Thursday, May 14, 2015

Dumb Moves And Smart Moves

On April 23, 1985, the Coca-Cola Company took arguably the biggest risk in consumer goods history by announcing that it was changing the formula for the world's most popular soft drink. And spawned an avalanche of consumer scorn the likes of which no business has ever seen.

The company had intended to re-energize its Coca-Cola brand and the cola category in its largest market, the United States. In 1983, Coke’s market share had slipped to an all-time low of just under 24 per cent.

The firestorm ended with the return of the original formula, rebranded Coca-Cola classic, a few months later. The return of original formula Coca-Cola on July 11, 1985, put the cap on 79 days that revolutionized the soft-drink industry, and stands today as testimony to the power of taking intelligent risks, even when they don't quite work as intended.

Conspiracy theorists have gone so far as to say the whole thing had been planned as a deliberate marketing ploy to reaffirm public affection for Coca-Cola. After all, what better way to make someone appreciate the value of your global brand than to withdraw it completely?

"Some critics will say Coca-Cola made a marketing mistake, some cynics will say that we planned the whole thing," said chief operating officer Donald Keough at the time. "The truth is we are not that dumb, and we are not that smart."

We just had a wild two weeks - actually 18 days - when the world press was galvanised to see  a child shackled in chains for tarnishing the name of somebody's papa. Turns out the whole exercise was just to "protect the minds of vulnerable people from corrupting influences", and “avoid sexual experimentation”. That was the court ruling on obscenity. The religious hurt was a bit murky, but the learned judge wrote in paragraph 40, page 11 of 15 pages, "It does not require proof that the religious feelings were in fact wounded." So was it a smart move to skip the elephant in the room? Was the whole thing planned as a deliberate ploy to reaffirm public affection?

40 comments:

  1. Turns out the whole exercise was just to "protect the minds of vulnerable people from corrupting influences", and “avoid sexual experimentation”.

    - seriously?
    - who defines what is a corrupting influence?
    - is a desire to collect more money a corrupting influence?

    - and what is wrong with sexual experimentation?

    "It does not require proof that the religious feelings were in fact wounded."
    - seriously? Why is proof not required?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Need proof, go ask Ms Grace Fu. She seems to know what that nebulous red line is, more so than the learned judge.

      Delete
    2. Proofs are never required since religion is a faith based subject? Is a powerful catch all isn't it.
      What I like to know is how does the state differentiate between critiquing and insulting is the crux.

      Delete
  2. Either you break free from the jackass things your parents have done to you … or you deserve what you get.

    GE 2015.
    Vote wisely.

    ReplyDelete
  3. "We know what to do...
    ..never mind what the people think"

    ReplyDelete
  4. Let's just ban creativity!5/14/2015 3:50 PM

    Why avoid? How bad can wheel barrow or banana , or carrot or cucumber be ? So is it the act or is the position that is objectionable? Or both?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Who needs a psychiatric assessment more?
    Amos Yee or the PAPigs who run Singapore?
    Or maybe the PAPig voters?

    Are we any different from Nazi Germany?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oooh, one shud expect more of such "re-affirmations" of the (departed) great leaders until the cooling-off days pf the next GE, must be diligent, must not let off, and of course everyday photo ops of every minister in every news broadcast!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tattler, are you saying it was an intended bad move, but turned outo be a good move.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Didn't they say that the law is an ass?

    ReplyDelete
  9. By that court's definition, lots of perverts will be masturbating themselves just looking at that obscene cartoon ?

    Is my interpretation correct or not ? Or these people simply don't have the brains to understand it is just simply political satire ?

    ReplyDelete
  10. "protect the minds of vulnerable people from corrupting influences", and “avoid sexual experimentation”.

    So, how did this judge manage to live through the sheer horrors of the 20th century without having a brain aneurysm every other day?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Read the "correct" newspaper and avoid brain aneurysm.

      Delete
    2. In each civil servants' pocket is a little white book:

      "The 1001 teachings of Harry..."

      Mandatory reference

      Delete
  11. There are tons of more titillating stuff out there in cybersphere so why would testorone filled pubertal teens want to look at some poorly drawned caricature of 2 oldies making out ?
    Are there syllabus on sexology in law training that make judges experts on teenage sexual satisfaction?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anyone who googles "nude art body sketches" on image search, will flesh out a tonn of images more "tintilating" than the two fugly stick figures posted.

      There’s something oddly defeatist about saying: Our youth and citizens have been so advance digitally, let’s bring in more 19th century interpretative laws to ban or retard their growth.

      Delete
  12. When they can say without blinking that inside a polling station is not within 200 metres, can the defence counsels' arguments move them?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Just a spoilt brat on a publicity stunt...spare the rod, spoil the child.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Please stop criticizing PM Lee like that.

      Delete
    2. Is it true?
      If we declare LKY to be a God.
      Then straight away, Amos Yee is guilty of inciting hate against a religion.

      Delete
    3. Only if you are in Tamil Naidu where he is worshipped as God or even better than God.

