1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: I guess what will what's that man go? So you 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,960 Speaker 1: know everyone in India's cricket crazy, right, So how do 3 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: you mean? Well, in India, like growing up, if you 4 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:10,160 Speaker 1: went to almost any kids home, they figured out some 5 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:12,720 Speaker 1: way to play mini cricket in their bedroom or their 6 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: hallway or the alley next to the house or wherever, Like, 7 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:18,880 Speaker 1: no matter the space, there's a tiny battened ball and 8 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: a set of home rules people have for when you 9 00:00:20,880 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: come over. My point is crickets a total national obsession. Yeah, 10 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 1: And I know we've talked about this a little bit before, 11 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:29,000 Speaker 1: you know, as opposed to hear where there's so many 12 00:00:29,040 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: proteins and college boards that that compete for all of 13 00:00:32,040 --> 00:00:34,520 Speaker 1: our attention. Right. So that's just background for the story 14 00:00:34,560 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: I wanted to tell you. When I was in India 15 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: in two thousand three, my uncle poured me a glass 16 00:00:38,760 --> 00:00:41,599 Speaker 1: of Pepsi blue and I thought, that's weird, Like they 17 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:43,560 Speaker 1: sold it for a year or two in the States before. 18 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: But I had no idea that the blueberry flavor would 19 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: translate to India. So I asked, they make Pepsi blue here? 20 00:00:50,040 --> 00:00:52,879 Speaker 1: And my uncle's in advertising and super aware of campaigns, 21 00:00:52,920 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 1: and he said Oh yeah, Pepsi made the special blue 22 00:00:55,360 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: drink just to support India's cricket team. Yeah, so like India, 23 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 1: his team wears blue. So the ad story when they 24 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: introduced Pepsi Blue there was that Pepsi made this blue 25 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 1: drink just for the Indian market and all over like 26 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,000 Speaker 1: all these cricket fans were happily guzzling the stuff like 27 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:14,319 Speaker 1: out of some sort of warped patriotism. But obviously it 28 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: was like this clever way to one up Coke and 29 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: endear themselves to the market as they were phasing out 30 00:01:19,520 --> 00:01:22,319 Speaker 1: the beverage abroad. But the whole thing made me think 31 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 1: of the Cola Wars and the lens Pepsi and Coke 32 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:27,440 Speaker 1: go to to outdo one another all over the world. 33 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: And that's what today's show is all about. Yeah, welcome 34 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: to part time Genius sim Will Pearson And as always 35 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:54,440 Speaker 1: I'm joined by my good friend Man Guesho Ticketer and 36 00:01:54,480 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: the man on the other side of the soundproof glass 37 00:01:56,640 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: wearing a beer helmet with a Coke on one side, 38 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:01,080 Speaker 1: and I think of Pepsi on the other as our 39 00:02:01,320 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: friend and producer Tristan McNeil Mango. I know we're going 40 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: to dig into the Cola Wars and and there's so 41 00:02:06,920 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: much good stuff here. Honestly, can't wait to talk about R. C. 42 00:02:10,360 --> 00:02:13,840 Speaker 1: Cola and Richard Nixon and of course the official soda 43 00:02:13,919 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 1: of the KKK. Honestly, there's so much good stuff we 44 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: had to leave on the cutting room floor, Like, we'll 45 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:22,200 Speaker 1: probably have to revisit this topic. I honestly, I hope 46 00:02:22,200 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 1: we do. But before we get to any of that, 47 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:26,920 Speaker 1: we should probably handle a couple of quick corrections and 48 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: notes from readers. So let's start here. There was one 49 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:32,360 Speaker 1: that we got that the most comments about this was 50 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:34,920 Speaker 1: your reading of the word pasty. Notice how I just 51 00:02:34,960 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: said it right, and your dog breed or regional treat quiz. 52 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 1: It was in the Dog Show episode a week or 53 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 1: so ago. Yeah, so I thought it was pronounced pasty 54 00:02:44,040 --> 00:02:47,280 Speaker 1: like the nipple covering in a burlesque show. But apparently 55 00:02:47,320 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: it's passed in and I think both here in Patterson 56 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,320 Speaker 1: and Babs Johnson visage where we're the first to correct us, 57 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: and and also about our misuse of the word youper 58 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: So if you do messages with your addresses, we will 59 00:02:58,520 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: pony express you a T shirt. I like how it's 60 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:03,799 Speaker 1: possible that you mispronounced both of their names. They definitely 61 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:06,560 Speaker 1: they may have to issue another correction of that. All right, 62 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:09,560 Speaker 1: And speaking of geography eras, we also made a minor 63 00:03:09,600 --> 00:03:12,120 Speaker 1: gaff in our Theme Parks episode where we told readers 64 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:16,080 Speaker 1: that eth Link theme Park is in Amsterdam. It's actually 65 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: about an hour and fifteen minutes south of the city. 66 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:21,560 Speaker 1: I love this that we hear from listeners on this 67 00:03:21,639 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: So so if you traveled all the way to Amsterdam 68 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,400 Speaker 1: and you've been wandering around the city looking for a 69 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,359 Speaker 1: theme park, we are so so so sorry, but also 70 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:33,239 Speaker 1: kind of laughing at that. So the Twitter user juiced 71 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:36,040 Speaker 1: over wrote in about that, So hit us up with 72 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: your address, juiceton, and we'll send you a shirt too. 73 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: And of course, for all you other listeners, if you 74 00:03:40,760 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: don't happen to get our attention on Facebook or Twitter, 75 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 1: you can always hit us up at part Time Genius 76 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 1: at how stuff works dot com or on our seven 77 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 1: fact hotline one eight four four pt genius, both of 78 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: which we checked constantly, and that fact hotline is still 79 00:03:55,640 --> 00:03:59,080 Speaker 1: seven right, Stevenesome, that's so exciting. Alright, So, Mago, I 80 00:03:59,080 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: know you and I don't love war, but there there 81 00:04:01,480 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: is one exception to this. We love Cola Wars, and 82 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:06,480 Speaker 1: when it comes down to it, I know you and 83 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: I both fall in the coke camp. As you know, 84 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: I'm also a diet Mountain Dew fan, but I've never 85 00:04:11,920 --> 00:04:14,400 Speaker 1: asked there are there other sodas that you like? Well, 86 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:17,880 Speaker 1: I'm certainly a coke loyalist, though I'm also a huge 87 00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:20,440 Speaker 1: root beer fan. Like as a kid, I remember thinking 88 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,920 Speaker 1: it was the ultimate treat, like Snoopy drank it, Dennis 89 00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:26,719 Speaker 1: the Menace, all my heroes. And I also had this 90 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:28,520 Speaker 1: dream that someday when I grew up, i'd have a 91 00:04:28,600 --> 00:04:30,880 Speaker 1: root beer seller in my house, just filled with different 92 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,839 Speaker 1: types of chilled root beer. That's nice, And this actually 93 00:04:33,920 --> 00:04:36,520 Speaker 1: came true, right, don't you have a root beer? Absolutely 94 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:38,960 Speaker 1: a bunch of kid dreaming. I'm guessing the root beer 95 00:04:39,000 --> 00:04:41,560 Speaker 1: seller was smacked between your comic book library and your 96 00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:44,279 Speaker 1: indoor petting zoo, but both of which you actually have 97 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: now as well. That's true. But the thing is, I 98 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:50,560 Speaker 1: actually do love sodas. And it sounds ridiculous, but I 99 00:04:50,560 --> 00:04:52,960 Speaker 1: actually like the fizziness when you first poured into a 100 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,359 Speaker 1: glass and you feel those little bubbles popping up against 101 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:58,039 Speaker 1: your face, it is that ridiculous, but that's what I 102 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:00,640 Speaker 1: love about it. And I like the soda reminds me 103 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,880 Speaker 1: of my childhood, and and also like I'm fascinated by 104 00:05:03,920 --> 00:05:07,640 Speaker 1: new flavors. I love spicy cola variations like thumbs Up 105 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:10,680 Speaker 1: from India, and I dig trying weird fruity sodas from 106 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 1: other countries. But I think part of the reason I've 107 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:16,279 Speaker 1: always like Coke so much is that the brandings always 108 00:05:16,279 --> 00:05:18,840 Speaker 1: appeal to me. Like my family used to be time 109 00:05:18,960 --> 00:05:22,119 Speaker 1: more the newsweek family, and and uh, they like rolling 110 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: Stone over spin, and we've generally preferred the classic version 111 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,520 Speaker 1: of things. Well, actually, since you mentioned that branding is 112 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: probably a good place to start with this, and you 113 00:05:31,560 --> 00:05:33,640 Speaker 1: and I have done so many coke and pepsi origin 114 00:05:33,760 --> 00:05:36,120 Speaker 1: stories over the years that I don't think either one 115 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:38,800 Speaker 1: of us that want to get into the beginnings and 116 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: talk about cocaine and the drinks and all that stuff. 