Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site bunny.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!mit-eddie!think!harvard!bunny!epm0
From: epm0@bunny.UUCP (Erik Mintz)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: Old Coke loses blind tasting
Message-ID: <132@bunny.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 31-May-85 08:39:02 EDT
Article-I.D.: bunny.132
Posted: Fri May 31 08:39:02 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Jun-85 03:26:17 EDT
References: <1207@cbosgd.UUCP>
Organization: GTE Laboratories, Waltham, MA
Lines: 24

> We used a Memorial Day picnic as an excuse for a scientifically controlled, 
> blind cola tasting.
> ...
> We drew two general conclusions from this study.  Old Coke was much less 
> preferred than New Coke.  Only two people out of eleven rated it as better or
> much better than New Coke, and one thought it was the same.
> ...
> The bottom line is Old Coke loses big.

There is a chance of error in this kind of taste test. In the short run,
and with a small taste, people often simply choose the sweeter drink. This
leaves open the possibility that in the long (one or more cans) a person
will tire of all that sweet, and prefer a different drink.
I suspect that the way Pepsi ran the taste tests for their old ads
was by giving out very small portions, thus taking advantage of their
sweeter taste.

By the way, I drink neither Coke (old or new) nor Pepsi, so I
am not expressing an opinion on the results; just the procedure.
-- 
Erik Mintz

ARPA or CSnet : epm0%gte-labs.csnet@csnet-relay
UUCP: ...harvard!bunny!epm0