling. And in what cities. And in what quantities. And how many a day.

Maybe Coca Cola can do something clever with Jay-Z's version of Cherry Coke. Or make Coke with Lime more popular. Or suddenly compete with Dr. Brown's Celery Soda!

There's a big world of mini computers out there...and Coca Cola has certainly cornered the technology and put it to work.

Try some new flavours this Summer!
Comment here about them...and at Coke vs. Pepsi!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Adult Cola sites - NOT for kids!

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Readers Prefer Andy Warhol Coca Cola

There has been an overwhelming response to our Andy Warhol Coca Cola article.
It's often our most-visited page.
(Some weeks it battles back and forth with our article on Coca Cola prices rising).

What is so pleasantly surprising is that I did not think Warhol would still be in such demand in this decade. His art, while popular at it's time, today seems simplistic to the point of nonsense.
100 Coca Cola bottles? Campbell's Soup cans?

The age of Grunge Music worked hard to "un-do" much of the love and simplicity that came out of the 60's...and while the grunge movement collapsed under it's own morbidity and lack of structure (when you stand against everything, you stand for nothing) a lot of the 60's influence suffered.

It's sort of like revealing the man behind the curtain. (a Wizard of Oz reference, of course). Sure, he's a nice enough guy...but now the magic is gone.

And yet, here we are in 2009 with people still REGULARLY searching information on Andy Warhol. And Coca Cola! And his Coke bottle art.

So...is art timeless? Are 3 Coke Bottles as interesting today as they were 30 years ago?

Or is it SODA that's timeless? Are people intrigued by this 'art' from the flower generation...or are they intrigued that Coca Cola was considered 'art' at all?

And who ELSE has made art from Coca Cola bottles and cans?
And why has it not reached the level of prominence that Warhol's work has?

Soda is Good.
Is Soda 'art'?
The majority so far seems to think so!


Leave your comments and share your thoughts!


Then visit our friends at www.Squidoo.com/CokevsPepsi

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Tell Coca Cola that American Idol is dead

Coca Cola ought to pull the plug on those red cups sitting on the American Idol judging panel. This show has completely gone to hell.
They ought to instead invest in something a little more worthwhile.

But I'm not here today to talk about how or where Coke should advertise.
I'm here to tell you why I stopped watching American Idol.

In fairness, you should know that it's not like I stopped watching 2 weeks ago.
In fact, I stopped watching about 2 weeks into this season.
So if you want to debate why I hate Adam or why I think the cute girl with the pink streaks in her hair should still be on the show...I've only got a limited amount of ammo.

But it's the Big Picture that I hate, not the specific effeminate boys or badly tuned chicks.

I hate the first 5 weeks of Auditions.
Really...who cares?! It's just 5 weeks of watching nameless, faceless people smile, cry and occasionally act like Special Ed students.
You want to make Audition week/month compelling? How about we do AWAY with the retard scenes and spend more time on the back stories of the people WORTH seeing? Make me interested in them so I CARE if they make it to Hollywood and I CARE about voting...

I hate the addition of a 4th Judge.
Don't get me wrong; she's nice and she's personable and she knows what she is talking about.
But the math stinks.
4 judges means a tie is always possible. And if there is a tie, Simon breaks it.
But Simon already VOTED, so what sense does THAT make?
In the Senate, the Vice President breaks a tie. He doesn't get 2 votes. He only votes if there is a tie.
Once Simon gives you his opinion, it's as good as made unless all 3 vote against him.
Senseless. It reeks of Ego.
It reeks of Stupidity, too.

I hate the contradictory advice.
If you sing like the original artist they tell you that you need to "make it your own", and if you make it your own, they tell you that you can't out-do a classic and you ought to stay true to the original.
If you sing something you are good at, they tell you to expand your horizons and stretch, and if you go outside of your comfort zone they tell you that you are out of your league and ought to stick with what you are good at.

