A South Dakota man claims he purchased — and drank from — a can of Coca-Cola that had a mouse sealed inside, making him ill and causing him to miss work. But the Coke folks say this just isn’t possible, since a mouse sealed in a soft drink can would have been more decomposed. [More]
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Coca-Cola Plant In Northern Ireland Closed After Human Waste Found In Some Cans
By 3.28.17
When people talk about the ingredients in Coca-Cola that are cause for concern, they’re usually talking about things like high fructose corn syrup and caffeine — not human waste. [More]
Coca-Cola Thinks You Might Want A “Selfie Bottle” To Take A Pic While You Guzzle Soda
By 11.17.16
Because there’s apparently a demand for selfies of people while they’re drinking soda, Coca-Cola has a new bottle design that takes a photo while you sip from it. [More]
Florida Walmart’s 9/11 Tribute Features Twin Towers Made Out Of Coke Products
By 9.8.16
Just as surely as Sept. 11 comes around once a year, we can also be sure that someone is going to exploit the anniversary of the attacks that happened that day with an ill-advised marketing gimmick. An early entrant to the marketing hall of shame this year is a Florida Walmart and its 9/11 “We Will Never Forget” American flag tribute — complete with the World Trade Center towers — made entirely out of Coca-Cola products. [More]
Coca-Cola Will Pull Some Products From Shelves In Vermont Instead Of Adding GMO Labels
By 6.29.16
The date when food items that contain ingredients from genetically engineered plants or animals must be labeled to be sold in Vermont is almost here, and lawmakers haven’t managed to strike down the law yet, so food companies will have to print or add the information to items shipped to Vermont. Or they could do what Coca-Cola plans, and not ship the items for a while. [More]
Here’s Some Fuzzy Pricing Math That Isn’t At Target
By 6.16.16
We began calling certain types of fuzzy pricing schemes “Target math” some years ago, since they turned up most often at Target stores. When this happens, unit pricing goes awry, and it costs more per unit to buy a larger quantity of the same thing. For example, when a two-pack of lotion costs almost a dollar more than two individual bottles. [More]
Coca-Cola Giving Its Bottles & Cans A Makeover With New “One-Brand” Design
By 4.19.16
The next time you go for a can of Diet Coke, you might need to look twice to make sure you aren’t grabbing the full-calorie version instead: Coca-Cola is giving all four of its Coke products a makeover it’s calling “One-Brand” packaging that brings to mind the packaging of original Coca-Cola products. [More]
Coca-Cola Plans ‘Share A Coke’ Bottles With Song Lyrics Instead Of Names
By 3.31.16
The “Share a Coke” campaign was a huge success for Coca-Cola, boosting sales as people scooped up bottles with their own or family members’ names. Other than bringing names back for a third year in the United States, how could the beverage giant replicate the success? Instead of names, now they’re switching to song lyrics, which are less personalized but can sometimes be even more personal. [More]
Walmart, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Nestlé Offer 176 Truckloads Of Clean Water To Flint Schoolkids
By 1.26.16
You’ve no doubt heard about the concerns over lead-tainted water in the Michigan city of Flint. While the city and state have declared it a public-health emergency, some big businesses are stepping up with the promise of delivering millions of bottles of clean water to Flint schoolchildren through the rest of 2016. [More]
E-Mails Show That Anti-Obesity Group Was Really Just Publicity Machine For Coke
By 11.24.15
Amid accusations that its Global Energy Balance Network was little more than a Coca-Cola-funded shill using real doctors to downplay the role of sugary drinks in the current obesity epidemic, the University of Colorado School of Medicine recently returned a $1 million donation to the beverage biggie. But newly revealed e-mails show the direct influence that Coke bought with this supposed anti-obesity organization. [More]
University Med School Returns $1M Gift To Coca-Cola
By 11.9.15
Last year, Coca-Cola donated $1 million to the University of Colorado School of Medicine, with the money intended to fund a pro-soda advocacy group called the Global Energy Balance Network. After being criticized for accepting this money to push Coca-Cola’s business agenda, the university has now decided to return the funds. [More]
Coca-Cola Debuts Bottle Made Entirely Of Plant Materials
By 6.4.15
If you thought that Coke was sweet before, then Coca-Cola’s newest bottles will give you a sugar rush. That’s because the company has developed a beverage container made solely from plant materials, including sugarcane. [More]
Coca-Cola Tripling Number Of Names For Next “Share A Coke” Campaign
By 4.10.15
Last summer, Coca-Cola briefly reversed a decade of sagging sales by slapping a bunch of peoples’ first names on Coke bottles and telling folks to share on social media. And because all follow-ups to successful campaigns must be bigger than the original, the beverage giant is tripling the number of names that will be slapped on bottles when the sequel arrives this summer. [More]
Americans Losing Taste For Artificial Sweeteners, Pepsi Retakes #2 Sales Spot
By 3.26.15
Recently released data about the beverage industry tells us some interesting things. Plain old high fructose corn syrup-laden Coke is the top-selling soda in the United States, but its calorie-free cousin has to give up its silver medal: Regular Pepsi is now the #2 seller out of all fizzy non-alcoholic drinks, following an overall trend against diet sodas. [More]
The Impossible Quest For A Low-Calorie Soda That Tastes Good, Seems Natural
By 3.19.15
Teams of scientists all over the world are working to harness compounds from a South American plant to solve one of the greatest challenges of the modern world. No, they’re not working to cure cancer or invent a car that runs on maple syrup. Scientists all over the world are trying to create a sweetener that’s calorie-free and considered “natural,” but is also palatable. [More]
Coke Reverses 10 Years Of Sagging Sales By Slapping Names On Bottles
By 9.26.14
To quote Stephen Sondheim, you’ve gotta get a gimmick if you want to get ahead. Just ask the folks at Coca-Cola who managed to briefly reverse a decade-long trend of declining Coke sales simply by slapping various people’s names on their bottles and cans. [More]
Stevia-Sweetened “Coca-Cola Life” Will Bring Its Silly Name To U.S. Shelves This Fall
By 6.13.14
The race to launch a mid-calorie soda that appeals to a wide audience continues, as does the trend of giving these new drinks stupid, stupid names. Following in the footsteps of Pepsi Next and Dr. Pepper TEN, the Coke folks are reportedly bring Stevia-sweetened Coca-Cola Life stateside in the coming months. [More]
Supreme Court: POM Wonderful Can Go Ahead And Sue Coca-Cola Over Lack Of Pomegranates In Its Juice
By 6.12.14
POM Wonderful snagged a legal win today in one of its two ongoing cases: The U.S. Supreme Court sided with the juice maker in its decision, which said that POM can proceed with a lawsuit alleging that the label on Coca-Cola’s “Pomegranate Blueberry” is misleading because most of the drink is actually made of grape and apple juice. [More]
