D&D General Edition Changes and Brand Identity: Remembering New Coke

[Snarf Zagyg]

And unlike Coca-Cola, D&D has actually changed multiple times over the years. Oh, not counting the removal of cocaine from the formula in its early years. D&D hasn't been a static product with little to no changes over the decades. Even the class names aren't the same.

So what you're saying is ... we need to add cocaine to D&D?

Brilliant!

 

[Alzrius]

I remember that. I also remember 7UP's Fido Dido in the early 90s. That was the correct way to raise brand awareness and get new customers. Change nothing and do a great ad campaign instead.

I preferred "Make 7UP Yours!"

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I preferred "Make 7UP Yours!"

I was a fan* of the '90s vibe of OK Cola.

*Of course, by "fan," I mean that I was like, whatever. Because it was the '90s. Probably why it never succeeded. If your brand is apathy, you're probably not going to build a loyal following.

 

[DarkCrisis]

I was a fan* of the '90s vibe of OK Cola.

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*Of course, by "fan," I mean that I was like, whatever. Because it was the '90s. Probably why it never succeeded. If your brand is apathy, you're probably not going to build a loyal following.

The real choice of a new generation.

 

[Parmandur]

So what you're saying is ... we need to add cocaine to D&D?

Brilliant!

Gary Gygax was way ahead of the curve on this point.

 

[Pedantic]

People can, and have, argued that the whole tasting process misunderstood the way that people drank the beverage, and that having the cola be "less sweet" was actually a benefit when people were drinking it in the customary way- which is to say, 8 to 12 oz (or, if you're a real 'Murkian, in a Big Gulp of 32 oz or more).

This might just be a me thing, as a dedicated Americano consumer and person so addicted to seltzer water I've installed my own home tap, but I have never, ever wanted to drink 8 ounces of something. At a minimum I want 12, and generally I want 16 to 20. There is no beverage that I could possibly want at all that I would only want 8 ounces of.

 

[Oofta]

This might just be a me thing, as a dedicated Americano consumer and person so addicted to seltzer water I've installed my own home tap, but I have never, ever wanted to drink 8 ounces of something. At a minimum I want 12, and generally I want 16 to 20. There is no beverage that I could possibly want at all that I would only want 8 ounces of.

I take it your not a big fan of Scotch?

 

[Krachek]

Coke manage to survive the New Coke flop.
For now Wotc manage to survive 4ed, the OGL crisis, the problems of Hasbro, the insatisfaction about the new playtest, the doubts about it is a new edition or not.
I guess they got a phylactery well hidden somewhere.

 

[Maxperson]

So what you're saying is ... we need to add cocaine to D&D?

It would certainly make dragon slaying more interesting, and quicker! 10 round fights over in 10 minutes.

 

[MarkB]

The change was front-page news. People bought out the stocks of the "old Coke" quickly and began campaigns to bring back the old Coke. The response was overwhelming and unprecedented. To its credit, the company quickly changed course and release "Coca Cola Classic" within three months, and by the end of the 1985, Classic was outselling New Coke and Pepsi combined. In a weird way, the terrible mistake of New Coke was the best thing that could have happened to Coke, as the Coca Cola Company remembered what it was selling, and people remembered why they drank Coke.

So, new changes announced to much public outcry, followed by a complete reversal and apology that somehow wound up bouncing them back to being as well or better supported than before? Eerily reminiscent of certain events in January.