117 00:05:41,080 --> 00:05:43,279 Speaker 1: I mean, it's interesting, but we've talked a lot about it. 118 00:05:43,360 --> 00:05:45,960 Speaker 1: So for this episode, we're definitely more interested in the 119 00:05:46,000 --> 00:05:48,719 Speaker 1: fights between them. Sure, but why don't we give just 120 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: like a one sense background about them. So both drinks, 121 00:05:52,080 --> 00:05:55,039 Speaker 1: as most people know, started as tonics for ailments. Coke, 122 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: which launched in eight six, did have wine in it 123 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,719 Speaker 1: originally and cocaine, and eventually it lost those sinful qualities 124 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:04,239 Speaker 1: by prohibition. It was playing itself up as the great 125 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:07,240 Speaker 1: national temperance beverage. And and the fact that it was 126 00:06:07,279 --> 00:06:09,920 Speaker 1: the right color Damasca's shot of whiskey like that didn't 127 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:12,840 Speaker 1: hurt well. And of course Pepsi wasn't that far behind. 128 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:16,279 Speaker 1: It launched in eight this was in North Carolina, and 129 00:06:16,320 --> 00:06:18,920 Speaker 1: it has a similar background as a tonic aside from 130 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:21,680 Speaker 1: the whole cocaine did. But all right, but back to 131 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:23,919 Speaker 1: the branding that the thing that surprised me, and this 132 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:26,840 Speaker 1: kept coming up in our research, was how Coke has 133 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:31,080 Speaker 1: always marketed itself as a wholesome and nostalgic brand, and 134 00:06:31,080 --> 00:06:33,240 Speaker 1: they've been playing up this idea that by taking a 135 00:06:33,279 --> 00:06:35,840 Speaker 1: sip you can pause and revel in the American way 136 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:38,640 Speaker 1: of life forever, and that Pepsi has always been on 137 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: the other side of America. You know, this new, energetic, 138 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: maybe even rebellious choice. Yeah, it's it's the choice of 139 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:47,839 Speaker 1: a new generation. I mean, I know Coke was served 140 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:50,240 Speaker 1: on the front lines of battles and it aligned itself 141 00:06:50,279 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: with war efforts, and they also helped popularize how Santa 142 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:56,480 Speaker 1: Claus looks like. Santa wasn't always depicted as this jolly 143 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:59,120 Speaker 1: man wearing red and in early cartoons he could be 144 00:06:59,200 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: skinny and kind of scary looking and even gnome like. 145 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:05,599 Speaker 1: But we should talk about why Coke was drawing Santa later, 146 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:08,159 Speaker 1: because it was like this ingenious way to get people 147 00:07:08,160 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 1: to drink this refreshing summertime beverage in the winter. But 148 00:07:11,680 --> 00:07:13,480 Speaker 1: why do you think they stuck to this idea of 149 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:16,760 Speaker 1: American wholesomeness. I was actually kind of wondering the same thing, 150 00:07:16,840 --> 00:07:19,320 Speaker 1: and you know, part of it's due to the association 151 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 1: with prohibition. But then I heard this Planet Money on 152 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: on how coke managed to sell for the same price 153 00:07:25,240 --> 00:07:27,680 Speaker 1: for so many years. Have you heard this episode? I mean, 154 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: I love the show, but I haven't heard that. What's 155 00:07:29,320 --> 00:07:32,600 Speaker 1: the story? It's amazing. So so for seventy years, from 156 00:07:32,600 --> 00:07:36,040 Speaker 1: eighteen eighty six until the nineteen fifties, the price of 157 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 1: coke never changed, and you think about what's gone on 158 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: in that time. You had a couple of world wars, 159 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:43,960 Speaker 1: a financial crash, along with the Roaring twenties and some 160 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 1: other prosperity. So there was a lot of up and down, 161 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:49,920 Speaker 1: and so David caston Bomb and Planet Money tried to 162 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: figure out how cokes could sustain this price for so long. 163 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:55,920 Speaker 1: And so what's the answer. Why didn't they raise the 164 00:07:55,920 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 1: price from nickel when they needed to? Well, this all 165 00:07:57,960 --> 00:08:00,680 Speaker 1: goes back to Asa Candler, who own Coke for a 166 00:08:00,680 --> 00:08:03,200 Speaker 1: while and went on to become mayor of Atlanta. And 167 00:08:03,640 --> 00:08:06,880 Speaker 1: before he realized it'd be worth anything, Candler signed away 168 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:09,160 Speaker 1: the bottling rights to a franchise e. You know, he 169 00:08:09,520 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 1: was thinking the real business would always be at the 170 00:08:11,880 --> 00:08:15,280 Speaker 1: soda fountains, and he really didn't see bowling becoming much 171 00:08:15,320 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: of a business. So the price listed on the contract 172 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,320 Speaker 1: had no end date. It was in perpetuity. That's odd. 173 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:23,840 Speaker 1: So Coke could never really make more money by upping 174 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:25,960 Speaker 1: the price of their syrup. Yeah, that's right. So so 175 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: they had to sell the syrup at a fixed price. 176 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 1: And they also couldn't control the prices people were selling 177 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:33,679 Speaker 1: bottle cokes for Like, if someone wanted to sell a 178 00:08:33,720 --> 00:08:36,280 Speaker 1: bottle of coke for seven cents, there wasn't much they 179 00:08:36,280 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: could do to stop them. But to take power back, 180 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:42,480 Speaker 1: they did this ingenious thing. They started putting up advertising 181 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:45,560 Speaker 1: everywhere that the price of a coke was five cents. 182 00:08:45,840 --> 00:08:48,800 Speaker 1: So I've actually seen old coke memorabilia that had coke 183 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: just five cents on it. Yeah, that's because they slapped 184 00:08:51,520 --> 00:08:55,680 Speaker 1: it everywhere. This was on signs and buildings, billboards, everywhere 185 00:08:55,679 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 1: they could think to put it. So their philosophy was, 186 00:08:58,440 --> 00:09:00,800 Speaker 1: you know, they couldn't tell bottlers how much to sell 187 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:03,680 Speaker 1: coke for, but they could tell buyers how much to 188 00:09:03,800 --> 00:09:06,920 Speaker 1: expect a bottle for. So if anyone tried to up 189 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:09,240 Speaker 1: the cost, the savvy coke drinker would know that they 190 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:11,920 Speaker 1: were being fleeced. So how does this help Coke? Well 191 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:14,240 Speaker 1: in a couple of ways. So first off, since the 192 00:09:14,280 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: cost they could sell syrup to bottlers was fixed, the 193 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 1: only way they could make more money was to sell 194 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 1: more coke, and so a national campaign advertising everywhere was 195 00:09:24,040 --> 00:09:26,840 Speaker 1: the only way to speed that up. It's what Coke 196 00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 1: is invested in from early on and why they've always 197 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: had this coherent ad strategy. But secondly, and this is 198 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 1: what we were getting to initially with the wholesomeness. When 199 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 1: when you're doing all this advertising and you're appealing to 200 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:42,880 Speaker 1: all of America from the nineteen hundreds on the easiest 201 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:46,800 Speaker 1: way to sell is is very wholesome, but emotional campaign 202 00:09:47,240 --> 00:09:50,040 Speaker 1: and nostalgia is perfect for that. I mean, this is 203 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:52,560 Speaker 1: my take on it at least. And actually there's so 204 00:09:52,679 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: much good stuff and the Planet Money episode that I 205 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:57,480 Speaker 1: don't want to spoil it for you. From how Coke 206 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 1: maintain the prices soda fountains to what this to do 207 00:10:00,400 --> 00:10:04,600 Speaker 1: with the gold standards. It's a crazy story. But actually 208 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:06,319 Speaker 1: there is one more fact I want to tell you. 209 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:09,199 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, what's that? Well, when Coke wanted to finally 210 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:12,320 Speaker 1: up the price after seventy years of charging five cents, 211 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:14,760 Speaker 1: their vending machines only took nickels, so they had to 212 00:10:14,840 --> 00:10:17,640 Speaker 1: figure something out. But the company didn't want to raise 213 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:20,200 Speaker 1: the price to ten cents, so they came up with 214 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:23,920 Speaker 1: this evil, genius way to up the price in their machines. 