I hate the introduction of the 'one save' rule, which pretty much says if you get voted off, the judges can say 'well, we know that you will make money for this Record Label so we want you to stay any way...'.

I hate the fact that 90% of the kids on the show excel at Rhythm & Blues...which I hate.

BIG PROPS go to Chris Daughtrey, who got voted off too early and then made the best album to ever come from an American Idol contestant. Big Props go to David Cook, who deserved to win (I can't stand David Archuletta) and made an Awesome Album. Big Props go to Carrie Underwood. I don't like New Country, and I liked Bo Bice better...but I know she's great at it!

But as far as this season goes? I couldn't get past 2 weeks of this season, and I have no intention of trying next season. Please, for God Sake, don't let there BE a next season. 2 Nights per week of this unwatchable nonsense is enough...

Monday, May 4, 2009

antique Dr. Pepper recipe book revealed!

Dr. Pepper's origin and history may lie in the tattered ledger some lucky dude stumbled over while antique shopping in Texas.

AND, it may come at a profit.
This savvy shopper bought the book for $200, thinking it would sell for 5 times more.
Turns out it could be worth TWENTY FIVE times more!

But don't' let ME take credit for sharing the news!
Read the whole article by clicking here.

Like Dr. Pepper?
Read about the Dr. Pepper Museum here.

Mix Pepsi with Dr. Pepper?! Not bad. Look Here.

And...if you missed the "Axl Rose sues Dr. Pepper" fiasco...look here.


Plenty of Pepper for all!!!!!!

Sunday, April 26, 2009

I Like Cola...and Dragon Gate...and...

This is the most amazing coincidence of the month.
For me, not for you.

As a Pro Wrestling fan, I'm always looking for something 'cool'. Well, a Japanese promotion called "Dragon Gate" will soon have an American branch called Dragon Gate USA.

Why am I telling you this?

Hang on. One of the more charismatic and successful members of the group...and currently the 'face' of this new arm of wrestling...is named 'Cima'.

Sooo....?

Well, for a while Cima's theme music was...'I Like Cola'.
REALLY!

It's an awful tune...but see Cima and listen to 'I Like Cola' here.

Look at the Dragon Gate USA website here.
Cima is on the rolling Home Page under the banner 'Evolve'.

BUT WAIT...!

For MORE Cola-nuttiness, you need to now that when I was researching "I Like Coa" I came across a cola called 'Like'.

Yup, it's true.
See here. The commerical you are viewing is from 1983.

Whether you like Cola or not, you won't like Like Cola.
Apparently, no one did.

For more Cola info, go to Coke vs. Pepsi

For more Wrestling info, go to Full Contact

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Pepsi, Beyonce, Pink, Britney Spears - which goes down best?

What goes down the fastest...Pepsi, Beyonce Pink or Britney Spears?

Sure, I'm not proud of the title...but it's clever and I'm sure everyone has their own opinion as to what the right answer is!

Ok, the truth is I chose this topic today NOT because of my desire to portray 3 pop singers and a can of soda as porn stars, but rather to share the You Tube Video of Beyonce, Pink and Britney Spears in a rather cool Pepsi commercial.

If you like hot girls, cold soda and a good Gladiator-style setting, click here!


For other Gladiator-style battles between sodas, remember to visit our favorite Coke vs. Pepsi site!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Pepsi vs. Mountain Dew...Midieval Stupidity



And here you thought Coke vs. Pepsi was THE consummate soda war. And you also enjoyed when I showed you the video clip of Coke and Pepsi slugging it out in a fist fight.

But who'da thought Pepsi and Mountain Dew would slug it out Old School?! And by Old, I mean Medieval Times kind of old. Dungeons and Dragons kind of old. Swords and Sorcery kind of old.

You get the point.

Pepsi and Mountain Dew...along with Coca Cola and Dr. Pepper...slug it out at Coke vs. Pepsi.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Easter, Soda and Ham...a recipe for perfection!

