The Steampunk World
I admit it, I’m a sucker for “new and improved” food products. To me, different taste is more important than good flavor, so I greatly enjoy eating things that taste nasty if it’s a taste I’ve never experienced before. This is also why I’ve been eating bugs lately. So if I see a new flavor of potato chip, or a new soft drink, I’m bout it bout it… especially the soft drinks.
I was raised on Coca-Cola, and I am solidly addicted to it. I’m addicted enough that the material the Coke is bottled in matters. Glass is the best, followed by cans, then fountain (though they often have the machine poorly adjusted), then plastic. Here in Chicago I can often get Mexican Coca-Cola, which has a slightly different taste that’s not at all unpleasant and is greatly enhanced by the fact that the bottles are still glass.
I also love Coke II and Moxie, and I’ve long been tickled by the Jekyll/Hyde relationship between Dr. Pepper and Mr. Pibb. Like some multinational telecom, here’s a product that Coca-Cola is distributing in some markets and competing against in others! Dr. Pepper is actually owned by Cadbury-Schweppes, and is distributed by Coke, Pepsi, AND RC! O, if only this cola would take a side, instead of switching back and forth like the Junkyard Dog!
Needless to say, I was excited when Pibb Xtra came to my area. It may be old hat to Texans but it was new to me… and much more exciting than that crappy Bubble Tea, the Poor Man’s Orbitz. A fat straw does not a tasty beverage make!
Even more interesting is Coca-Cola’s decision to replace Mr. Pibb entirely with this extreme new flavor. Don’t they remember the most famous product flop in history? Regardless of what the conspiracy theorists say, New Coke was an unplanned failure, as evidenced by the heads that rolled at corporate. Yet it appears that history will not repeat itself, if the weak showing at the Keep-Mr-Pibb petition is any indication.
Coca Cola’s coming on strong with this stuff, even sponsoring the Pibb Xtra Thrillway at the Texas state fair. Ooooo-eeee, who gives a crap? As marketing schlock goes, a street at a state fair can’t compare to Cadbury-Schweppes’ stupid extreme milk product, with its slogan “Think Outside the Barn”. We are beginning to see why Mr. Pibb has always been a sad, sad second to Dr. Pepper, the good doctor selling like crazy at places like Taco Bell while Mr. Pibb languishes in obscurity at the low-rent Arby’s. Goes to show you kids, stay in school! Get that degree!
But why replace Mr. Pibb entirely? Like all soft drinks, it’s bottled by different companies, who are even allowed to substitute ingredients, so why not let the local market decide? A clue is found on Coca-Cola’s website:
Aha! Mr. Pibb is for the 12 to 15-year-old market, enabling them to have an uninhibited, fun and unconventional attitude! It has the sweet, refreshing bold taste they need to express their independence! Yet Pibb Xtra is a bolder version, with a bold taste and bold graphics for young adults who are looking to get the most out of life… and the most out of their soft drink! It contains an intense flavor kick!!
In other words, for some reason Coca Cola is really hurtin’ for this key demo, and they’re growing up. The beast that took Mello Yello, and regurgitated Surge, has struck again. I can’t wait for this Xtreme generation to get old, just to see the Depends and Viagra commercials.
So what did I think? Well, I wouldn’t describe the flavor kick as particularly intense, nor even a kick. But it’s definitely there. The best I can think of is that it’s more of the same. I liked it. I won’t be signing the petition.
Maybe soon they’ll re-release Mr. Pibb Classic as Mrs. Pibb, for the gentler, less extreme sex. A mellow, kickless version of Pibb Xtra. A man can dream… a man can dream.
I was raised on Coca-Cola, and I am solidly addicted to it. I’m addicted enough that the material the Coke is bottled in matters. Glass is the best, followed by cans, then fountain (though they often have the machine poorly adjusted), then plastic. Here in Chicago I can often get Mexican Coca-Cola, which has a slightly different taste that’s not at all unpleasant and is greatly enhanced by the fact that the bottles are still glass.
I also love Coke II and Moxie, and I’ve long been tickled by the Jekyll/Hyde relationship between Dr. Pepper and Mr. Pibb. Like some multinational telecom, here’s a product that Coca-Cola is distributing in some markets and competing against in others! Dr. Pepper is actually owned by Cadbury-Schweppes, and is distributed by Coke, Pepsi, AND RC! O, if only this cola would take a side, instead of switching back and forth like the Junkyard Dog!
Needless to say, I was excited when Pibb Xtra came to my area. It may be old hat to Texans but it was new to me… and much more exciting than that crappy Bubble Tea, the Poor Man’s Orbitz. A fat straw does not a tasty beverage make!
Even more interesting is Coca-Cola’s decision to replace Mr. Pibb entirely with this extreme new flavor. Don’t they remember the most famous product flop in history? Regardless of what the conspiracy theorists say, New Coke was an unplanned failure, as evidenced by the heads that rolled at corporate. Yet it appears that history will not repeat itself, if the weak showing at the Keep-Mr-Pibb petition is any indication.
Coca Cola’s coming on strong with this stuff, even sponsoring the Pibb Xtra Thrillway at the Texas state fair. Ooooo-eeee, who gives a crap? As marketing schlock goes, a street at a state fair can’t compare to Cadbury-Schweppes’ stupid extreme milk product, with its slogan “Think Outside the Barn”. We are beginning to see why Mr. Pibb has always been a sad, sad second to Dr. Pepper, the good doctor selling like crazy at places like Taco Bell while Mr. Pibb languishes in obscurity at the low-rent Arby’s. Goes to show you kids, stay in school! Get that degree!
But why replace Mr. Pibb entirely? Like all soft drinks, it’s bottled by different companies, who are even allowed to substitute ingredients, so why not let the local market decide? A clue is found on Coca-Cola’s website:
Mr. Pibb was launched in Texas and quickly expanded through much of the U.S. Mr. Pibb appeals to 12-to-15 year olds who are just gaining independence from home and looking for things to call their own. Mr. Pibb enables them to have an uninhibited, fun and unconventional attitude because it has the sweet, refreshing bold taste they need to express their independence.
In 2001, Pibb Xtra was introduced in Houston and Dallas with an intense flavor kick -- a bolder version of the original taste. Its bold taste and graphics appeal to young adults who are looking to get the most out of life and the most out of their soft drink. Based on its tremendous success in Texas, Pibb Xtra will replace Mr Pibb across the U.S. in 2002.
Aha! Mr. Pibb is for the 12 to 15-year-old market, enabling them to have an uninhibited, fun and unconventional attitude! It has the sweet, refreshing bold taste they need to express their independence! Yet Pibb Xtra is a bolder version, with a bold taste and bold graphics for young adults who are looking to get the most out of life… and the most out of their soft drink! It contains an intense flavor kick!!
In other words, for some reason Coca Cola is really hurtin’ for this key demo, and they’re growing up. The beast that took Mello Yello, and regurgitated Surge, has struck again. I can’t wait for this Xtreme generation to get old, just to see the Depends and Viagra commercials.
So what did I think? Well, I wouldn’t describe the flavor kick as particularly intense, nor even a kick. But it’s definitely there. The best I can think of is that it’s more of the same. I liked it. I won’t be signing the petition.
Maybe soon they’ll re-release Mr. Pibb Classic as Mrs. Pibb, for the gentler, less extreme sex. A mellow, kickless version of Pibb Xtra. A man can dream… a man can dream.
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