r/explainlikeimfive • u/bigdubsy • Dec 16 '12

ELI5: Why does Coca-cola still advertise? Explained

Why do companies that have seemingly maxed out on brand recognition still spend so much money on advertising? There is not a person watching TV who doesn't know about Pepsi/Coke. So it occurs to me that they cannot increase the awareness of their product or bring new customers to the product. Without creating new customers, isn't advertisement a waste of money?

I understand that they need to advertise new products, but oftentimes, it's not a new product featured in a TV commercial.

The big soda companies are the best example I can think of.

Edit: Answered. Thanks everyone!

Edit 2: Thanks again to everybody for the discussions! I learned alot more than I expected. If we weren't all strangers on the internet, I'd buy everyone a Pepsi.

2.0k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

View all comments

Show parent comments

848

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '12

Recipe-wise, it's almost identical to Pepsi

Bullshit.

621

u/zephyrtr Dec 16 '12

Yeah Pepsi tastes more like sugar, Coke tastes more like caramel and caffeine.

229

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '12

What does caffeine taste like..? For the record, I agree with you about the caramel part.

229

u/sllewgh Dec 16 '12 edited Aug 07 '24

domineering smell narrow aback quickest shocking alive friendly file command

127

u/DeathByPianos Dec 16 '12

Slightly bitter! One time I fell asleep at an all-night LAN party and my "friends" put a caffeine tablet in my open mouth. The pill slowly dissolved and pooled in my dormant mouth I awoke and was greeted by the worst flavor hell I can imagine. Thank god caffeine is soluble in water. It was still so hard to flush out the sides of my tongue. I cringe at the memory even today.

143

u/Bacon_is_not_france Dec 16 '12

Please, my buddy shoved the end of a gamecube controller up a dude's ass while he was sleeping at a LAN party. A caffeine pill is nothing.

185

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

[deleted]

249

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

this one time, at LAN camp

-6

u/ordinaryrendition Dec 17 '12

a few bros and i were just chilling...

4

u/God_of_Abraham Dec 17 '12

dude, at least shove a gamecube controller up someones ass if you're going to tell a crappy story.

60

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

Gaymers

32

u/Cheehu Dec 17 '12

/r/gaymers

-9

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

I haven't even visited that subreddit but I can guess it's going to be a bunch of guys with persecution complex bullshit? Like seriously. Gaymers? How does your sexuality come into place when playing a video game?

6

u/kyookumbah Dec 17 '12 edited Dec 17 '12

Thankfully no, not at all. Gay people just generally prefer each other's company in all spheres because it creates an environment of instant familiarity, sexually-charged frivolity and a common cultural reference pool. Similar interests, birds of a feather, "we are family, all my brothers sisters and me" and all that. It's not like a feministgamers or atheistgamers subreddit or anything like that. Lol, now I'm picture SRS and MensRights gamer groups.

-2

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

So kind of like going to party with a decent ratio of chicks and the girls somehow make the party more enjoyable as opposed to going to a sausage-fest? Except instead of girls, you substitute gay guys?

Also, I guess my presumptions were wrong.

4

u/kyookumbah Dec 17 '12 edited Dec 17 '12

Sort of. If 1/10 guys are gay, then the average population is like a sausage party because you'd need 20 guys in a room to even have one other person there with whom you could potentially have sex. However, if you have 20 gay guys in a room then it's even better than the straight equivalent of a party with the perfect 50:50 guys to girls ratio because suddenly everyone is a potential sexual partner. Add the fact that everyone is also competition and you get the bitchiness of insecure women. At the same time, there's no battle of the sexes and overall it becomes extremely easy to get laid anyway so pretty much everyone is happy.

But that's just one way of looking at it. It goes into deeper community levels, similar lingo and life experiences that act as ice breakers with perfect strangers so making friends is easier... The point is it makes everything more fun. Hence gay gyms, bars, cruises, camp grounds, ski weeks, gay days at Disney World...

3

u/OBLITERATED_ANUS Dec 17 '12

That is the shallowest shit I have ever read.

→ More replies

2

u/JoJokerer Dec 17 '12

Nononono, in his ass

1

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

I always knew they were sausage fests...

16

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

Was Natty Ice and Axe body spray also involved?

11

u/spayce_bewbs Dec 17 '12

someone brought a bag full of big black dildos.

1

u/Dubhan Dec 17 '12

A whole bag of 'em!

31

u/Supersnazz Dec 17 '12

In most jurisdictions your friend has committed a rape.

26

u/Aaod Dec 17 '12 edited Dec 17 '12

Jesus, and I thought the LAN parties I attended were strange when we would gross each other out with weird porn.

