Nothing like some adversity to galvanize a fanbase.
This is the lesson that shrewd marketers at Coca-Cola envisioned in the mid-80’s when they abruptly pulled their original formula off store shelves, to be replaced by “Coke II” – a far inferior product. The move was in response to Pepsi’s marketing team and their efforts to brand their cola company as the “taste of a new generation”.
Coke essentially said, “oh, you want something new. Here’s new for ya”.
The outrage was unbelievable. Coca Cola drinkers felt as thought they had been completely slighted by the soda company, and were calling Coca Cola headquarters thousands of times per day to complain. The palpable anger made national headlines.
But this galvanized Coke’s fanbase. It made them realize that, if they could only have Coke or Pepsi, they had better choose Coke. Otherwise the company was liable to desperate and start churning out stuff that could compete with Pepsi – and that you apparently don’t actually think tastes good.
Coke would go on to reintroduce Coca Cola Classic, and forever cement Pepsi’s status as the little brother of the soda family.
The possible, looming impeachment of Donald Trump is his own Coke II, and it has certainly had a unifying effect on his base.
The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) are expected to report to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) a combined $125.7 million raised in the third quarter of this year, setting up a record-breaking fundraising haul as President Trump seeks reelection in 2020.
The campaign, the RNC and authorized joint fundraising committees are also expected to show $158 million in combined cash in the bank at the end of the third quarter, according to the campaign.
Donald J. Trump for President Inc. received 1.1 million individual donations from July 1 through September, the campaign stated. Of those donations, 98.17 percent were $200 or less and the average donation was $44.50.
On Oct. 1, the Trump reelection campaign’s fundraising arm said it raised more than $308 million this calendar year and had $156 million in the bank. By comparison, former President Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) raised more than $70 million in the third quarter of 2011.
These numbers are simply staggering, and just go to show that the American people are at their most passionate when they face adversity.