      Delete
  14. George Orwell's Final Warning:

    "...something like 1984 could very well happen; this is the direction the world is going in at the present time.
    In our world, there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement... but always there will be the intoxication of power...if you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stomping on a human face... forever."

    SOURCE:
    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-05-14/george-orwells-final-warning

    ReplyDelete
  15. With the world watching on this case, certainly need to put the pretence that this is about insulting religion and obscenity.
    So we are not North korea, get it.
    And with that ridiculous judgement, everyone can see that elephant in the room.
    What was that saying ? ' You can fool some people......."

    ReplyDelete
  16. //The firestorm ended with the return of the original formula, rebranded Coca-Cola classic, a few months later.//

    Ah..Tattler, the great coke story is always worth a retold.

    Straight dope will give you the real version.

    The old cocaine drink was quietly phased out by early 80s and slowly replaced by the new version without being announced. By the time they went public, soda drinkers have been drinking the 'tastier' new coke without even realizing it. After protest, Coke merely altered the packaging once again, officially saying goodbye to the original real thing.

    So what's the "change" you asked?

    From The Real Thing - Beets & Sugar Cane to The Fake thing - Fructose Corn syrup to reduce cost.

    There's a reason why the ad commercial was so successful..selling it as a "happiness drink", remember?

    Today, is nothing more than just a can of high caloric sugar water that helps create obesity in US and Diabetics all over the world.

    ReplyDelete
  17. It's time to close down all the Sex Toys shops in town liao!
    Even all the Condoms display at NTUCs, 7-Eleven, Cheers where kids patronize also have to take cover like the cigarettes hor?
    Oh! on 2nd thought, maybe our kids don't know what is Condom used for? Better not to tell them.

    ReplyDelete
  18. You and I know it is considered obscene only because Harry's face was transposed on the sketch. The original is not obscene; neither is it with only Thatcher or anything substituted for Harry's.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. All I want to know is why this image is not obscene. For those who missed the original, LKY's face is also photoshopped on the violator's head.

      https://sonofadud.files.wordpress.com/2015/05/img_0173.jpg?w=878

      Delete
    2. Srsly you have to ask? That's becoz they are animals ! animals supposed to do obscene acts which are nature anyway. Besides , who cares abt yr adult minds. Is deemed corrupted alrdy

      Delete
    3. Haha, animals don't watch internet, the youngs watch what the adults do. That 2 pandas in our zoo don't know how to mate, their minds are what our gahmen wanted, not corrupted. Our gahmen wanted us to procreate as many as possible and yet our kids' mind mustn't be corrupted by Amos's cartoon??? Maybe in future, all Sg kids are produced in hospital factories. No more 9-months pain and also No more 5-minutes joy!

      Delete
  19. Simple lah. Had it been changed to a missionary position that will suit the tastebuds of the conventionals, he would have been saved/safe. That's what the court is essentially saying. Any other faces is irrelevant.

    As for the elephant in the room. Well, is still there.

    http://demon-cratic.com/?cartoon=DC0463

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The doggy position is best used when you have an ugly wife and you don't want to see her face.

      Delete
  20. Smart move:
    Act as bailor for AY to redeem the face of Christianity.

    Bad move :
    Threaten to sue for defame and sully the name of Christians all over again.

    Smart move:
    Troll all the msm reporters who have misrepresented you.

    Bad move:
    Use an old English "molest" to mean "pester or annoy" for technicality which backfired on him.

    Smart move:
    Shackle, remand and trial him as an adult and give him probation

    Bad move
    Continue to report, label, expect and pigeonhole him as any conventional and ordinary hoe-geena should be.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DLzXAjscXk

    ReplyDelete
  21. What white elephant? Humanity against crimes? That's nothing serious to talk about here. Let's move on. Is the smart move. So say the usual clown.

    https://www.facebook.com/devadas.krishnadas/posts/10153230467695801?fref=nf

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The true injustice? Jason Tan still walks freely despite all the those police reports filed against him for professing his love of penile mutilation on AY.

      Delete
  22. Haha.........

    Sinkie kids do not know condom,

    they will think it is short form for
    condominium.

    They will probably think that in the caricature, the woman is playing as a wheelbarrow for the man to push.

    Why must anyone think only about
    lust or in kids term; dirty things. Education in Sin must be a very straight
    thingy.

    ReplyDelete
  23. You all MUST understand, the poor judge is merely doing what she must to keep her golden ricebowl from melting in the heat of the PM's passion for his late papa.

    ReplyDelete
  24. If corrupting young minds is a crime, than what about the wholesale brain washing of our society, over the last thirty years, into over qualified bots/zombies that cannot think, cannot act, and cannot compete with "real" people which we than have to import from outside?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was never about "fighting for Singaporeans" was it?
      Was it all just about money and making rich people richer?
      And now it's all about turning Singapore into another Suzhou Industrial Park?
      And with who as the biggest landlord in Singapore owning 90% of all the land in Singapore?

      Delete
    2. Try not to go the way of "ananias and sapphira" and reap an impending death

      Delete