Signs of the Times

[jducoeur]

Today, our building had Tenant Appreciation Day, with free food and drinks and suchlike. All quite nice.

And it was sponsored by Coca-Cola. Not just sponsored: they had a huge booth on the side of the terrance advertising "C2" (which is apparently the new "low-carb" version of Coke), with loudspeakers, and a cute gadget that used air pressure to shoot your can of C2 up a plastic tube to you when you pressed a button, and C2 t-shirts being given to anyone willing to take one, and a C2-branded motorcycle being raffled off, and so on.

There's just something about "Coca-Cola C2 Tenant Appreciation Day" that is so *very* emblematic of modern America...

Comments

[tashabear.livejournal.com]

I thought the low-carb version of Coke was Diet Coke... says 0 carbs on the can here next to me.

"Mid-carb"

[metageek.livejournal.com]

Apparently, C2 is a "mid-carb" Coke, with half the sugar. Market segmentation, you know.

What I'm wondering is whether they put in some artificial sweetener as well. I don't drink Diet Coke because I can taste the aspartame aftertaste (it's genetic, apparently); if C2 has the same aftertaste, I won't drink it, either. If they use Splenda instead, then maybe.

Re: "Mid-carb"

[jducoeur]

I'm not sure, but one of my co-workers was reading the ingredient list (which took a worryingly long time), and mentioned the Phenylkenaturics (sp) warning at the bottom, which I usually take as a sign of aspartame presence...

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

"Diet" Coke is clearly too wimpy, or possibly too girly. Low-carb, though, that's more with-it or manly.

And of course they have put in artificial sweeteners, metageek, or else it would taste odd. However, if it's only half as much as you are used to, it might not be as noticeable.

My friend Pat says that regular coke is based (or possibly used to be based) on apple juice. She couldn't drink it due to allergies.

[jducoeur]

Yes, but one can never split the hairs finely enough in modern marketing. C2 is apparently the "split the difference" version of Coke, with half of the sugar of the real thing. (I suspect that the name started out as a codename of "C/2".)

I am too cynical

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

"I feel so appreciated when you won't spend your own damned money, but instead trade me over for some captive target marketing crap and turn me into an opportunity." Sez me.

These are the sorts of people that would charge someone storage for stealing their wallet.

What has become of us, that we have become so friggin' blase about being marketed to at all times? Are we sheep? Are we victims? Why don't we notice when we are sold? Consider U-Promise which offers to "turn your ordinary purchases into money for your children's college". Did anyone ever notice that they offer a micro-percentage of your transactions, but that you have given them permission to build a targetted marketing database with your EVERY transaction?

It's the Damned New Boston Garden, not the Fleet Center. It's the Rose Bowl, not the Fed-Ex Rose Bowl. Bite my click-stream.

Re: I am too cynical

[tpau]

you are assumign a fundamental badness of advertising. why? i mean it is annoyignand all, but it is a pretty good way for a consumer to at least find out nthat certain products exist...

Re: I am too cynical

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

That it is annoying is reason enough, but I particularly am opposed to marketing to kids; toys, clothing, whatnot. I sent these folks money for their lobbying against kid-oriented advertising -- particularly in schools. http://www.commercialalert.org/

Re: I am too cynical

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

This response brought to you by Monkey-O's the only kids cereal shaped like a Monkey's Anus!

you are assumign a fundamental badness of advertising. why? i mean it is annoyignand all, but it is a pretty good way for a consumer to at least find out nthat certain products exist...

Yes. Are you familiar with the phrase "push" versus "pull" advertising? I equate omnipresent marketing and gratuitous tie-ins with people shouting and grabbing your attention.

One of the strengths of the web is that it provides pull advertising - consider the placement of web adds in search engines. What I want in life is to be left the hell alone except in contexts where advertising is an agreed-upon or culturally appropriate price to pay for something - like free broadcast TV in exchange for advertising, or reduced price magazines. What I devoutly wish is to be able to find information when I want it.

And not to be otherwise unwittingly pummeled and shouted at at inappropriate times. But now a word from our sponsor.... (:-)

Finally, I can think of no finer reason to avoid doing something to another person in our common social milieu than to avoid it because "it is annoying and all". Seriously - can you?