The LuLac Edition #1164, Apr. 26th, 2010

PHOTO INDEX: "IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR" LOGO, REPRESENTATIVE JIM WANCZACH AND "NEW" COKE CIRCA 1985.

NEW COKE 25 YEARS ON

Twenty-five years ago Friday, Coca-Cola executives told the world that the old Coke formula was being jettisoned in favor of something called "New Coke." The ads said, you were gonna love it. We didn’t! I remember that spring day well. Coke was a major part of my life. I remember savoring those 10 cent bottles with the cold snappy taste. My friends preferred Pepsi but I always thought it had a soapy flavoring to it. Coke was my brand from the age of 10 when I broke away from the big bulky bottles of Shep’s Soda that came by the case every week. (6 colas, 2 orange, 2 cherry, 1 ginger ale and 1 7 up type). Now in my late 20s Coke was messing with my drink! Coming on the heels of my involvement with the Mondale for President campaign, I knew this was not going to end well. The story of New Coke is still taught in business schools, and not in a good way. Coke was anxious to fight off a challenge from Pepsi. They had forgotten the deep psychological connection with the brand like mine. They didn’t think that a soft drink could have memories. A connection. The result was perhaps the biggest marketing blunder of the century. Within days callers lodged thousands of calls to Coca-Cola headquarters and shoppers poured New Coke down gutters. After three months, the company acknowledged its mistake. It reintroduced the "classic" formula in May of 1985. It remains the top-selling soda in the U.S. New Coke lingered on through the late 1990s. Now it is only a sad curiosity and bad memory for most of us. This week, Coca-Cola plans to add to its commemoration of the New Coke episode. Visitors to the World of Coca-Cola in downtown Atlanta can see the confidential document in which Coca-Cola's marketing research team says the new formula got high scores in taste tests -- proof that Coke should strike fast. There's a copy of remarks by then-Chairman Roberto Goizueta, who marked up the speech the night before New Coke's debut. And there's a lawsuit from riled fans of "Old Coke." Remnants of a major mistake made by business moguls and marketing blockheads. (Marketing professionals are like Human Resources people, any idiot can do it). The lesson learned is as old as human nature and commerce itself, yet no one has learned it. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. Here's a Coke commercial I used to watch on TV Bandstand aired every Saturday night at 6:30PM on WNEP TV with Sid Friedman.

O'MEARA KICK OFF

James O'Meara Sr. Republican Candidate for State Representative - Legislative District 121 officially kicks off his campaign Tuesday night at 7:30PM at GOP Headquarters, 41 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, PA Refreshments will be served. For more info, call 570-417-9518 or GOP HQ at 570-208-4671.

NEW WANSACZ AD

Jim Wansacz launched his second TV ad this week in his campaign for the state senate, focusing on his record of fighting to protect Pennsylvania from being a dumping ground for out-of-state trash. The 30-second ad, which will run over 1,000 times on broadcast and cable, highlights Jim's fight to give local communities more say regarding landfill issues and offers a testimonial from local resident Dana Pezzuti, who expresses her concern about living near a landfill and her support for Jim because of this fight. "During my career, I've always been willing to stand up to the powerful corporations to protect our environment" said Jim Wansacz. "As a state senator, I'll continue to fight for our communities against the big out-of-state waste companies who see Pennsylvania as a dumping ground."