I absolutely love a baked, glazed ham. I only really get to cook one twice a year: Christmas and Easter. (and I'm JEWISH! Who'da thunk?!?!?)

This is the time of year to combine my love for soda and my love for ham into tasty recipes to make the left overs as delicious as possible! Recipes like:

Coca Cola Braised Ham

Ham with Orange Soda Sauce

Soda Shop Ham Glaze

and the disgustingly popular Ham Soda from Jones Soda


So this Easter, glaze your ham (15 minutes per pound at 350 degrees) in something yummy and carbonated...but stay away from any ham flavored beverage!

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Pepsi and Coca Cola sales Drop Drastically

Pepsi and Coca Cola are in for the fight of their lives!
Soda may be Good, but cola sales are dropping at an alarming rate!

In fact, Beverage Digest looked at the top 10 carbonated soft drink brands and saw that only Diet Mountain Dew and Diet Dr Pepper showed any volume growth in 2008. (Diet Dew volume rose 4 percent, while Diet Dr Pepper volume rose 2.3 percent.)

Gad, I HATE diet sodas! I know they're SUPPOSED to taste just like the originals...but they just don't!

You can read all about the rapid decline of soda sales on the CNBC blog, here.

And while it's your job to read the article, there was 1 line that I thought was un-intentionally humorous - "Consumers are continuing to snub carbonated soft drinks, leading to an acceleration in volume declines seen in recent years."

Heh heh heh...he used 'acceleration' and 'volume' and 'decline' all in the same sentence! If this sentence was a roller coaster, it's would have been one helluva ride!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

The World's Most Fearsome Soda


A good friend sent me this pic. I almost forgot what 8-Bit Nintendo action was like! But as a boxing fan (as well as a soda fan) I can tell you that Soda Popinski is one bad dude! (At least back in 1987 he was!)
And $50 for tickets?! (See upper right corner). Today that ticket would cost $500 and you'd be sitting in the upper tier!
Little Mac vs. Soda Popinski deserves to be one of the classic battles discussed on Coke vs. Pepsi: The Cola Wars!

Monday, April 6, 2009

How much would you pay for a Pepsi or Coke T-Shirt?

The question isn't really so much 'what would you pay to OWN such a shirt'...but rather 'what would you pay to ADVERTISE them?

I went to Google and types 'Pepsi T-Shirt'.
Amongst the 1,470,000 finds were 2 'paid for' links at the very top.

One, called "Pepsi T Shirt on Sale" was a link to AllPosters. It DID have a nice collection of 9 Pepsi T-Shirts. Some were feminine, some were uni-sex. At least the link was honest.

The OTHER paid ad was called "Coca Cola T-Shirt" and it linked to Coca-ColaStore.com
THAT's smart marketing.
You looked up PEPSI T-Shirts, and Coke made sure that THEIR shirts got seen before 1,476,999 other links had a chance to show off!

And Coke didn't stop at 'T-Shirts'! You hit the above link and you see ALL Coca Cola apparel.

OK, so let's try the opposite:
Let's go to Google and see the paid ads tied to 'Coca Cola T-Shirt'

3 paid ads:
the above Coca ColaStore link was #2.

#1 was "Coca Cola T-Shirt" at MyCokeRewards.com
This My Coke Rewards link SUCKS because it takes you to a page that you have to register to see!
This means you are paying top dollar to ensure that when someone is interested in SEEING your Coca Cola T-Shirt, they are going to instead see a sign that pretty much says 'enter your personal information first!'.
I would think it wiser, if you were going to PAY for the spot, to intentionally come in 2nd or 3rd. Let the customer see what they want for free on another site...and then register to use their Coca Cola points after they've gotten a taste (pun intended) of what they can have.