215 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: Every ninth bottle distributed was called an official blank, and 216 00:10:27,840 --> 00:10:31,480 Speaker 1: it was just an empty souvenir bottle. So it was 217 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:33,800 Speaker 1: like Coke Roulette and it might just come up empty 218 00:10:33,800 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: for you. Basically, eight people in a row would get 219 00:10:36,520 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 1: cokes and then the ninth would be empty. I mean, 220 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 1: how ridiculous. And the executives were stoked because it up 221 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 1: the price of a coke from five cents to a 222 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 1: little more than six cents, but fans thought it was idiotic, 223 00:10:49,840 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 1: and the company quickly stopped. Obviously. Yeah, so I've got 224 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:55,600 Speaker 1: to say I'm I'm not a huge Pepsi drinker, but 225 00:10:55,960 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 1: some of their early history is really fascinating to me too. Alright, 226 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:01,400 Speaker 1: we'll tell us a little bit about that. Well, this 227 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:03,920 Speaker 1: is actually in pure contrast to what you're talking about. 228 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: So unlike coke, which generally had the backing of the 229 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:10,880 Speaker 1: temperance movement and supplied the troops and survived the Great Depression, 230 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:15,880 Speaker 1: all without changing its price, which honestly is remarkable, Pepsi struggled. 231 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:18,880 Speaker 1: Like there were a few highlights along the way, Pepsi 232 00:11:18,920 --> 00:11:21,719 Speaker 1: basically made inroads by selling their product for cheaper. The 233 00:11:22,080 --> 00:11:25,320 Speaker 1: first national ad jingle this song called Nickel Nickel, which 234 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:28,920 Speaker 1: was animated and so popular it became this hit single. 235 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:31,760 Speaker 1: But it also promoted the fact that Pepsi was a deal. 236 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:34,320 Speaker 1: It was a dimes worth a soda for Justin Nickel, 237 00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:37,240 Speaker 1: and the brand wanted to appeal to consumers on the budget. 238 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,920 Speaker 1: But what felt revolutionary to me about Pepsi was that 239 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:43,560 Speaker 1: in a few years after this guy named Walter mac 240 00:11:43,640 --> 00:11:47,120 Speaker 1: took over the company, Pepsi started hiring black college grads 241 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:50,520 Speaker 1: and targeting the black market in America, which is obviously 242 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:52,599 Speaker 1: very different from what Coke would have been doing and 243 00:11:52,920 --> 00:11:56,080 Speaker 1: would not have been part of their nostalgia campaign. Yeah, 244 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,240 Speaker 1: definitely not. And and to me, this is part of 245 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:01,640 Speaker 1: the identity Pepsi is going to take on exciting new 246 00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:05,959 Speaker 1: rebellious And remember this is seven years before Jackie Robinson 247 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:08,840 Speaker 1: had broken the color barrier in sports. And I should 248 00:12:08,920 --> 00:12:10,960 Speaker 1: tell you so most of the story comes from the 249 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:14,080 Speaker 1: real Pepsi Challenge, this wonderful book by Wall Street Journal 250 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:17,160 Speaker 1: reporter Stephanie Capparell, and she went out and found the 251 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:19,920 Speaker 1: interns and employees who ran and worked on the Quote 252 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:23,480 Speaker 1: Negro Markets team. But one of the things Caparell points 253 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:26,360 Speaker 1: out is that athletics were so much easier to integrate, 254 00:12:26,520 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 1: like you were picking one or two talented athletes to 255 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,720 Speaker 1: play in a game. And as heated as that was, 256 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 1: it didn't pose the same level of threat to America 257 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:37,920 Speaker 1: that giving away white collar jobs to qualified black employees 258 00:12:37,960 --> 00:12:41,000 Speaker 1: seemed to. And to be clear, PEPSI being the cheaper 259 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 1: soda was already the preferred black beverage. But once Mac 260 00:12:44,679 --> 00:12:48,240 Speaker 1: hired this team, Pepsi started doing these really innovative things, 261 00:12:48,280 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 1: like they start using black models and ads like almost 262 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:54,240 Speaker 1: a decade before Coke and before anyone really, And they 263 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:58,120 Speaker 1: also featured black college graduates in their campaigns, associating Pepsi 264 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:00,960 Speaker 1: with black excellence, and they showed his middle class black 265 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:04,120 Speaker 1: families having fun. They basically go against all the Aunt 266 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:07,640 Speaker 1: Jemima and Uncle Ben stereotyping that they referred to as 267 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:11,160 Speaker 1: slave in the box ads, and they shifted perceptions and 268 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:14,079 Speaker 1: the impact is felt everywhere right like, so Pepsi ads 269 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:17,679 Speaker 1: and magazines and sponsored sections celebrating black achievements start getting 270 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:21,360 Speaker 1: used in classrooms and colleges, and the team does almost 271 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:24,320 Speaker 1: too good a job, like everywhere they go, and they 272 00:13:24,360 --> 00:13:28,360 Speaker 1: went to black churches, colleges, civic centers, and of course 273 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:31,960 Speaker 1: bottling plants. Everywhere they go. They're successful. And to me, 274 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:34,920 Speaker 1: this is really where the color War starts, because Pepsi 275 00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:38,360 Speaker 1: starts out selling Coke and bottle form, and Coke's contracts 276 00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:40,560 Speaker 1: with the government and fountain shops keep them ahead. But 277 00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:43,920 Speaker 1: the team is so good that Pepsi's Walter Mac, who 278 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: is a liberal and and truly believes in integration, but 279 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 1: he's really a businessman. First, he has to go out 280 00:13:49,880 --> 00:13:52,840 Speaker 1: and separate himself from the black market saying and he 281 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 1: uses the most harmful words, words we're not going to 282 00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 1: say on this program, but he basically tells the white 283 00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:01,320 Speaker 1: audience of investors that Pepsi's asked rations are not going 284 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:04,440 Speaker 1: to be a black drink, and to balance this liberal perception, 285 00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:08,520 Speaker 1: they market themselves as Southern Goodness Wow, which is crazy. 286 00:14:08,559 --> 00:14:10,960 Speaker 1: But from my notes, Pepsi was already the number two 287 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:14,640 Speaker 1: coal in America, and this was even before Mac took over, right, Yeah, 288 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:18,120 Speaker 1: so they've grown under Charles guth who who owned Loft 289 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:20,720 Speaker 1: Candy Company and was looking for a cheaper fountain drink 290 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 1: than coke, so he bought the bankrupt Pepsi in one 291 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: and inserted the drink in his fountain shops and helped 292 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 1: it rise. But things really heated up after that period. 293 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:32,160 Speaker 1: That said, one thing I love is all the early 294 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:34,520 Speaker 1: knockoff colas that we're trying to compete around the time. 295 00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:37,160 Speaker 1: But we should probably break the chat with our special guests. 296 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:38,760 Speaker 1: But why don't you throw me a few of those 297 00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 1: before we do. Yeah, so cherocola, candy Cola, rock socola, 298 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:47,920 Speaker 1: Taca cola, cocla, it's acola kiss cola. There was even 299 00:14:47,960 --> 00:14:50,400 Speaker 1: a cocola. I don't think there's any way they could 300 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 1: get away with that thing now. Actually, the dumbest I 301 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 1: read about was this cola meant to appeal to fans 302 00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:57,640 Speaker 1: of the KKK after Birth of a Nation came out. 303 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:02,240 Speaker 1: It was this niche beverage called glue cocola. It's so weird, 304 00:15:02,320 --> 00:15:05,720 Speaker 1: like three k's obviously, but I mean, between the hood 305 00:15:05,880 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: and the burning crosses and all that sweltering summer heat, 306 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:11,280 Speaker 1: what better way to cool down than when ice cold 307 00:15:11,320 --> 00:15:14,480 Speaker 1: Cluca cola? So stupid? You know, I really hope you 308 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:17,120 Speaker 1: gave an all white can good question. But well, while 309 00:15:17,120 --> 00:15:18,800 Speaker 1: we looked that up, why don't we pause for a break. 