Coca-Cola has a promotion where you could win a PSP handheld video game system, or the new PS2, or a PlayStation2 game. So being a sucker for soda giveaways, I bought a bottle (plus feeling a little sick, coke makes me feel better).
And I did not win. Under the cap it said:
DRINK
COKE
PLAY
AGAIN
Which was a little disappointing. And that’s the point of this post. It’s funny how most people don’t win and then have to drink their soda all disappointed. Your very first sip from the bottle will be one tainted with the twist of disillusionment. And people will always take a sip of soda RIGHT after finding out that they lost. You just took the cap off, of course you’ll take a sip. So every coke contest loser will mix the taste of coke with feelings loserville.
Would soda companies really want to people to associate the taste of their product with defeat? There is that very sharp subconscious undertone every time you lose and then drink their product.
That is a [i”>very[/i”> interesting perspective. I had never thought of that before, that is, the soda company with their cap-contests was actually labeling me a loser. I wonder if anyone in the marketing departments at the soda companies who hold these contests ever brought that up? Johnson: “Wouldn’t people who opened their pop tops only to see ‘You Lose’ be offended and feel like drinking our soda is making them feel like a loser?” Boss: “Johnson?” Johnson: “Yes, sir?” Boss: “You’re fired!” Part of me believes that this blog could change the whole perception of “game cap” contests for soda companies AND consumers who drink those sodas. On the other hand, I don’t know that most people even look to see if they’ve won [knowing the chance is minimal at best”> and simply stay loyal to their favorite brand.
i don’t know that coca-cola cares if you drink their pop or not. you’ve already paid for it, presumably because of their promotion. whether or not you feel like drinking the product after “losing” is irrelevant – they’ve got your money either way. in a perfect society, we’d be allowed to view the cap first, and then decide if we want to buy the drink. do i want the drink anyway, even if i didn’t “win”? that would uncover people’s true reasons for buying – promotion or product.
Curiously enough, given the choice the other day between buying a 2 litre bottle of Diet 7-Up with a game promotion on the label and one without, I chose the one without. I conciously thought nobody ever wins those contests and that the bottle without the promotion was more to my liking [design-wise”>. Yeah, I’m a freak. So sue me :^D
In regards to Laura’s comment, Coca-Cola would totally care if people feel like a loser immediately before drinking their beverage. Coca-Cola is HIGHLY interested in retaining their customers. That’s where they make their money, not necessarily off one-time-that’s-it sales, but customers that come back again and again to their product. The soda business is such a tight and competitive market based largely on branding, if someone were to develop a slight psychological negative feeling for their product, that might be enough to cause them to switch brands. Take that small percentage and multiply it across the absolutely huge market they cover, and the results could be disastrous.
Diet Coke is the sweet nectar of life.
I concur. Diet Coke owns!
I like regular Coke, but for diet, I prefer Pepsi. Is that wrong?
i like no diet soda. period.
I’ve been drinking diet soda since I was 11 or 12. It’s all I know.