Charlotte and Atlanta

We have begun the road trip to New Orleans, albeit only two days at this stage. The first day was a long drive to Charlotte, North Carolina. It rained most of the way and was a little windy due to the hurricane (Matthew) nearby on the coast. No tourist action that day but nice to see a change of scenery and number plates.

 

The pics above are us old chooks having a cuppa tea along the way and a very unique structure called Metalmorphisis in Charlotte. The head rotates in sections but is quite striking. It is is a mirrored water fountain by Czech sculptor David Cerny that was constructed at the Whitehall Technology Park in Charlotte. The 14-ton sculpture is made from massive stainless steel layers that rotate 360 degrees and occasionally align to create a massive head.

The second day we continued our journey south to Atlanta which is the capital of Georgia. It is known as the peach state but we couldn't find any roadside market places open on a Sunday. Atlanta also hosted the 1996 Olympics. Atlanta is also home to the World of Coca Cola - this was where coke was founded by an American pharmacist John Pemberton. We toured the museum and it was chock full of everything coke - momentos, artefacts, marketing and development history and a tasting room with over 100 different flavours produced by coke. We received a bottle of coke on entry and as many Aussies know, US coke is not as sweet as Australian coke due to the different sugar used. I still love a good coke, especially a free one. It's an incredible success story that we tend to take for granted but coke was created in 1886 and through successful marketing, this great drink has endured generations and is still the leading soft drink around the world today.

I found it interesting that coke changed its formula back in 1985, but was met with strong opposition. When an athlete is great, he or she is called the Michael Jordan of his or her sport. When a new product launch is a disaster, it is called the "New Coke" of its industry.

That negative association emerged 30 years ago Thursday, on April 23, 1985, when Coca Cola announced a changed to its nearly century-old secret formula. The new Coke would have a smoother, sweeter taste -- similar to Diet Coke, but sweetened with corn syrup. Market researchers and pollsters were sure it'd be a hit.

A poll showed that only 13 percent of soda drinkers liked the new Coke. The pop was a bust of epic proportions. Pepsi took full advantage by launching a commercial featuring a girl who asked: "Somebody out there tell me why Coke did it? Why did Coke change?"

Fans weren't upset -- they were angry. So passionate were Coke drinkers that they launched grassroots campaigns across the country to force Coca-Cola to bring back the original Coke.

"It was the people against the corporation -- only in America," reported CBS News' Bob Simon in 1985. "Coke said it was committed, so were the people. In California they collected signatures, in Seattle they set up a hotline."

Eventually the pressure from the fans and the press became too much. Coca-Cola showed signs of cracking when it launched a commercial featuring Donald Keough, the longtime president of the Coca-Cola Company in 1985.

"We're bringing it back, the original taste of Coca-Cola returns as Coca-Cola Classic and soon America will have a real choice: the new taste of Coke or the original taste of Coca-Cola Classic," said Donald Keough, Pres. Coca-Cola Company.

 

The headquarters of CNN News is here in Atlanta and we're taking a tour tomorrow morning. It is a long weekend here and the city was pleasant given it was a Sunday. We had an early dinner at this BBQ place and the food was really tasty and delicious. We shared ribs, brisket, chicken and a range of side dishes. If this is the standard of southern bbq food, we are in for a fabulous road trip ahead. We hope to see the civil rights museum tomorrow and maybe Martin Luther King's birth house and memorial. Tomorrow we head to Montgomery in Alabama and will reach New Orleans on Tuesday.