310 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:28,720 Speaker 1: Our guest today is John Nice. He's the owner of 311 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:32,680 Speaker 1: pretty much as soda mecca that people actually make pilgrimages too. 312 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:36,080 Speaker 1: It's it's called Galcos Soda pop stop in Los Angeles, 313 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:40,000 Speaker 1: and John stocks his aisles with over seven hundred incredible 314 00:15:40,000 --> 00:15:44,160 Speaker 1: flavors of fizzy beverages. So John, welcome to Part time genius. 315 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 1: Well thank you very much. So when did you first 316 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:50,240 Speaker 1: get obsessed with SODA's? Oh you know, when I was 317 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:53,080 Speaker 1: a little kid, my uncle came up to the to 318 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:57,160 Speaker 1: the holiday I think it was a Thanksgiving holiday dinner 319 00:15:57,520 --> 00:16:01,800 Speaker 1: and and he opened these courts bottles of Clicko Club. 320 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 1: He put them on the table and then he told 321 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:08,120 Speaker 1: us you can't have any until you finish everything on 322 00:16:08,200 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 1: your plate. Well that was pretty depressing for a little 323 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:16,520 Speaker 1: kid that never had an opportunity to drink any Sauda's before. 324 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 1: And and that's really about the place that it began. 325 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:24,800 Speaker 1: And then when I was a little older, I went 326 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:27,680 Speaker 1: to work with my father and the big deal was 327 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:31,640 Speaker 1: having a Dad's root beer for lunch every single day. 328 00:16:32,800 --> 00:16:37,360 Speaker 1: Why did uh Galco start specializing in carbonated beverages? Oh well, 329 00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:39,440 Speaker 1: all you know, we we've been doing this about eighteen 330 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:42,120 Speaker 1: nineteen years now. And we said we started all of this, 331 00:16:42,640 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: and what happened was we were going broke. What's really 332 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:49,080 Speaker 1: interesting about going broke is no matter what you do, 333 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 1: you can't make a bad decision. They're all they're all 334 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 1: winning decisions. You can't make a bad decision. And the 335 00:16:56,800 --> 00:17:00,160 Speaker 1: pepsicole of what had happened was the chain store as 336 00:17:00,160 --> 00:17:03,040 Speaker 1: had bought the distribution channels for the little markets and 337 00:17:03,080 --> 00:17:06,040 Speaker 1: they closed them down, and when they reopened them, everything 338 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:08,679 Speaker 1: was like ten to fifteen dollars a case more expensive. 339 00:17:09,080 --> 00:17:11,280 Speaker 1: And what they were really doing was getting rid of 340 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:15,600 Speaker 1: the cap on supermarket pricing, because if the supermarkets sold 341 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:17,680 Speaker 1: their products for more than a little mom and pop, 342 00:17:17,840 --> 00:17:21,679 Speaker 1: everybody knew they were charging too much. What happened was 343 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:25,480 Speaker 1: we um went out and we're looking for something to do, 344 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:29,720 Speaker 1: and we decided on on soda pop. You know, there 345 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:31,960 Speaker 1: the coke and Pepsi had bought all the shelf space 346 00:17:32,000 --> 00:17:35,520 Speaker 1: and the supermarkets and there was no choice. And the 347 00:17:35,560 --> 00:17:37,440 Speaker 1: Pepsi Cola man came in. He said, I'm going to 348 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:39,000 Speaker 1: give you the best buyer. If you're going to get 349 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 1: on a palette of Pepsi cola cans, I'm only going 350 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:44,000 Speaker 1: to charge you five nine a case. And I looked 351 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:45,399 Speaker 1: at him and I said, how much pass am I 352 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:47,439 Speaker 1: going to make on that hundred case pellet? And he said, oh, 353 00:17:47,440 --> 00:17:49,439 Speaker 1: about thirty dollars And I said, well, thank you, but 354 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:51,760 Speaker 1: no thank you. I'm going to send my customers down 355 00:17:51,760 --> 00:17:54,520 Speaker 1: to the supermarket down the street. They're on sale down 356 00:17:54,560 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 1: there for dollar nine. Well back. He looked at me 357 00:17:57,520 --> 00:18:00,000 Speaker 1: and he says, you can't do that. Pepsi colas advance 358 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:02,200 Speaker 1: and I, I mean, your customers are gonna demand did 359 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 1: you carry Pepsi cola? And I said, well, my customers 360 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:06,240 Speaker 1: they would be happy. I was honest with him and 361 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:07,600 Speaker 1: tell him they can buy him toeper and I can 362 00:18:07,640 --> 00:18:09,760 Speaker 1: buy him. Why do you want to buy him from me? Well, 363 00:18:09,800 --> 00:18:11,840 Speaker 1: he turned around and walked out. And the next day 364 00:18:11,840 --> 00:18:14,600 Speaker 1: he came in with his regional manager and his area manager. 365 00:18:15,119 --> 00:18:18,800 Speaker 1: They walked around, they looked, never said a word to me, 366 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:22,360 Speaker 1: walked out, never came back. And boy was I angry. 367 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:24,640 Speaker 1: I was so angry. Nobody in here could talk to me. 368 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:28,840 Speaker 1: And about two weeks later, the light bulb clicked on 369 00:18:28,880 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 1: and said, you know what, you ought to thank Pepsi 370 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:32,959 Speaker 1: coal of reminding you that you own your shelf space. 371 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:35,679 Speaker 1: They don't, and you can sell anything you want. And 372 00:18:35,840 --> 00:18:38,560 Speaker 1: that's when I started looking for sodas and I found 373 00:18:38,560 --> 00:18:41,479 Speaker 1: twenty five little independent brands. Right off the bat. They 374 00:18:41,480 --> 00:18:44,800 Speaker 1: were still in glass bottles, they were still using cane sugar, 375 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:48,560 Speaker 1: and they were delicious. They weren't like the cook and 376 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:51,840 Speaker 1: pepsis of the world were using. All corns are up 377 00:18:51,840 --> 00:18:54,879 Speaker 1: and really dull and flavor. And I know that everybody's 378 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:57,760 Speaker 1: taste is different, but are are there any flavors You've 379 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:00,640 Speaker 1: been skeptical about it first, but have been really surprised 380 00:19:00,640 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 1: by after you tasted them. Well as a cola. Yes, Um, 381 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:09,199 Speaker 1: there was this call and it was called Stiffy, and 382 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:13,800 Speaker 1: I'm looking at it. I'm going, h I don't know 383 00:19:13,920 --> 00:19:17,320 Speaker 1: about this. I really don't know about it. And then 384 00:19:17,359 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 1: I tasted it. It was lemon cola. It was so 385 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:23,760 Speaker 1: crisp and clean. I mean it became a fan very 386 00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 1: very soon. And then there was another one. You know, 387 00:19:27,400 --> 00:19:31,080 Speaker 1: like everybody's familiar with phentaments from England, and that's actually 388 00:19:31,119 --> 00:19:34,920 Speaker 1: a ginger cola and it's rude like a beer. And 389 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:37,600 Speaker 1: somebody in the New York Times about ten fifteen years 390 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:41,040 Speaker 1: ago called it the best cola ever made. And it's 391 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:44,320 Speaker 1: very good, don't get me wrong. But I started wondering 392 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:49,119 Speaker 1: how many coals had he ever tasted. This episode has 393 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:52,159 Speaker 1: been mostly about the wars between Coke and Pepsi, but 394 00:19:52,160 --> 00:19:54,000 Speaker 1: we we should have done an episode on on the 395 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:58,000 Speaker 1: wars between Pepsi and John nice. That sounds like, oh well, 396 00:19:58,040 --> 00:19:59,880 Speaker 1: come on in here. I got a letter from them 397 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,159 Speaker 1: said they were gonna sue me, oh no, for carrying 398 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:07,879 Speaker 1: cola from Mexico. And this is before they started making 399 00:20:07,880 --> 00:20:11,800 Speaker 1: it there. And I said, you know, we're gonna sue you. 400 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:15,040 Speaker 1: And I said for what, Well, you're selling Mexican pepsi 401 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:18,040 Speaker 1: And I said, and I started laughing that the assourney. 402 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:21,000 Speaker 1: You saw that from some big law firm, Patty something 403 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:25,119 Speaker 1: or another in Chicago. And I said, I said, you 404 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:27,920 Speaker 1: gotta be kidding. Everybody in Los Angeles has pepsi cola 405 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:31,879 Speaker 1: from from Mexico. And he says, yeah, but you're getting 406 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:36,120 Speaker 1: the publicity, so we're gonna sue you. And I said, look, 407 00:20:37,359 --> 00:20:40,840 Speaker 1: what do you want? Oh well, I just said, send 408 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:42,840 Speaker 1: me a letter, that's all. You gotta send me a 409 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:45,680 Speaker 1: letter I wanted in writing. He sent me a letter, 410 00:20:45,840 --> 00:20:47,879 Speaker 1: so I framed it and put it on the wall. Well, 411 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:50,080 Speaker 1: I did want to ask, you know, you were talking 412 00:20:50,119 --> 00:20:54,280 Speaker 1: about these family owned soda creators that put their products 413 00:20:54,280 --> 00:20:57,200 Speaker 1: and glass bottles. What makes a glass bottle so much better? 414 00:20:58,040 --> 00:21:01,399 Speaker 1: The way product goes into a glass bottle is the 415 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:05,200 Speaker 1: way the product comes out. It has a much longer 416 00:21:05,280 --> 00:21:10,040 Speaker 1: shelf life, and it holds the carbonation. Everything is held 417 00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:14,200 Speaker 1: much better. Um, if you put it in plastic, it leaks. 