Two Politically Correct Mistakes on One Can
Coca-Cola is the embodiment of the modern woke culture. A few years ago, the company took a stand against its home state of Georgia over legislation that backed traditional values. Coke didn’t pay a price like the folks at Budweiser did when this past spring. That happened when the brewer got figuratively in bed with a female impersonator.
I saw a TV interview with business reporter Cheryl Casone, where she said she believed Bud Light would have a name change to stop the company’s sales slide. I can’t locate the video. She made the statement on Fox and Friends First.
Speaking of bad marketing decisions, the picture above ties both stories together. There was a time when Coca-Cola had no trouble printing labels for the Washington Redskins championship years (that was a long time ago!) The ball club was very good during the Reagan/Bush era. The first President Bush. The name Redskins has since been banished by woke culture.
Meanwhile, you’ll notice the cans read Classic. During the Reagan years, blind taste tests showed people liked a tweaked recipe. And previously the chemistry had been quietly changed even before the new marketing campaign.
For many Coke drinkers, the brand was synonymous with the flag, apple pie, and family. They were furious. Eventually, the company brought back the favorite under the Classic name. The two flavors co-existed for a time on shelves. Then New Coke faded away. Old Coke remained and the Classic name eventually was dropped. The fiasco is taught in business schools today, and not as an example of good sense.
I took a picture of the cans at an antique shop along the Chesapeake Bay.