New Coke + 22 years = Whopper Freakout

In 1985 Coca-Cola launched New Coke to replace the original version, which had been losing market share to arch-rival Pepsi for some time.

The Coca-Cola Company’s research had showed consistently in blind taste tests that Pepsi was preferred over Coke because of its sweeter formulation and they came to the, completely logical, conclusion that if they were to reformulate the product to taste sweeter, the decline in market share would be stopped. They tried a number of new product formulas and eventually hit upon one that beat Pepsi hands down in those all-important taste tests.

On April 19 2005 the company let the media know that it would be making a major announcement on April 23 regarding its product, and Pepsi correctly guessed it would be a change in the formulation of its flagship product. Then director of Pepsico’s North American operations, Roger Enrico, gleefully took a full-page ad out ion the New York Times declaring they had won the cola wars. Neh neh ne-neh neh.

On April 23 Coke made the predicted announcement that they would be replacing old Coke with New Coke. Shares in the company went up. Then the consumer backlash started. Pesky people, those consumers. Within a few short weeks a vocal minority, who didn’t want the product they had grown up with to change, became, well, more vocal. And soon Coke headquarters was being flooded with hundreds and thousands of angry letters. Even Fidel Castro, a longtime Coke drinker, declared New Coke to be a sign of American capitalist decadence.

The protests from consumers and bottlers got too much for Coke and in July 1985 it announced its decision to revert to its original formulation, which eventually became known as Coke Classic. By the end of 1985 Coke Classic was outselling both New Coke and Pepsi. Sergio Zyman, head of marketing at Coke during that time (and still in the job when I was working there), later said: “Yes it infuriated the public, cost a ton of money and lasted only 77 days before we reintroduced Coca-Cola Classic. Still, New Coke was a success because it revitalized the brand and reattached the public to Coke.”

In other words, absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Crispin Porter + Bogusky’s have taken a leaf out of Coke’s play book for their “Whopper Freak Out” campaign for Burger King. TV commercials and an 8-minute web film show what happens when customers in a Nevada Burger King are told that the Whopper is off the menu. The web film goes further, showing reactions from customers when, instead of being served the Whoppers they have ordered, they are given products from McDonald’s and Wendy’s.

Research from IAG Research, revealed in Ad Age today, indicate that the “Freakout” spots are among the most highly recalled ever, ever, EVER.

It’s a brilliant campaign.

I love the fact they used what happened to Coke in 1985 to create a whopper of an idea, demonstrating in the most entertaining way possible how BK customers really feel about their Whoppers (if you see what I mean).

Here’s the secret formula they used for the campaign:

Great insight derived from marketing history + big idea executed well + understanding of the media = holy grail.

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