New Coke: the cola that won Coca-Cola's biggest taste test and lost America
The return of Coca-Cola Classic: why a retreat after 79 days made front-page news
In July 1985, 79 days after New Coke, Coca-Cola brought its old taste back. A TV network stopped a drama show for the news, and a senator spoke about it in the Senate. Few companies have ever been thanked so loudly for saying they were wrong.
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1
On Wednesday afternoon, 10 July, even before Keough's message is on the news, the TV network ABC stops its afternoon drama show, General Hospital. It breaks the news: the old Coke is coming back.
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On 11 July 1985, 79 days after the launch, the two bosses face the reporters. That week, Keough says: "We did not understand the deep emotions of so many of our customers for Coca-Cola."
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