418 00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:17,119 Speaker 1: If you put it in an aluminum, aluminum leaks. You know. 419 00:21:17,200 --> 00:21:19,320 Speaker 1: I get a big kick out of listening to these 420 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: beer companies tell you how great the beer cans are 421 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:26,000 Speaker 1: today because they're lined. Well, I want you to know 422 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:29,879 Speaker 1: the beer cans have always been lined with the protective coating. 423 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:32,919 Speaker 1: But that doesn't keep the beer earth or the soda 424 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:35,000 Speaker 1: pop or whatever it is in it from eating through 425 00:21:35,040 --> 00:21:39,880 Speaker 1: the lining. And it happens, and it tastes terrible. It 426 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:43,720 Speaker 1: winds up tasting like tin or aluminum, one of the two, 427 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:47,800 Speaker 1: or plastic. I don't care. But when things go into glass, 428 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:49,960 Speaker 1: the way they go in is the way they come out. 429 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:52,760 Speaker 1: I had a bottler called me about a year ago 430 00:21:53,240 --> 00:21:55,320 Speaker 1: and said that he found some of his ginger ale 431 00:21:55,520 --> 00:21:57,679 Speaker 1: that was made about thirty or forty years ago up 432 00:21:57,680 --> 00:22:00,399 Speaker 1: in the attic, a couple of bottles, and if the 433 00:22:00,400 --> 00:22:02,119 Speaker 1: young kid was going to throw him out, and he said, no, 434 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:04,440 Speaker 1: don't do that, just put him in a refrigerator. He 435 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:06,399 Speaker 1: put him in a refrigerator and he tasted them the 436 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:09,679 Speaker 1: next day, and they were really The young kid was 437 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:14,000 Speaker 1: very surprised that that it's still had flavor and it 438 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:17,320 Speaker 1: still tasted okay. I mean it wasn't great, but it 439 00:22:17,359 --> 00:22:20,720 Speaker 1: was okay. So I'm curious if you carry any of 440 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:23,400 Speaker 1: these novelty products that we sometimes see, Like we've read 441 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:26,479 Speaker 1: about this disgusting ranch soda, and I don't know if 442 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:28,480 Speaker 1: there's there's any of these that you decide to carry, 443 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:31,000 Speaker 1: or any of them that you actually like. No, I 444 00:22:31,119 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 1: don't carry them. You're gonna buy them one time and 445 00:22:33,840 --> 00:22:36,600 Speaker 1: you'll never buy him again. I don't have time or 446 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:39,199 Speaker 1: shall space enough she'll space to carry that kind of 447 00:22:39,200 --> 00:22:44,320 Speaker 1: a product. If you want to try something that's very different, okay, um, 448 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:46,880 Speaker 1: how about a spruce spirit that tastes like a pine tree. 449 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 1: One fellow walks and he tasted, and he goes, this 450 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,440 Speaker 1: is my new favorite soda. The next person that comes 451 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:54,959 Speaker 1: along and taste it says, this is the closest thing 452 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:59,359 Speaker 1: to drinking turpentine I have ever tasted, And then you 453 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:02,640 Speaker 1: take them a moxi if you sip it. The one 454 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:05,000 Speaker 1: we have is a cane sugar formula, not the corns 455 00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:07,959 Speaker 1: of versions that are made by Coca Cola. New England. 456 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,560 Speaker 1: Up in New England, um ours is actually a cane 457 00:23:11,560 --> 00:23:15,160 Speaker 1: sugar version. And if you sip it you may get 458 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:19,200 Speaker 1: a cola, root beer, cinnamon, vanilla, liquorice, black cherry flavor. 459 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:20,960 Speaker 1: You might get one, you might get two or three, 460 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: um the other and UM. You know, if you drink 461 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:31,480 Speaker 1: it like so like people drink sodas today, you're gonna 462 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 1: get carbon add cost medicine. So it just depends. There 463 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:38,119 Speaker 1: are such things as sipping sodas now, those type of things. 464 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:40,640 Speaker 1: I will say, you want to try it, you want 465 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 1: to know, you can try at one time. You never 466 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:45,159 Speaker 1: have to taste it again. So I've heard that you 467 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:48,159 Speaker 1: carry kosher coke, and and what makes the taste of 468 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:55,960 Speaker 1: kosher CoA so special? Well number one Coca Cola um 469 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:58,399 Speaker 1: has been trying to sell to me. I haven't carried 470 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:05,520 Speaker 1: kosher coke in since the last time. They wouldn't sell 471 00:24:05,560 --> 00:24:09,960 Speaker 1: me any They wouldn't sell me the kosher coke, and 472 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:14,480 Speaker 1: I finally they finally called me about four days before 473 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:18,760 Speaker 1: passover and said we have a palette. Would you like it? 474 00:24:19,720 --> 00:24:23,480 Speaker 1: And I said sure, I'll take it. And the kosher 475 00:24:23,560 --> 00:24:27,560 Speaker 1: coke is made with cane sugar. The coke. You know, 476 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,359 Speaker 1: in order to um, in order to be kosher, it 477 00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:32,639 Speaker 1: cannot have spout of sprouted grains. And if so, if 478 00:24:32,680 --> 00:24:36,399 Speaker 1: it's made with corn syrup, it'll be sprouted grain and 479 00:24:36,440 --> 00:24:41,320 Speaker 1: they can't have anything sprouted anyway. So I tasted, Oh 480 00:24:41,359 --> 00:24:45,600 Speaker 1: my goodness, honestly and truly, it was the Coca cor 481 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:48,840 Speaker 1: I remember from you know, thirty years before. It was 482 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:53,400 Speaker 1: just bang, it hit, and it went on. And then 483 00:24:53,880 --> 00:24:57,440 Speaker 1: about two weeks after passover, they went out of coat. 484 00:24:57,840 --> 00:24:59,280 Speaker 1: So they came in to pick them all up, and 485 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:02,360 Speaker 1: I wouldn't let them pick him up. I just said no, 486 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:07,280 Speaker 1: I said, this is Coca cola. The new here I got. 487 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:11,560 Speaker 1: I got kosher coke, and it wasn't the same. So John, Now, 488 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:13,840 Speaker 1: normally we threw our guests into a fun quiz, but 489 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:16,639 Speaker 1: because we really want a list of amazing sodas we 490 00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:18,639 Speaker 1: have to try, what we've decided to do is we're 491 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,280 Speaker 1: gonna do a speed round. We're gonna ask you to 492 00:25:21,359 --> 00:25:24,080 Speaker 1: name a great soda that we should try in that category, 493 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:26,159 Speaker 1: and we're gonna try to keep these fasts. So so 494 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:28,399 Speaker 1: give us a name and a one sentence on why 495 00:25:28,440 --> 00:25:30,560 Speaker 1: that's soda? If that sounds good to you. Are you 496 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:35,680 Speaker 1: ready far away? All right? How about a banana flavored soda? Yes, 497 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:39,240 Speaker 1: and it's called Troppy Call. They changed it from banana 498 00:25:39,320 --> 00:25:46,080 Speaker 1: in it a Tropi call and that tastes like um 499 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:51,120 Speaker 1: oh um, jolly rancher banana soda. How about cucumber next 500 00:25:51,160 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 1: on the list? Okay, Well, Cucumber actually won the Soda 501 00:25:55,119 --> 00:25:58,520 Speaker 1: the Year competition, and we had it five years before 502 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:00,800 Speaker 1: anybody else knew anything about it. Nobody would give him 503 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 1: a chance. And it's just incredible hours, just pops with flavor. 504 00:26:04,760 --> 00:26:08,000 Speaker 1: It's just crisp and clean. And we're still the only 505 00:26:08,000 --> 00:26:12,480 Speaker 1: ones to carry the original formula. It's called it's called 506 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:16,040 Speaker 1: Mr Cucumber, Mr Cucumber. I like that. Well, how about 507 00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:21,600 Speaker 1: your favorite flower flavored soda? The rose is still my favorite. 508 00:26:22,200 --> 00:26:25,720 Speaker 1: It's very light, very crisp, very delicate. When it first 509 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:29,040 Speaker 1: came on the market, Billy's from Romanian and he told 510 00:26:29,080 --> 00:26:32,400 Speaker 1: me he made it with Romanian rose petals and I'm thinking, oh, 511 00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: no perfume. And then he sent me some sample bottles 512 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:37,879 Speaker 1: and I wanted to know why. The people in the 513 00:26:37,960 --> 00:26:40,800 Speaker 1: United States has never been exposed to anything like this before. 514 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 1: It's just delicious. How about your favorite international soda. I 515 00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:49,800 Speaker 1: like the Africa from Germany. You know, Africa actually was 516 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:53,560 Speaker 1: here in and then about ten or fifteen years ago 517 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:56,480 Speaker 1: it went away for a while, and now it's back 518 00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 1: and it's a it's actually one of the first dry 519 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:02,399 Speaker 1: SODA's made. And then finally, how about your favorite soda 520 00:27:02,480 --> 00:27:06,160 Speaker 1: from a small family in the US. A bottler in Pennsylvania, 521 00:27:06,640 --> 00:27:11,280 Speaker 1: and they do a red ribbon Pennsylvania Punch. That's actually 522 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:16,480 Speaker 1: the original formula, Delaware Punch. And everybody out here has 523 00:27:16,520 --> 00:27:19,000 Speaker 1: been looking for Delaware punch. And of course it's now 524 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:21,600 Speaker 1: part of Coca Cola, and they only make it, I 525 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:25,359 Speaker 1: think in East Texas, and they used corn syrup and 526 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:27,399 Speaker 1: when you taste it, it burns the back of your 527 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:30,000 Speaker 1: throat and you'll throw it away. If you go to Mexico, 528 00:27:30,080 --> 00:27:34,280 Speaker 1: you'll find the Delaware punch from about Guadalajara South And 529 00:27:34,520 --> 00:27:38,160 Speaker 1: this is the original formula. The little bottler found the formula. 