#3 out of 3 was a link called "T-Shirt" from VistaPrint.com.
Not a damn drop of soda anywhere on this page!
Now, on one hand it may be SMART marketing. You said you were looking for a Pepsi or Coca Cola T-shirt...We've got T-Shirts!
But on the other hand...you just paid for a top spot while offering nothing of this specific customer's interest!

Did Pepsi have a paid link on this page?
No.
Maybe they know that if you took the time to type "Coca Cola T-Shirt" then you probably are not looking for a Pepsi shirt?

So...who's the smart marketer here?
How much does it cost to pay for these spots, and does it yield a reasonable ROI?
I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't remember where to find the tool that let's you test Keywords and see what kind of 'budget' you are in for. But I DO recall that "Coca Cola" and "Pepsi" were not "cheap".

So, when you go on line to buy a T-shirt named after your favorite cola, do you look at the paid links first...or do you look for something 'cool' and 'different'?

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

This MILF likes Mr. Pibb

Normally I would not use a headline that reads like something you'd see on Hot Horny Moms dot com...but this good looking, married 31 year old woman from Michigan really DOES like Mr. Pibb, and writes about it in her blog. She even titled the entry 'A Soda Story'. *sigh* A girl after my own heart!

(Granted, this young lady is probably about to get 100 hits this week from guys surfing the web and thinking they're gonna see some Large Boobs. Sorry! Look at it this way...I'll get 100 hits from those same guys!)

And while we're on the topic of Mr. Pibb, let's look closer into this Dr. Pepper competitor!
Mr. Pibb is a Coca Cola brand...but it seems to be MUCH more popular in the South than up here in the North. I only comment because Dr. Pepper, it's direct rival, is nationally recognized. (I often see the same disparity between Mountain Dew and Mello Yello)

Chris Houser has built the on-line shrine to Mr. Pibb here.

Mr. Pibb and Dr. Pepper ought to duke it out at the Coke vs. Pepsi lens!

Topix hosted a poll to let you choose a favorite between the two here.
Another debate, on LetsGoPens, broke out here.
(By the way, is it REALLY offensive to call the color Cherokee Red? I never even heard of the term before today!)

In all, I'd like to thank the little lady from Detroit for reminding me how great Mr. Pibb is!
Time to got to lunch....

Monday, March 9, 2009

Simon Berry and the Coca Cola Facebook Group

You'd think that I owe Simon Berry money and use my blog to pay him off in face time.
Not true.

But I DO report when he does something that can potentially be powerful...something like talking to Coca Cola about saving the World's children...so here goes:

Simon Berry has put together a Facebook group in an effort to spread the world about his ColaLife project.

Simon says, "Please will you join the ColaLife Group AND consider inviting all of your friends? We were getting nowhere with this idea until this group was formed and now we have the attention of the powers that can make it happen. Thanks.".

The facebook invitation is here: http://www.facebook.com/n/?group.php&gid=18947780476&mid=1dcdcfG2e456e55G1c40b8fG6

Simon believes that there is an opportunity to get ColaLife INSIDE the G20 Summit but, they'd need to be nominated and the group is working on getting that accomplished.

Imagine...using Coca-Cola's power of distribution to send MEDICINE and SUPPLIES to the world's impoverished children! (Like they need soda...!)

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Why Coca Cola cannot hear the cheer of "Bravo!"






In 2001, Bravo Brands formed to offer flavored milk that did not need to be refrigerated.


On the surface, this may sound piddly to you, but within short time, 2 'big' things happened.

1) they signed a distribution deal with Coca Cola Enterprises (CCE).

2) they signed a licensing agreement with Marvel Entertainment (yes, the people who bring you SpiderMan, Iron Man, DareDevil and once upon a time...Captain America) and with Mars (the people who bring you 3 Musketeers and Milky Way candy bars).


Pretty strong relationships to have!

These colored-and-flavoured milks were sold in bottles that features some of the above super heroes or candy bars on the bottles under the brand name 'Slammers'. (pretty appropriate for a Super Hero bottle of milk!)