Children this is why you put everything you write on the internet into MS word first before posting.

85

u/brevitywitssoul Dec 17 '12

"Jesus and I"

24

u/miss_kitty_cat Dec 17 '12

Jesus finds the weirdest porn.

3

u/Imreallytrying Dec 17 '12

Thank you. I have now found a sufficiently clever comment that I can feel satisfied with my Reddit experience and will now get back to doing some work.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

Yup, commas are important.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

I'm glad my parents never got raped at a LAN party.

1

u/Fuckswitch Dec 17 '12

Your buddy does some weird shit in his sleep.

1

u/wakannai Dec 17 '12

Yeah, that's rape, which in comparison is a lot worse than a caffeine pill.

1

u/Richeh Dec 17 '12

One time, at LAN camp, my friend stuck a gamecube controller up my asshole.

0

u/TheSocialStigma Dec 17 '12

I submit that the controller was rubbed against his asshole and didn't even go in slightly, and that you're a bad liar.

-4

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

Your buddy sounds like a moron. ...and by association...

15

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '12

Surely the pill isn't pure caffeine. Can we be certain the taste wasn't from the inactive ingredients?

15

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '12

If it were, they probably would use a different ingredient.

19

u/onceforgoton Dec 17 '12

No, most pills do actually taste absolutely horrible if you chew them. That's because pills weren't meant to be chewed, so why waste money finding ingredients that taste good and still provide the chemical properties you need?

65

u/JakeCameraAction Dec 17 '12

Then why does cough syrup still taste like you're rimjobbing a giant toad?

5

u/Shadow647 Dec 17 '12

I dunno, cough syrups over here taste like Jagermeister.

1

u/Zwiseguy15 Jan 07 '13

over where?

1

u/Shadow647 Jan 07 '13

Northern Europe

→ More replies

4

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

To prevent overconsumption of it which can either make you puke your guts out because of the Guaifenesin in it or tripping thanks to the DXM in it.

1

u/r16d Dec 17 '12

they don't care about you vomiting from overconsumption. guaifenesin can cause aneurysms.

1

u/Species7 Dec 17 '12

Source? I know DXM can cause Seratonin Syndrome/Storm, but I've never heard of Guaifenesin being dangerous due to aneurysm. I thought it was more likely to cause dehydration in an overdose.

→ More replies

4

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

Because OTC (and most prescription cough syrup) can get you high.

6

u/Esparno Dec 17 '12

They add stuff to make it harder to drink/make you puke so people don't abuse the stuff. You can get really high from Dextromethorphan.

7

u/0sseus Dec 17 '12

I've drank enough robotussin that I can now just imagine artificial cherry flavor and my appetite will vanish.

1

u/tomtom5858 Dec 17 '12

Sounds as though you have no problems losing weight.

2

u/much_longer_username Dec 17 '12

This is the correct answer. It intentionally tastes bad.

→ More replies

1

u/skaarup75 Dec 17 '12

TIL rimjobbing a giant toad tastes quite nice.

0

u/onceforgoton Dec 17 '12

Lmao. I'm sure they try to mask it as best they can. Sometimes the stuff you need in it just tastes terrible.

0

u/Guru6969 Dec 18 '12

I actually don't mind the taste of cough syrup anymore, I'm assuming you're still a little kid?

I sometimes drink pomegranate juice with vodka and find it tastes very similar to generic cough medicine.

2

u/BrokenSea Dec 17 '12

It also stops children thinking they are lollies - so they don't eat them and die.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

I've had caffeine that comes in powder and capsulated in gelatin (not sure what its called in english). First I thought the capsule was plastic so I removed the shell and put the caffeine powder on my tongue (guessing it is almost only caffeine?) and the taste was so bitter I couldn't believe it.

9

u/PEWPEWCHEWCHEW Dec 17 '12

It could be there to keep kids away from the stuff. If a child chews on one then chances are is that they won't eat another. It's either added or is from whatever the caffeine is extracted from.

2

u/DeathByPianos Dec 17 '12

Quite right. But, according to wikipedia: A good filler must be inert, compatible with the other components of the formulation, non-hygroscopic, relatively cheap, compactible, and preferably tasteless or pleasant tasting.

0

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

But, according to wikipedia

according to wikipedia

wikipedia

2

u/DeathByPianos Dec 17 '12

It's honestly common sense. Why would a pharmaceutical company make a pill more unpleasant to take? It's not like they have competition or anything.

2

u/Quigglebuffin Dec 17 '12

In fairness a lot of that taste would be filler. The whole tablet isn't caffeine.

