the article at the link is MOSTLY about powerade and a new delivery system at walmart.

however, it's also revealed that ORIGINALLY, coke zero was susposed to be sweetened with splenda!!! just as many of us said it should be (to cut down on confusion), BUT... it turns out, walmart suggested that coca-cola make a diet coke with splenda... and create a different version of coke zero (the one we have now).

my guess is that walmart figured that DC with Splenda was more likely to be a "hit" than some new drink called Coke Zero... probably because they were thinking about the "new coke" fiasco.

so... there you have it. the explanation to ALL the CONFUSION about WHY WHY WHY we got 2 new diet colas. (sigh)

anyway... about powerade...

http://www.beverageworld.com/index.p...k=view&id=5254

At the very least, the PowerAde news demonstrates the increasing power that Wal-Mart wields over suppliers. Wal-Mart also has been involved in Coke's new product development. Last year, Coke launched two new diet colas in the United States, Diet Coke with Splenda and Coke Zero. The beverage company had originally planned to launch just one drink, a cola sweetened with Splenda called Coke Zero. At the urging of Wal-Mart, Coke changed course.

I fail to understand what reason Wal-Mart wanted two new diet/low carb cola's. Also I know Wal-Mart is the US's and the world's largest in number and volume retailer;yet I just don't understand Coca Cola's reason in allowing an outside party manage their brands.

Please explain this to me as I am confused. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I have learned in my years that: What Wal-Mart Wants, Wal-Mart gets.

No doubt about it!, here in Mexico, Wal-Mart, along with their other supermarkets Bodega Aurrera, Superama and Sam's Club, is having a great market share, leaving behind stores like Comercial Mexicana, Gigante, Soriana, Chedraui (formerly Carrefour Mexico), etc. etc. But to be honest, the american Wal-Mart is 1,000 times better...

About Powerade... I think that Coke Consolidated and CCE want to do something similar that Coca-Cola Mexico is doing here in Mexico, as I mentioned in a previous post, Coca-Cola created a division called SALESKO in order to deliver the non-carbonated drinks of The Coca-Cola Company Mexico to supermarkets, drugstores and convenience stores nationwide. And a delivery and logistics company called EXEL are in charge of this delivery... so now in Mexico you can find a great variety of flavors of the non-carbonated drinks like: Powerade, Nestea, Minute Maid, Ciel Aquarius, Ciel Dasani and Spacio Leve...

For example, before the creation of Salesko, in my local Wal-Mart there was only few Powerade flavors: Berries, Fruit Punch, Lemon-Lime and Orange-Tangerine... now thanks to Salesko we have also Green Apple, Lemonade, Grapefruit, Citrus Mango and the Kiwi-flavor limited edition of the GOAL! movie...

[ 01-26-2006, 05:11 PM: Message edited by: Ramón Coca-Colero ]

Originally posted by greg:
I have learned in my years that: What Wal-Mart Wants, Wal-Mart gets.

man you could not have squared the hammer up any better on the head of the nail on this one.LOL. The thing that gets me is they will come to Pepsi and want xx package that Pepsi doesn't even make so then it will be"exclusive" to walmart. Then they will send out numerous memos to the stores and half of the stores won't take it. Pepsi has to firesale it at other accounts or eat it and Walmart will see it and get mad because they are "exclusive" to that packaging.

I would say they more invented DC w/ Splenda, not Zero. Zero was already in the works.

And I hear ya about the "exclusive packages," Saint. Same experience here. Even though we have national programs with them, they still have to be sold in at store level. And for some unknown reason, the store manager always likes to be involved in these decisions. How about delegating responsibility to your assistants?

Originally posted by Mr Zabe:
yet I just don't understand Coca Cola's reason in allowing an outside party manage their brands.

Please explain this to me as I am confused. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Walmart controls the universe

[ 01-26-2006, 10:35 PM: Message edited by: 01GTB ]

i HATE wal*mart sometimes
Target is better

Yeah, Wally World is to retail what Coke and Pepsi are to the beverage community.

Yea, last night at wal-mart, they had a 18 pack of Dr. Pepper cans.

How strange is that??