My brother in Law turned me on to Slammers in late 2005. I thought the taste was really good, and my small children were suddenly motivated to drink milk! The SuperHeroes were PERFECT for my son, and the candy bar flavors appealed to my daughter.


I was so impressed, that I called Bravo Brands and began asking the sales team how I could get involved in serving as a re-seller. The man I spoke with (I've willingly blocked his name out of my memory) was INCREDIBLY rude! He even apologized for his shortness and then attacked me AGAIN! (I guess he really wasn't very sorry...)


Regardless of my lack of experience in the 'beverage' field, I had a successful 20-year career in sales and just wanted to promote a product that I loved. What company wouldn't want that kind of support?! Remember the groundswell of success that Red Bull enjoyed? They sponsored parties on college campuses! How many of those would-be marketing majors had experience selling beverages that week? I'd say roughly 'none'...but I'm just guessing.


Anyway, he completely turned me off of Bravo as a 'company'...and then a month or 2 later I don't see the SuperHero Milk on the shelves anymore! (I swear, I had nothing to do with it. As much as I resented that jerk, I still wanted my kids to drink the milk!) Within a few months after that, the Candy Bar flavours were gone, too! (Just as well. My wife had a hard time willingly serving up a bottle of 'Milky Way flavored milk, just to get my daughter to drink calcium...)


When Shop Rite stopped carrying the products, I stopped thinking about them. But it occurred to me the other day...where did they GO?


Well, my research answered my question, and with no surprise: In September of 2007, Bravo Brands filed for Bankruptcy. (Be sure to click the link...the article may be interesting, but the comments from former employees were AWESOMELY revealing!)


And if that's not bad enough....in May of 2008 a Class Action suit was filed against them!


So while Coca Cola Enterprises still stands strong in it's distribution of beverages...it will not be distributing any milk that has a super hero or a candy bar on it's bottle.


So long, Bravo.

You've proven on many levels that you don't deserve to HAVE fans or customers!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Pepsi can now distribute Rockstars

PepsiCo has signed a deal with Rockstar Inc., so it can distribute Rockstar Energy Drink.

Remember what happened the LAST time a Rock Star got involved with soda? I'm talking about Axl Rose's war-of-words with Dr. Pepper.

Rockstar has about 14% of the Energy Drink Market Share. Monster Energy Drink leads the pack with about 29% and Red Bull has about 25%. (Some former Pepsi and Red Bull employees have gone to work for the little "Purple" beverage company. They have never been heard from since...)

Back in the Fall, Coca Cola appeared to be speaking with Hansen Natural, looking to distribute the monster-sized Monster...but it does not look like that evolved.

But what does this say about Pepsi's EXISTING energy beverage efforts?
Pepsi owns and distributes Amp Energy Drink...but Amp does not appear in the Top 5. Is Pepsi admitting that they are better served buying into a winner rather than cultivating their own?

Monday, February 16, 2009

ColaLife vs. Coca Cola: March Meeting in London

Back in July I wrote about Simon Berry and his plan to influence Coca Cola's effect on World Poverty.

Simon and his team have some very strong ideas about how Coca Cola's distribution system can be used to provide water and medicine to impoverished Third World Nations.

The ColaLife ideal: That Coca-Cola use their distribution channels (which are amazing in developing countries) to distribute oral rehydration salts. Maybe by dedicating one compartment in every 10 crates as 'the life saving' compartment?

If you live in/near London (England, that is) you are invited to attend the ColaLife Campaign Planning Meeting on Tuesday March 3rd. (I live in the United States, so I have to pass...). It is here that the team will host a face-to-face meeting to plan the voting campaign for ColaLife''s entry in Google's Project 10^100th ideas competition.

ColaLife's website is here.
Their Facebook Summary is here.

Simon writes: "If we get through to the last 100 in the Google competition on 17 March we will need to mobilise people to vote for us. It's no good waiting until 17/3/09, we need to be ready to roll if we get through."

