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On the 100th anniversary of Coca-Cola, the company's marketing division made a bold move.
Trends in the sales of Coke were headed in the wrong direction. Competitors were eating away
at the soft drink market once dominated by Coca-Cola. The "governing body" of this soft drink giant
put all their hopes into a complete REPACKAGING and SWEETER formulation.
Taste tests had confirmed the average man on the street preferred the sweeter formula.
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Press releases in advance teased out the idea new and startling change was coming so as to better prepare for the sudden switch.
The attitude by the corporate "governing body" was "Take it or leave it."
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Here is the really interesting part.
The chief competitor, Pepsi, realized Coca-Cola was making a big mistake. They immediately started a campaign aimed at targeting
the main reason for such a drastic change: COKE WAS LOSING MARKET SHARE and was desperate to win people back.
If we see Pepsi as the "Apostate" community and New Coke as the JW.TV--a remarkable parallel becomes clear.
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COCA-COLA fought back by NOT telling the truth.
Rather than admit sales had been trending downward and the company was losing ground, Coca-Cola lied rather than allow
apostate Pepsi even an inch of ground.
Total bullshit soon followed. Coke gave no credible reasons.
Coke began making HUGE CLAIMS for GREAT SUCCESS. Had they been correct all along--or not?
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At the very first, company stock went up and 8 out of 10 people surveyed said they were very much aware of what was happening with the
Coca-Cola product change.
Statistics demonstrated, as the marketing division had predicted, an 8 per cent increase!
What came next however . . . had not been forseen.
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BACKLASH
Nobody at the top of the corporation had the least idea of what a BETRAYAL of the older customer they had created.
The move was heralded by long-time consumers as a total SELLOUT.
Many of these drinkers were Southerners, some of whom considered the drink a fundamental part of regional identity. They viewed the company's decision to change the formula through the prism of the Civil War, as another surrender to the "Yankees."
FOUR HUNDRED THOUSAND calls and letter poured in!
The bad will, complaints, anger, and outright hostility in these calls and letter took the corporate leaders by surprise.
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Coke hired a PSYCHIATRIST to listen in on calls and told executives some people sounded as if they were discussing the death of a family member.
The chief complaint really amounted to one thing: HOW DARE THOSE BASTARDS AT THE TOP decide what we can and can't have!
The comfortable OLD Coke so many generations of consumers had been familiar with had been destroyed right before their eyes and
they felt powerless and insignificant as a result.
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Coke executives, rather than admit they had not handled the transition delicately and wisely, began slowly changing the formula BACK again!
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A PARALLEL with the NEW WATCHTOWER?
Coca-Cola's winning slogan for its product had been to call the drink THE REAL THING.
The irony for the consumer was obvious: IF IT WAS THE REAL THING--WHY DID YOU CHANGE IT?
Sort of like Jehovah's Witnesses calling their doctrine: THE TRUTH and then having it change into something ELSE.
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CONCLUSION
It took only 3 months before the overwhelmed Coca-Cola bottling company announced the old formula was coming back.
However, they couldn't help changing it one last time by trying to reintroduce it as COKE CLASSIC!
"The simple fact is that all the time and money and skill poured into consumer research on the new Coca-Cola could not measure or reveal the deep and abiding emotional attachment to original Coca-Cola felt by so many people."
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THE BOTTOM LINE
Soon, New Coke's sales were down to only 3 per cent of market share while COKE CLASSIC had overtaken and surpassed Pepsi.
What the bottling giant learned from the debacle took a long time to discover.
THE CONSUMER of the product had been DICTATED TO and the resentment resounded loud and clear.
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In the end, bad publicity is still publicity. If people aren't thinking and talking about you--you don't exist.
Even if they are saying bad things--they are still mindful of your presence.
Whether or not older, long-time consumers of Jehovah's Witness preaching style and corporate image WILL COMPLAIN or not--only time will tell.
We will NOT be able to know simply by listening to the Governing Body SPIN.
In the long term (about 3 months)whatever subtle changes come about will tell the tale.
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IF something is from God, it is PERFECT.
Perfect things (like Classics) do NOT change.
It is one thing to introduce new ideas ADDITIONALLY--but it is dangerous to eliminate the older ways in the process.
IN THE FINAL ANALYSIS:
CORPORATIONS can be very stupid in taking their customers for granted.
RELIGIOUS CORPORATIONS can be very stupid for the same manipulations.