How Brand Recognition Screws Up Your Brain - The Pepsi Paradox

[oogabooga]

I'd agree with the point. Pepsi probably tastes better in a one sip taste test, but coke is probably better for having a whole can.

This American Life did something with Coke when they thought they discovered the formula they use for making their base. They found basically all cola drinks are roughly the same thing. Very slight variation of ingredients, and that every manufacturer knows this. Coke knows they have a huge nostalgic factor - people essentially taste their "childhood". It's a pretty powerful thing to have as a company I'd imagine.

 

[Blackjack200]

Both great books.

The junk food of literature. Those two books and the Freakanomics books.

 

[SamQuint]

I actually like Royal Crown Cola better than Coke and Pepsi. It is just hard to find anywhere.

 

[Numenorean]

Pepsi > Coke

 

[Scotteq]

Alone, I prefer Pepsi.


Coke works better with mixed drinks, tho. Pepsi gets too sweet and flat.

 

[MotionMan]

83% of taste test results are made up of percentages that people just pull out of thin air.

Link?









MotionMan

 

[Vette73]

Actually its...

Coke > Diet Coke > Pepsi

http://www.newser.com/story/114347/diet-coke-and-coke-now-top-pepsi.html

 

[BurnItDwn]

There's a huge difference between coke and pepsi.

That said, I like how both of them taste, especially the cane sugar versions, but, I'll take water or coffee

 

[Scotteq]

Actually its...

Coke > Diet Coke > Pepsi

http://www.newser.com/story/114347/diet-coke-and-coke-now-top-pepsi.html

That's in sales, so you have to take into account the millions of 300+ lb people, each regularly ordering half a dozen Big Macs with a tractor trailer container of Diet Coke. That throws off the numbers.



And if I make speak for those who can pick up on the chemical taste of ALL! artificial sweetners: Diet ***ANYTHING*** isn't even worth watering the garden with. I'd rather go thirsty.

 

[zCypher]

Your taste buds must not work very well if you can't tell the difference between coke and pepsi. Pepsi tastes sweeter. I think a lot of people are just totally mindless when they buy stuff, which makes the brand recognition a much more powerful tool.

 

[Zedtom]

I'd like to see a test with with real sugar, (throwback) samples versus corn syrup. Actually, I'd like to see a test of any product that has corn syrup sweeteners head to head with identical products made with real sugar. I don't know what the results would be, but I would think that most people don't know or care what kind of sweetener is used.

 

[Matthiasa]

None of this changes the fact that cola, from any manufacturer, is horrible.

 

[Fritzo]

I actually like Royal Crown Cola better than Coke and Pepsi. It is just hard to find anywhere.

I like it as well. RC was a pretty big innovator:

- first to sell their product in cans
- first to sell their product in an aluminum can
- first to release a diet cola
- first to release a caffeine free cola

They also made Nehi, and grape Nehi was my favorite drink when I was a kid

 

[Fritzo]

Your taste buds must not work very well if you can't tell the difference between coke and pepsi. Pepsi tastes sweeter. I think a lot of people are just totally mindless when they buy stuff, which makes the brand recognition a much more powerful tool.

We all know you are superior and everything, but the test was a blind test--- they were just told to pick the one they prefer. They were not told to pick "Which one is Coke and which one is Pepsi."

 

[Macamus Prime]

I love their "made with real sugar" motto on the throwback bottles.

Which means you have all been drinking shit that may have been making you sick all these years; I heard that high fructose syrup is the cause of AIDs.

 

[vi edit]

This American Life did something with Coke when they thought they discovered the formula they use for making their base. They found basically all cola drinks are roughly the same thing. Very slight variation of ingredients, and that every manufacturer knows this. Coke knows they have a huge nostalgic factor - people essentially taste their "childhood". It's a pretty powerful thing to have as a company I'd imagine.

Same basic concept with the "light beer" market. In a blind test very few people can tell which bottle is Bud light vs. Miller lite vs Coors Light. It's all in the marketing and branding.