Not so irrelevant opinion: Premium Coke

It seems to me there is an opportunity out there.  I’m going to turn a twenty-two year grip into a suggestion and an idea.

Here’s my problem.  In many things we have the chance to have our say and don’t choose to – that’s our fault.  In some instances we don’t have a chance to voice our opinions – at all.

Let’s go back to 1985, when Coca-Cola changed the formula of it’s namesake soft drink.  Welcome, New Coke.  Ugh.  Nobody had a chance to really change the course of history on that one – even to this day.  No you didn’t.  Yes, I know Coca-Cola ‘Classic’ was brought back – I drink it often, but it’s not the original.

Personally, I think it was a staged event to make the switch from cane sugar (expensive) as a sweetener to the high-fructose corn syrup (cheap) we all know and love today.  Don’t believe me?  Fine, I have no proof to back it up, but there is a difference in the flavor from the true original, and what a great way to make the change and cut costs than to take away the real product for half a year and then bring it back slightly altered, but most people unable to really tell the difference.

At any rate, my point is that there is an opportunity for Coca-Cola (or any beverage manufacturer who has a similar opportunity) here to tap into a great new product.  I want my old coke back, and I want it BAD.  I’ll pay extra to have that original taste back – I’ll pay for a ‘premium’ beverage that is true to the 120-year old formula.  And I want it only in 12oz. returnable glass bottles.  Yep, old school all the way.

Hey, what a great twist of PR.  Create a new (old?) product, package it in a ‘green’ (I hate that term) reusable (and recyclable) container, reach out to their oldest and most loyal customers (an already established market), and charge extra to do it.

Am I in the wrong here?  With the custom, gourmet, and premium beverage markets that abound today, how hard would it be for a company like Coca-Cola to do this?

Technorati tags: Coca-Cola, New Coke, Coca-Cola Classic, Original Coke, Original Formula