530 00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:40,399 Speaker 1: If I told you the story, you would laugh forever 531 00:27:40,480 --> 00:27:42,359 Speaker 1: on it. We'll have to hear that. Well. I hope 532 00:27:42,359 --> 00:27:44,399 Speaker 1: everyone who visits l A will get a chance to 533 00:27:44,440 --> 00:27:47,200 Speaker 1: stop by Galco's or purchase some of the amazing SODA's 534 00:27:47,200 --> 00:27:50,000 Speaker 1: online at Soda pop stop dot com. But John has 535 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:52,080 Speaker 1: been such a pleasure chatting with you. Thanks so much 536 00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:54,560 Speaker 1: for joining us on Part Time Genius. You're very welcome, 537 00:27:54,600 --> 00:28:07,840 Speaker 1: and thank you very much for calling. Welcome back to 538 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:10,080 Speaker 1: Part Time Genius. So before the break, we were talking 539 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:13,520 Speaker 1: about Pepsi making in roads in the African American community. 540 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:16,240 Speaker 1: And you know, it's funny to think about Pepsis supporting 541 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:19,760 Speaker 1: Beyonce while coke was a Taylor Swift drink. But it 542 00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:22,359 Speaker 1: isn't as clear cut as that. And for years you 543 00:28:22,400 --> 00:28:26,160 Speaker 1: were telling me that Pepsi was actually considered a Republican drink, right, Yeah, 544 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:29,480 Speaker 1: it's strange. So Pepsi first got known as a Republican 545 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:32,320 Speaker 1: brand when it gave money to Joseph McCarthy like, which 546 00:28:32,359 --> 00:28:36,000 Speaker 1: Hunt McCarthy, Yeah, the same. So Pepsi wasn't interested in 547 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:38,440 Speaker 1: his politics, but they were interested in the fact that 548 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:40,680 Speaker 1: he had a seat on the Sugar Committee. And when 549 00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:42,720 Speaker 1: it got out that Pepsi had paid him twenty thou 550 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:46,880 Speaker 1: dollars through a lobbyist, McCarthy defended himself by saying, quote, 551 00:28:47,120 --> 00:28:50,720 Speaker 1: I don't answer charges, I make them nice. Yeah, and 552 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:53,080 Speaker 1: he got the nickname the Pepsi Cola Kid after that. 553 00:28:53,160 --> 00:28:56,920 Speaker 1: But for the most part, presidents like FDR JFK. Carter 554 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:00,600 Speaker 1: mostly Democrats, with the exception of Eisenhower. They were all 555 00:29:00,680 --> 00:29:03,560 Speaker 1: loyal to Coca Cola. Johnson even had a button at 556 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:06,360 Speaker 1: his Oval office desk that dispensed coke for him. But 557 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:09,280 Speaker 1: you were saying before that Nixon was a Pepsi man. Yeah, 558 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:12,040 Speaker 1: he definitely was. And I didn't know any of this 559 00:29:12,120 --> 00:29:14,400 Speaker 1: before we did the show, but this might be my 560 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:17,360 Speaker 1: favorite story in here. When he was VP, Nixon was 561 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:20,560 Speaker 1: pals with this guy, Donald Kendall, who's this executive Pepsi 562 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:23,120 Speaker 1: at the time, and it's unclear whether there was money 563 00:29:23,120 --> 00:29:26,720 Speaker 1: being exchanged or not, but they're definitely good friends. And Kendall, 564 00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:30,000 Speaker 1: who isn't supposed to be there, finds his way to Russia, 565 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:31,960 Speaker 1: where Nixon is about to meet with Kristef for the 566 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:36,040 Speaker 1: famous Kitchen debates, and before the event, Kendall tells Nixon 567 00:29:36,400 --> 00:29:38,560 Speaker 1: it'd be great for Pepsi if a bottle could find 568 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:42,760 Speaker 1: its way into Christof's hands, and Nixon says, quote, don't worry, 569 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,360 Speaker 1: I'll do it, and he does. Like he actually convinces 570 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:49,720 Speaker 1: Kristef to take a swig of Pepsi, and Pepsi of 571 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:51,920 Speaker 1: course gloats about this because the picture ends up on 572 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:54,400 Speaker 1: the front page of American papers and papers all over 573 00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:56,959 Speaker 1: the globe, and it seems like they've taken it to 574 00:29:57,040 --> 00:30:01,040 Speaker 1: the USSR and Christef's finally getting a taste of democracy. 575 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:04,600 Speaker 1: But then it gets crazier that well, Nixon loses a 576 00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:07,040 Speaker 1: bid for the presidency in nineteen sixty and then one 577 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:10,360 Speaker 1: for California governor in nineteen sixty two, so he's wondering 578 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:12,800 Speaker 1: if he even has a shot in politics anymore, though 579 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:15,560 Speaker 1: he's still clearly ambitious, and he goes looking for a 580 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:19,080 Speaker 1: law job. He wants something prestigious and pays well, but 581 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 1: it has to be part time so he can still 582 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:24,440 Speaker 1: campaign and test the waters. And his boy Donald Kendall 583 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:27,280 Speaker 1: hasn't forgotten him. So Kendall spreads the word that any 584 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:31,520 Speaker 1: law firm that picks up Nixon will win Pepsi's business, 585 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:33,920 Speaker 1: and then Pepsi partly pays for Nixon to go on 586 00:30:33,960 --> 00:30:37,120 Speaker 1: a world tour, and at every spot he visits and 587 00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:40,600 Speaker 1: meets with prime ministers and presidents, he's not only appearing 588 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:43,640 Speaker 1: on newsreel and and he looks presidential which is great 589 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:46,400 Speaker 1: for his upcoming campaign, but he opens the door for 590 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:49,560 Speaker 1: Pepsi to enter each of those markets. And when Nixon 591 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:52,680 Speaker 1: enters the White House in his first month, he appoints 592 00:30:52,840 --> 00:30:56,040 Speaker 1: Kendall head of the National Alliance of Businessmen. He helps 593 00:30:56,040 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 1: smooth the deal with the Soviets where we trade Pepsi 594 00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:01,360 Speaker 1: bottling rights for vodka, and he switches out all the 595 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:04,120 Speaker 1: Coke products in the White House for Pepsi, something that 596 00:31:04,120 --> 00:31:07,080 Speaker 1: doesn't get reversed until Jimmy Carter comes into office. Wow. 597 00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:08,600 Speaker 1: And you know, I mean, I guess none of this 598 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:12,960 Speaker 1: is illegal, but it definitely feels ethically murky. Well, being 599 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:15,960 Speaker 1: in with politicians is a good strategy, especially when you're 600 00:31:16,000 --> 00:31:19,120 Speaker 1: at war. And and Coke and Pepsi definitely were all right. 601 00:31:19,240 --> 00:31:21,840 Speaker 1: So so we haven't talked as much about Coke's dominance, 602 00:31:21,880 --> 00:31:24,720 Speaker 1: and they've clearly used the same, if if not maybe 603 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:27,560 Speaker 1: even smarter tactics from time to time. And they're they're 604 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,120 Speaker 1: advertising was of course genius, you know, to teach the 605 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:32,600 Speaker 1: world the Seeing Anthem, which I think we all know 606 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:35,000 Speaker 1: was written by Don Draper, at least that's what I 607 00:31:35,080 --> 00:31:37,760 Speaker 1: learned from Madman. But but they did quite a bit 608 00:31:37,760 --> 00:31:40,640 Speaker 1: of embracing of flower power and then they're mean Joe 609 00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:43,800 Speaker 1: Green ad. But you know, their business intelligence was also 610 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,560 Speaker 1: super savvy. Jimmy Carter referred to Coke as a built 611 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 1: in state department because if they're incredible connections and international intel. 612 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:55,040 Speaker 1: They were in China, you know, talking with politicians six 613 00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:58,440 Speaker 1: years before an American embassy was even established there. And 614 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:01,520 Speaker 1: when Carter gave Portugal a own, Portugal, who had had 615 00:32:01,560 --> 00:32:05,320 Speaker 1: a sixty year ban on Coke, suddenly opened their gates. 616 00:32:05,680 --> 00:32:08,080 Speaker 1: I mean there's a lot of dirty tactics and smart 617 00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:10,960 Speaker 1: business at work from Coke's and to secure their dominance. 618 00:32:11,000 --> 00:32:13,640 Speaker 1: But I think the single biggest blow to Coke and 619 00:32:13,640 --> 00:32:15,720 Speaker 1: the col O wars, I mean it's got to be 620 00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:18,640 Speaker 1: the Pepsi challenge, Oh definitely. I mean it led to 621 00:32:18,680 --> 00:32:22,040 Speaker 1: Coke's biggest crisis of confidence New Coke. Yeah, and and 622 00:32:22,040 --> 00:32:23,960 Speaker 1: and let's talk a little bit about why the Pepsi 623 00:32:24,080 --> 00:32:27,280 Speaker 1: challenge was so effective. To begin with, it equated a 624 00:32:27,320 --> 00:32:30,280 Speaker 1: sip and a blind taste test with a soda preference. 