Simon Cohen of Global Tolerance has agreed to host the event in their offices in north London.

If you have an interest in joining the meeting...or if you'd just like to join the Facebook group and be a part of their activities when they come to YOUR town...please feel free to join up and get involved!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Purple Soda - Music and Costumes

Back in August I wrote about a new soda company called Purple. Despite it's potentially awesome management, I was skeptical about how it would fare.

In September I blogged with an update on the firm. Sure, it was only a month later, but I wanted to 'check in'.

Today I planned to do yet another update, when I Googled "Purple + Soda" I got MUCH cooler results, so let's talk about those instead!

Here is a You Tube video of Kaptain Krunch and the Purple Soda Band. They're rockin' it at the Hard Rock. Sure, the food is WAY over priced...but the music is good.

Speaking of You Tube, here is a video called Flying Purple Soda. Let me assure you...it's VERY anti-climatic. Anything filmed at night usually is.

If you are like me, you did a double take when you saw a link called Purple Soda Pop Girl Adult Sexy Halloween Costume in Medium Size. No, it's not a purple-colored girl made out of soda pop. It's actually BETTER! (Other links more specifically link the costume to Fanta. Dig it?)

In fact, almost ALL of the 'page two' of my Google search links to a 'sexy purple soda pop adult
costume'. Geez...how badly did the manufacturer want this to show up in the rankings?!

In fairness to the Purple Beverage, a Sept 2008 article in Beverage World capsules them here.

Not as sexy as Purple Soda Pop Costume, and not as entertaining as Kaptain Krunch and his purple soda....but surely more detailed than at attempt at Flying Purple Soda.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Pepsi and SNL Selling Out? CAH MAHN!

No sooner did I type the praises of the "McGruber" Pepsi commercial during Superbowl did I see a page-long commentary analyzing whether or not fans were 'confused' and if this was 'selling out'.

CAH MAHN!

You can read all the silliness here...but I think you have to be reading FAR to far into it if you think there is any 'content' here.

Do you want me to believe that a Pepsi-inspired McGruber skit is on SNL and the fans cannot figure out if it's a skit or a commercial? And you want me to believe that it MATTERS? How seriously do you think the fans take this stuff?

Saturday Night Live is a comedy show. We tune in to laugh. If a commercial makes us laugh...and it features an SNL star...do we care that it's potentially 'selling out'? We laughed, right?!

And SNL fans know that the show is NOTORIOUS for kicking off the show with a mock-commercial. Sometimes they show 2 or 3 in the course of the 90 minute show! Fans were 'confused'? By what?!

In fact, the whole 'selling out' ideal makes me nauseous. (Warm ginger ale, please.)
If the producers get rich off of your TV show, CD or performance...shouldn't YOU? Are you really lowering the integrity of a song of you allow Cadillac or Apple to use it in an ad? Isn't that commercial giving you MORE exposure?! HEL-LO!

The only people I hear crying about 'selling out' are a select number of fans who aren't musicians, actors or artists. They're often not worrying about paying their bills, either. Some of us have financial obligations...or aspirations!...and the extra cash is valuable. Even enviable.

People - if it was a commercial or if it was a skit, you still giggled.
Get over yourselves. No one sold out...You were just wise enough to check in.
If you were 'confused' then you ought to stick to 'Nickelodeon'.
Those Rugrats are still really funny...

Monday, February 2, 2009

Soda and SuperBowl

Pepsi's "McGruber" commercial got mixed reviews at our SuperBowl party.

Personally, I LOVED it...and part of the reason is because I know the character and the shtick from Saturday Night Live. I'm even a little embarrassed to admit that I ALWAYS laugh at the McGruber skits.

I also liked the appearance by Richard Dean Anderson in an god-awful 'worst of the 80s' wig in the commercial! Not sure what I liked better, the awful wig or him burying his face in the steel door when he figures out that McGruber is a 'tool'.