2

u/DeathByPianos Dec 17 '12

Quite right. But, according to wikipedia:

A good filler must be inert, compatible with the other components of the formulation, non-hygroscopic, relatively cheap, compactible, and preferably tasteless or pleasant tasting.

2

u/Quigglebuffin Dec 17 '12

Yeah I agree, but I don't think No-Doz are too concerned about making their filler preferably better tasting.

1

u/21thCenturySchizoid Dec 17 '12

Most of the time those tablets are guarana based or even ginseng based. Guarana has a horrible and very strong bitter taste.

1

u/johnny_gunn Dec 17 '12

You very easily could've choked on that..

-2

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '12

Oh come on that's not too mean

2

u/Lampshader Dec 16 '12

That's what I said when that girl got upset about the rohypnol in her drink.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '12

This guy...

0

u/bhalp1 Dec 17 '12

I cringe at the memory even today.

http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3s84lk/

0

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '12

Yeah... "Caffeine"...

-4

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '12

[deleted]

2

u/ZeroError Dec 16 '12

That final clause is the same for all solids, is it not?

3

u/lisasgreat Dec 16 '12

and decreases solubility the colder it is.

That final clause is the same for all solids, is it not?

No, sodium sulfate is a solid whose solubility in water decreases as temperature increases above ~32 degrees Celsius.

Looking at this solubility table, there are a few other salts whose solubility decreases as temperature increases, but none of them are probably as frequently encountered as sodium sulfate.

2

u/ZeroError Dec 16 '12

I just got learned. Thanks.

1

u/Glasweg1an Dec 16 '12

You, are being wrongly down voted.

-3

u/ObtuseAbstruse Dec 16 '12

You some sort of dolt?

8

u/captainsalmonpants Dec 17 '12

Caffeine pills most likely have bitter chemicals added to prevent young children from eating and overdosing on them. Lethal dose is about 1 pill per Kg of weight, so less than a full bottle when looking at a young child. Every couple of years it seems a college kid dies from downing a bottle of the stuff.

As far as the taste of the chemical caffeine alone, I would guess you are right.

10

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

Caffeine, like most alkaloids, is indeed bitter.

Source: I have ground up caffeine pills and blended them into a smoothie

4

u/thefantods Dec 17 '12

http://www.amazon.com/Caffeine-Anhydrous-Powder-Alertness-HerbStoreUSA/dp/B0045RYE0Q

0

u/sllewgh Dec 17 '12 edited Aug 07 '24

memory paltry fly seed offbeat frightening quack thumb squealing ripe

1

u/atlantis145 Dec 17 '12

Where were you a week ago when I started studying for exams...

1

u/[deleted] Dec 17 '12

[deleted]

1

u/sllewgh Dec 17 '12 edited Aug 07 '24

tidy airport lock engine strong skirt different employ badge mindless

1

u/blolfighter Dec 17 '12

Before someone buys pure caffeine and offs themself, everyone please be advised that caffeine is highly toxic. Not nearly as toxic as nicotine, mind you, but still easy to kill yourself with.

1

u/mascaron Dec 17 '12

pure caffeine comes in a powder form, and "bitter" is an understatement. The Ld50 (median lethal dose) in humans is ~150-200 mg / kg. Also, in powder form, you feel the effects very rapidly, and caffeine intoxication symptoms occur quickly and noticeably presents itself after 1 gram in most humans. Lowest recorded death is 3 grams (15 pills worth of NoDoz), but is more typically 10 grams+.

What does all of this mean? Unless you ingest more than a mouthful of powder, you'll simply get a bad case of caffeine intoxication. Before most people could ingest a lethal amount, they'll start feeling rather sick / very unpleasant. If anyone is serious about buying pure caffeine, buy a simple scale and start off with no more than a gram your first time.

0

u/N8CCRG Dec 17 '12

" bitter undertones in artificial sweetner."

As someone who notices when my fiancee stirs my regular coffee with the same spoon she used with her artificial sweetener, I'll disagree with that "slight undertones" bit. But I recognize I'm hyper sensitive to artificial sweeteners.

-2

u/I_Can_Haz_Brainz Dec 17 '12

Caffeine has no taste whatsoever. Anyone upvoting anything about caffeine having a flavor doesn't know anything about caffeine. It also has no smell. Continue on...

2

u/sllewgh Dec 17 '12 edited Aug 07 '24

gold rainstorm ruthless aloof snails absorbed apparatus simplistic pie books

1

u/I_Can_Haz_Brainz Dec 17 '12

Yeah, but it was of the flavorless variety. I was actually drunk when I wrote the above and thought I was being sarcastic, but it certainly doesn't read that way. I thought I put you couldn't feel, see, or hear it either. Oh well, I fail.