The Flavor Failure ebook

In 1985, Coca-Cola did the unthinkable: they changed the secret formula. Facing competition from the sweeter Pepsi, they launched "New Coke." It tasted better in blind taste tests. It was a scientific success. And it was a cultural catastrophe. Marketing historian Marcus Steel narrates the fiasco of "The Flavor Failure." Steel analyzes the "Pepsi Paradox"—the difference between a sip test and drinking a whole can. But more importantly, he reveals that Coke failed to understand that they weren't selling a drink; they were selling American nostalgia. The book details the consumer revolt, the hoarders who stockpiled old Coke, and the frantic backtracking that led to the return of "Coca-Cola Classic" just 79 days later. It is the ultimate case study in the difference between product quality (taste) and brand equity (emotion), proving that the customer, not the boardroom, owns the brand.