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Comment by Aunche | Hacker News Reader

In blind taste tests, Coke performs about as well as Pepsi. However, people still overwhelmingly seem to like Coke, so it's really because they like the brand. If they reduced advertising, their brand will slowly be eroded.

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I interviewed a guy who worked at Pepsi. He said their own tests actually showed that people enjoyed Pepsi for the first sip but then preferred coke when drinking more.

Pretty sure that's because Pepsi is sweeter (the regular non-diet version). The sweetness is initially preferable, so it tends to win out in the "Pepsi Challenge" but then is overwhelming when you're drinking the whole thing.

In my case I am sure that I like Coke better because of the packaging and logo design. Red & white with an old-school cursive text focuses my brain on the spicy interesting flavors. The smooth blue Pepsi logo with the circular logo makes me focus on the sugar. That, and their various "look how cool and hip we are!" Pepsi ad campaigns over the decades always seemed goofy.

They could both stop advertising forever and I would still have those associations for the rest of my life.

Remember "New Coke"? The Coca Cola people responded to taste tests that indicated people like Pepsi better by making it more sweet like Pepsi. Sales and PR disaster ensued, famous case study in MBA courses.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Coke

still think it was a trick to change the formula of "classic" coke to cheaper ingredients.

I dont know if I am alone but for me I prefer Bottled Pepsi over Bottle Coke, but Fountain Coke over Fountain Pepsi

I also prefer Mt. Dew over them all so....

Blind tests sponsored by whom?

Blind sponsors

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