Data is Free

I'm a Coca-Cola fan. I grew up in the South drinking at least a bottle of day. (Yes, my mouth is full of fillings.) I remember crazy hot summer days walking down to the store near our house, dropping my quarter in slot, and yanking an ice-cold bottle out of the machine, and having a Coke.

I was at RoRo Bar-B-Que on Stone Way and was delighted when, after ordering a Coke, the waitress said regular Coke or Mexican Coke. I answered Mexican right away because it is made with real sugar, and it tastes GREAT.

IMHO, the reason Coke sales are falling in the US is that they have screwed up their product with high fructose corn syrup. There is simply no comparison. Coke made with sugar is the real thing, to coin a phrase. Coke made with corn syrup is cloyingly sweet.

So it is with some interest that I read that Coke is debuting a new catch phrase "Open Happiness" and launching a big campaign. I wish them luck. But if they want to drive sales they need to fix their broken product before they pour cash into advertising.