625 00:32:30,280 --> 00:32:33,400 Speaker 1: I mean that's genius. And and Pepsi was sweeter than Coke, 626 00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:36,480 Speaker 1: so it almost always won the test. And because it 627 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:39,240 Speaker 1: was so simple to do. People started doing this at 628 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:42,720 Speaker 1: home with their friends and and choosing pepsi. According to 629 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:46,080 Speaker 1: a Slate piece, by nineteen eighty three, pepsi was out 630 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:49,280 Speaker 1: selling coke in supermarkets and it was just because of 631 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:52,400 Speaker 1: the fast food tie ins and larger infrastructure of soda 632 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:55,960 Speaker 1: machines that helped Coke manage to keep this lead. So 633 00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:58,480 Speaker 1: the ads for Coke do in this period are baffling. 634 00:32:58,680 --> 00:33:01,760 Speaker 1: I mean, there's there's one, and I'll post this on Facebook, 635 00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:04,320 Speaker 1: but it's a response to the pepsi challenge from a 636 00:33:04,320 --> 00:33:06,640 Speaker 1: good old boy making fun of the challenge. He's just 637 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:08,560 Speaker 1: like sitting in a chair and saying, we don't need 638 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:11,880 Speaker 1: the challenge. And and the initial strategy was simply to 639 00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:14,000 Speaker 1: poke fun at it and try to swat it away. 640 00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:16,920 Speaker 1: And and that clearly didn't work because by the mid 641 00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:19,920 Speaker 1: eighties Coke was terrified. I mean, they've been playing with 642 00:33:19,960 --> 00:33:23,200 Speaker 1: the idea of changing their formula, but now felt like 643 00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:26,520 Speaker 1: a good time. And this secrecy was amazing. I was 644 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:28,920 Speaker 1: just reading about some of this, and so anyone that 645 00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:31,720 Speaker 1: worked on the ad campaign at McCann Erickson had to 646 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:35,400 Speaker 1: sign a special confidentiality agreement forbidding them to talk about 647 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:38,160 Speaker 1: it with their friends, or their colleagues or their spouses. 648 00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:41,680 Speaker 1: They even had special briefcases meant for carrying the cans 649 00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:45,200 Speaker 1: and all the paraphernalia. There were security firms hired and 650 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:49,400 Speaker 1: special offices employed. Even people who worked for Coke didn't 651 00:33:49,440 --> 00:33:51,840 Speaker 1: know that this was in the works. And so after 652 00:33:51,960 --> 00:33:54,840 Speaker 1: testing a new formula on two hundred thousand people in 653 00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:58,120 Speaker 1: blind taste tests, then they watched them prefer this drink 654 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:01,440 Speaker 1: over the classic. They felt eight about new coke, and 655 00:34:01,520 --> 00:34:03,880 Speaker 1: of course you know what happens next. Yeah, new Coke, 656 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:08,480 Speaker 1: new Coax exactly, and that the press conference announcing the change, 657 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:12,279 Speaker 1: bottlers were not thrilled, and PEPSI basically saw this as 658 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:14,719 Speaker 1: a victory in the coal war. They take out this 659 00:34:14,800 --> 00:34:18,080 Speaker 1: full page newspaper ad and several papers and it says, 660 00:34:18,520 --> 00:34:21,840 Speaker 1: after eighties, seven years of going eyeball to eyeball, the 661 00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:24,880 Speaker 1: other guy blames I kind of love that, honestly, And 662 00:34:24,920 --> 00:34:27,520 Speaker 1: they give everyone in the company the Friday off since 663 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:30,000 Speaker 1: it's just been this long battle, and then they see 664 00:34:30,040 --> 00:34:33,320 Speaker 1: that they deserved it. I love that, And and obviously 665 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:35,560 Speaker 1: that gloating had to hurt, but not as much as 666 00:34:35,560 --> 00:34:38,239 Speaker 1: the customer response. Right, Well, it's amazing. I mean, there's 667 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:41,560 Speaker 1: no amount of parades or fireworks or smart ads could 668 00:34:41,560 --> 00:34:44,440 Speaker 1: turn it around. And the press wrote nasty reviews of 669 00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:48,400 Speaker 1: the new beverage. According to this Sabotage Times article, Coke 670 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:50,439 Speaker 1: ads were booed when they were played on the big 671 00:34:50,480 --> 00:34:55,280 Speaker 1: screen at Houston Astroca. Apparently customers filed a class action 672 00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:58,680 Speaker 1: demanding the old formula back. And that wasn't the worst part. 673 00:34:58,960 --> 00:35:02,800 Speaker 1: Coke got forty thousand complaint letters and was receiving eight 674 00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:08,080 Speaker 1: thousand angry calls every day. It was just insane, that's ridiculous. 675 00:35:08,360 --> 00:35:10,600 Speaker 1: But when they pulled a Domino's and fest up to 676 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:13,840 Speaker 1: their mistake and re released the classic formula, that turned 677 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:16,160 Speaker 1: things around, right. It was a big deal. If you 678 00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:19,279 Speaker 1: may remember this that Peter Jennings interrupted General Hospital to 679 00:35:19,320 --> 00:35:22,720 Speaker 1: announce the breaking news when it happened, and it couldn't 680 00:35:22,760 --> 00:35:26,160 Speaker 1: have made Coke fans happier. So returning to the original 681 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:29,280 Speaker 1: formula was this massive marketing coup and and Coke sales 682 00:35:29,320 --> 00:35:32,440 Speaker 1: shot up immediately. So we definitely have a few more 683 00:35:32,480 --> 00:35:34,880 Speaker 1: topics to hit. And again, there's so much good stuff 684 00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:36,920 Speaker 1: it's hard to hit it all, but I do want 685 00:35:36,960 --> 00:35:39,160 Speaker 1: to talk for a second about the non blind study 686 00:35:39,160 --> 00:35:41,839 Speaker 1: where tasters did the Pepsi challenge but knew what they 687 00:35:41,840 --> 00:35:45,359 Speaker 1: were drinking. So in the blind study, both soft drink 688 00:35:45,400 --> 00:35:48,120 Speaker 1: stimulated the same part of the brain, the part that's 689 00:35:48,239 --> 00:35:51,320 Speaker 1: used to determine flavor. But when the drinks were uncovered, 690 00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:55,560 Speaker 1: as Slate reports, Coke saw the spike in the prefrontal cortex, 691 00:35:55,840 --> 00:35:58,640 Speaker 1: which some scientists think is because of all the associations 692 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:02,200 Speaker 1: and emotions and all the advertising related attachments we have 693 00:36:02,280 --> 00:36:05,879 Speaker 1: with coke, which is pretty nuts, right, It definitely isn't. 694 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:09,160 Speaker 1: But I think we have time for one more political story, 695 00:36:09,200 --> 00:36:11,799 Speaker 1: and why don't we tap a Republican hero this time, 696 00:36:11,800 --> 00:36:14,680 Speaker 1: and that's Ronald Reagan. So Reagan has kind of a 697 00:36:14,680 --> 00:36:18,160 Speaker 1: funny story, like he didn't think pepsi selling to communists 698 00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:20,560 Speaker 1: was that big a deal, and so he wanted to 699 00:36:20,560 --> 00:36:23,480 Speaker 1: see open markets. So in his speech he dismissed the 700 00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:26,880 Speaker 1: small time thinking of selling pepsi to Siberians. So he 701 00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:30,160 Speaker 1: was a coke guy then, right, Well not exactly. While 702 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:34,320 Speaker 1: Pepsi was signing talents like Michael Jackson, they were simultaneously 703 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:37,040 Speaker 1: signaling to the public that they were this Republican brand, 704 00:36:37,480 --> 00:36:40,319 Speaker 1: but from what I can tell, Reagan was impartial, and 705 00:36:40,640 --> 00:36:43,520 Speaker 1: both brands were sending space on the Challenger, which I'm 706 00:36:43,560 --> 00:36:46,080 Speaker 1: not sure would have happened on Nixon or Carter's watch. 707 00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:49,279 Speaker 1: Can't you just take a can of sewed up into space? No? 708 00:36:49,480 --> 00:36:52,720 Speaker 1: I mean Coke changed their formula again to make something 709 00:36:52,719 --> 00:36:56,319 Speaker 1: more aerodynamically flavorful, and NASA was happy to put it 710 00:36:56,360 --> 00:36:59,359 Speaker 1: in astronaut's hands. And then Pepsi found out about this, 711 00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:02,640 Speaker 1: and and they end a supposed fourteen million dollars developing 712 00:37:02,680 --> 00:37:05,600 Speaker 1: their own can, which kind of looked like a bottle 713 00:37:05,640 --> 00:37:09,280 Speaker 1: of shaving cream. And when NASA, like when they launched 714 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:11,680 Speaker 1: with four cans of coke for the day shift and 715 00:37:11,800 --> 00:37:14,439 Speaker 1: four cans of Pepsi for the night shift, it turned 716 00:37:14,480 --> 00:37:17,480 Speaker 1: into this total disappointment. Oh yeah, why is that so? 717 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:21,080 Speaker 1: According to Smithsonian Magazine, the astronauts and the Spirit of 718 00:37:21,080 --> 00:37:24,799 Speaker 1: Scientific Inquiry staged a Pepsi challenge of their own, and 719 00:37:24,840 --> 00:37:28,240 Speaker 1: their verdict was blaw on both counts, out the soda 720 00:37:28,320 --> 00:37:30,719 Speaker 1: didn't remind them of home, and both cans were a 721 00:37:30,719 --> 00:37:34,960 Speaker 1: waste of time, hard to place the astronauts you know. 722 00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:38,120 Speaker 1: Of course, the cola wars would continue after this and 723 00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:41,600 Speaker 1: Pepsi would branch into snack foods and fast food joints, 724 00:37:41,640 --> 00:37:45,040 Speaker 1: and both brands would buy up a bunch of competitors abroad, 725 00:37:45,120 --> 00:37:48,480 Speaker 1: invest in their diet sodas, and branch into waters. But 726 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:51,400 Speaker 1: you know, today, Cola wars feel like a thing of 727 00:37:51,440 --> 00:37:53,799 Speaker 1: the past, to be honest, and something you might tell 728 00:37:53,840 --> 00:37:56,920 Speaker 1: your kids about in passing, like rotary phones or floppy 729 00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:01,040 Speaker 1: disk And of course R C. Colas I knew you'd 730 00:38:01,080 --> 00:38:03,719 Speaker 1: slipped in Arci Cola in here somewhere. Well, I just 731 00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:06,200 Speaker 1: had to. I mean, it's two interesting, so just