A majority of those in my home who didn't laugh at the commercial admitted to having not ever seen the skit on SNL before. Not that it makes it any 'funnier', per se, but at least you get where the commercial is going if you know the routine.

There were also mixed reviews over Coca Cola's "bugs steal a soda" commercial. My daughter and I thought it was 'clever'. My wife altogether didn't get it. I don't know that there was anything to 'get'...but she didn't like it. I don't think she liked the game either, so what does she know...?

Collectively, NONE of us liked the Coca Cola Soda Shop commercial. You know..the one where everyone on the street turns into a video game character. Bleughghg.

If you don't recall that one, you can see it here.

If you want to see the Coke vs. Pepsi website, click here.

If you had a favorite soda commercial during the SuperBowl...leave a comment! :)

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Obama Inaugural Soda

If you did not get a chance to brave the cold winds of change in the Front Row of Washington D.C., you can still toast the new President with a drink made in his own name.!

Obama Soda is still available in 2 great flavors!
Buy both, crack 'em open with your best bud, and drink down the taste of change.

Can we really enjoy a soda with President Obama's face on the bottle?!
YES WE CAN!

So, who IS this great soda manufacturer?
Pepsi? Coca Cola?
No and Nope.
Obama Soda is brought to you EXCLUSIVELY by Jones Soda...the coolest soda ever.

Drink 'em and weep! :)

Friday, January 16, 2009

Will rising Coke and Pepsi prices force alternative sodas?

Soda prices are rising along with everything else in this economy. When you look at your budget, and try to figure out how you will make ends meet this month, will you have to start cutting out some of your 'vices'?

I have friends who crack open a Pepsi as soon as they get out of bed. By the time they are in the office, they are on their third soda.

With soda prices rising, how important is that soda to you?
If it IS important, does it have to be a Pepsi? Do you insist on Coca Cola in your home? Do you look at store brand soda and sneer?

When I was single, I bought store brand often. The rule was 'all flavors OK except their Cola.'
And no root beer. I just didn't like root beer. But it was a low cost way to keep soda in the house, and it worked for me.

Now, there are other low cost ways to keep soda in the house...and these days you even get control over what the soda tastes like. (As I alluded to above, store brand cola just tasted lousy to me.)

See here:

Make fresh seltzer as fizzy as you like it for just 17 cents a liter with a Soda-Club seltzer maker! No more schlepping, storing and recycling cases of bottles from the store. Soda-Club carbonators make 110 liters before exchanging door-to-door.

You control the taste, you control how much you have, and your costs are controlled with this major cost reduction.

Some people simply will not give up soda. Now you don't have to.

Monday, January 12, 2009

How Much Do You Hate Coca Cola?

KillerCoke.org may not drive very large rallies...but they sure know they don't like Coca Cola.

Last year I was trying to find results for a rally that Killer Coke was to hold in New York City. There was no news at all, and I was left to assume that their plans went flat. No fizz.

Mind you, Killer Coke is NOT a Pro Wrestler. Nor is Killer Coke a new kind of crack cocaine. Killer Coke is a website dedicated to trying to hold Coca Cola responsible for the henious crimes they commit...especially in Columbia South America.

Their home page boasts some articles you can read, like:
Dietblog, "Diet Coke Plus Faces FDA Warning,"

Associated Press, "FDA warns Coca-Cola over nutritional claims," By Mattew Perrone, December 24, 2008

China.org.cn, "Lawyers, academics praise students' Coca Cola probe," By Gregor Kneussel and John Sexton, December 31, 2008


As a fundraiser, they even sell the 'Unthinkable, Undrinakle' T-shirt!

Don't misunderstand, it's not like they hate Coca Cola because they prefer Pepsi Cola. It's because they think Coke has serious Human Rights issues that aren't being dealt with.

Coca Cola....just bad for your teeth, or altogether bad for human relations?
Your comments matter!