quickly 732 00:38:06,239 --> 00:38:09,000 Speaker 1: to talk about this. So so Arcicola also started in 733 00:38:09,040 --> 00:38:11,600 Speaker 1: Georgia in the early nine hundred's. Actually this was in 734 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:15,399 Speaker 1: the forties. It launched something that sounds eerily familiar. These 735 00:38:15,440 --> 00:38:18,719 Speaker 1: were these public taste tests where arc Cola went head 736 00:38:18,760 --> 00:38:21,400 Speaker 1: to head with Coke and Pepsi. Now all the contests 737 00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:24,799 Speaker 1: were rigged, but they were organized across the nation. And 738 00:38:24,840 --> 00:38:28,200 Speaker 1: of course arc was also quick to capitalize on celebrities 739 00:38:28,239 --> 00:38:31,440 Speaker 1: and they got Being Crosby and Shirley Temple, I think 740 00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:34,600 Speaker 1: Lucy old Ball, all these big names to shill for it. 741 00:38:35,040 --> 00:38:38,360 Speaker 1: But the biggest and smartest thing Arcicola, ever, did, was 742 00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:41,480 Speaker 1: basically to launch the diet cola market with the diet 743 00:38:41,560 --> 00:38:44,799 Speaker 1: right in nineteen sixty two. So this idea of a 744 00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:48,480 Speaker 1: healthy soda, it's stunned the competitors. And it was another 745 00:38:48,600 --> 00:38:52,080 Speaker 1: twenty years before diet coke came out. So what happened 746 00:38:52,120 --> 00:38:55,120 Speaker 1: with arc Cola, Like, why didn't they win the cola wars? 747 00:38:55,360 --> 00:38:58,920 Speaker 1: Have you tasted one? Actually, what happened is the sugar 748 00:38:58,960 --> 00:39:01,960 Speaker 1: lobby came out with uns blazing and set their scientists 749 00:39:01,960 --> 00:39:05,480 Speaker 1: to destroy cyclamate, which was the sweetener that was being used. 750 00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:09,040 Speaker 1: A report showed that the sweetener caused cancer and rats. 751 00:39:09,080 --> 00:39:11,359 Speaker 1: I mean forget the fact that rats were basically being 752 00:39:11,360 --> 00:39:14,759 Speaker 1: subjected the equivalent of five hundred diet rites a day. 753 00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:18,480 Speaker 1: And so America banned the additive that actually is still 754 00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:21,359 Speaker 1: being sold in some parts of Europe today. Does then 755 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:25,320 Speaker 1: Arci Cola made another mistake when they bought and mismanaged Arby's, 756 00:39:25,400 --> 00:39:27,719 Speaker 1: and and then there were some tax of Asian charges 757 00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:30,760 Speaker 1: And now you mostly find Arci Cola and the onion 758 00:39:30,800 --> 00:39:34,520 Speaker 1: headlines like this one from it says m R. C. 759 00:39:34,680 --> 00:39:39,439 Speaker 1: Colas celebrates its tenth purchase. So my favorite onion story 760 00:39:39,480 --> 00:39:43,040 Speaker 1: about coke is uh, Pepsi CEO's wife buys coke when 761 00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:45,640 Speaker 1: she's mad at him. It's how when he comes home 762 00:39:45,680 --> 00:39:47,720 Speaker 1: from work the next morning, the fridge might be fully 763 00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:50,800 Speaker 1: stocked with diet cokes and and we could obviously trade 764 00:39:50,840 --> 00:39:53,720 Speaker 1: onion stories for a while, but let's trade some facts instead. 765 00:39:53,880 --> 00:40:04,759 Speaker 1: It's time for the fact off. All right, I'll kick 766 00:40:04,800 --> 00:40:06,720 Speaker 1: us off here. So did you know that when Coke 767 00:40:06,800 --> 00:40:09,520 Speaker 1: wanted to up the price of coke from five cents 768 00:40:09,719 --> 00:40:12,160 Speaker 1: and they didn't want to move to ten cents, they 769 00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:15,920 Speaker 1: asked Eisenhower to commission a seven and a half cent corn. 770 00:40:16,640 --> 00:40:18,920 Speaker 1: Though he was hunting buddies with the Coke CEO and 771 00:40:18,960 --> 00:40:21,440 Speaker 1: even a fan of coke, he clearly didn't see a 772 00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:24,400 Speaker 1: reason for doing this. So one of Pepsi's best selling 773 00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:28,200 Speaker 1: products in China is Pepsi Cola chicken flavored lace chips, 774 00:40:28,760 --> 00:40:31,960 Speaker 1: which feels like the holy Grail of synergy. Oh man, 775 00:40:32,040 --> 00:40:33,960 Speaker 1: if they could just make a taco shell out of it. 776 00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:37,960 Speaker 1: So apparently cooking chicken in a cola soy sauce mixes 777 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:40,920 Speaker 1: like super popular in the country, and so the flavor 778 00:40:41,040 --> 00:40:43,600 Speaker 1: isn't as unusual as you might think. Actually, I have 779 00:40:43,640 --> 00:40:45,640 Speaker 1: to be honest, I would try that, just like I 780 00:40:45,719 --> 00:40:48,359 Speaker 1: have so many of their other products. But over the years, 781 00:40:48,360 --> 00:40:51,560 Speaker 1: Cocus had plenty of celebrities endorsed the product, from lebron 782 00:40:51,719 --> 00:40:55,760 Speaker 1: to David Bowie, Christina Aguilera to the Beatles. But perhaps 783 00:40:55,760 --> 00:40:58,600 Speaker 1: the one I would have never guessed, Elvis was a cokeman. 784 00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:02,080 Speaker 1: And of course Pepsi has their own arsenal of stars, 785 00:41:02,080 --> 00:41:05,480 Speaker 1: from Madonna to Michael Jackson to Beyonce. But I'm going 786 00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:07,680 Speaker 1: to take this back to when Pepsi went to Russia 787 00:41:07,719 --> 00:41:11,280 Speaker 1: and the Nixon era. So apparently the Soviets were super 788 00:41:11,320 --> 00:41:13,800 Speaker 1: excited about the beverage because they thought it would decrease 789 00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:17,840 Speaker 1: alcoholism and coal has had obviously been these liquid mascots 790 00:41:17,840 --> 00:41:21,120 Speaker 1: of temperance over the years. But when Donald Kendall was 791 00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:23,680 Speaker 1: taken to soci to see how Russians were taking to 792 00:41:23,680 --> 00:41:26,760 Speaker 1: the drink, he realized no one was drinking Pepsi straight. 793 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:29,280 Speaker 1: It was only being used as a mixer for vodka. 794 00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:31,640 Speaker 1: So while Coke was happy to allow bottling of the 795 00:41:31,680 --> 00:41:34,439 Speaker 1: product in Germany up until the US created this trade 796 00:41:34,480 --> 00:41:37,480 Speaker 1: embargo in World War Two. That's when they stopped the 797 00:41:37,480 --> 00:41:40,279 Speaker 1: head of Coca Cola and Deutsche Land. Max Keith had 798 00:41:40,320 --> 00:41:42,840 Speaker 1: to come up with this new product. He was super 799 00:41:42,880 --> 00:41:45,600 Speaker 1: resourceful and so he used what he called the leftovers 800 00:41:45,600 --> 00:41:48,799 Speaker 1: of leftovers this is way and the pulp residue from 801 00:41:48,840 --> 00:41:51,759 Speaker 1: cider mills, and he created a new line of sodas, 802 00:41:52,040 --> 00:41:55,280 Speaker 1: which you might know now as Fanta. Oh that's crazy. 803 00:41:55,360 --> 00:41:58,400 Speaker 1: So speaking of Germany, the absolute weirdest thing I found 804 00:41:58,440 --> 00:42:01,520 Speaker 1: online was these fobs for your watch that were produced 805 00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:04,839 Speaker 1: by Coke and they were in swastika shapes. Oh, that's weird. 806 00:42:04,840 --> 00:42:06,960 Speaker 1: Did have anything to do with like a Nazi allegiance 807 00:42:07,040 --> 00:42:09,040 Speaker 1: or something. No, So that's the craziest part. These were 808 00:42:09,080 --> 00:42:12,759 Speaker 1: manufactured in the nineteen twenties, and that's because the swastika 809 00:42:12,840 --> 00:42:16,040 Speaker 1: was obviously hijacked by the Nazis, But before then it 810 00:42:16,120 --> 00:42:19,000 Speaker 1: was this Hindu and Buddhist good luck symbol and it 811 00:42:19,080 --> 00:42:21,320 Speaker 1: was seen that way around the world. Wow, that's pretty 812 00:42:21,320 --> 00:42:23,680 Speaker 1: creepy and weird. Alright, So here's what I think you'll like. 813 00:42:24,280 --> 00:42:27,359 Speaker 1: Just like Coke and PEPSI couldn't displace Vita Cola from 814 00:42:27,440 --> 00:42:30,600 Speaker 1: formerly East German regions, or like you were saying earlier, 815 00:42:30,600 --> 00:42:33,960 Speaker 1: that thumbs up in India. One soft drink they couldn't 816 00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:37,080 Speaker 1: beat in Brazil comes from a coke distributor and it's 817 00:42:37,160 --> 00:42:40,000 Speaker 1: it's it's so called pink Dream, and it's a beverage 818 00:42:40,040 --> 00:42:44,040 Speaker 1: called Guarana, Jesus or Hazer's. It's it's definitely Hazers. I 819 00:42:44,040 --> 00:42:46,600 Speaker 1: got too excited by Jesus name stamped on a can. 820 00:42:46,760 --> 00:42:49,840 Speaker 1: But the flavor comes from the guarana plant, which is 821 00:42:49,880 --> 00:42:53,240 Speaker 1: a stimulant, and according to the drink's creator, taste isn't 822 00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:57,000 Speaker 1: the only thing it stimulates. So I also love the 823 00:42:57,040 --> 00:42:59,160 Speaker 1: idea of this pink soda with Jesus's name on the 824 00:42:59,160 --> 00:43:01,760 Speaker 1: side of it. So I think you win this week's 825 00:43:01,760 --> 00:43:04,839 Speaker 1: fact off. But listeners, thank you so much for tuning in. 826 00:43:04,920 --> 00:43:07,239 Speaker 1: And if you have a great coke or pepsi fact 827 00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:10,360 Speaker 1: we missed, be sure to shoot us a note on Facebook, Twitter, 828 00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:13,799 Speaker 1: or call into our seven fact hotline at one eight 829 00:43:13,840 --> 00:43:16,759 Speaker 1: four four pt. Genius. By the way, do you know 830 00:43:16,800 --> 00:43:20,200 Speaker 1: what my favorite soda name is? No, not grape Pico, 831 00:43:20,400 --> 00:43:23,760 Speaker 1: It's Beverly Supposedly it's the worst tasting soda at Coca 832 00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:39,200 Speaker 1: Cola World, Like, we should go check it out. Thanks 833 00:43:39,239 --> 00:43:41,560 Speaker 1: again for listening. Part Time Genius is a production of 834 00:43:41,560 --> 00:43:44,320 Speaker 1: how stuff works and wouldn't be possible without several brilliant 835 00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:46,800 Speaker 1: people who do the important things we couldn't even begin 836 00:43:46,840 --> 00:43:50,120 Speaker 1: to understand. Christa McNeil does the editing thing. Noel Brown 837 00:43:50,160 --> 00:43:52,240 Speaker 1: made the theme song and does the MIXI mixy sound. 838 00:43:52,840 --> 00:43:56,040 Speaker 1: Jerry Roland does the exact producer thing. Gay Bluesier is 839 00:43:56,040 --> 00:43:58,760 Speaker 1: our lead researcher, with support from the Research Army including 840 00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:01,640 Speaker 1: Austin Thompson, Nolan Around and Lucas Adams and Eve. Jeff 841 00:44:01,680 --> 00:44:03,840 Speaker 1: Cook gets the show to your ears. Good job, Eves. 842 00:44:04,040 --> 00:44:06,000 Speaker 1: If you like what you heard, we hope you'll subscribe, 843 00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:07,879 Speaker 1: And if you really really like what you've heard, maybe 844 00:44:07,880 --> 00:44:09,880 Speaker 1: you could leave a good review for us. Do we do? 845 00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:11,680 Speaker 1: We forget Jason? Jason who