From real coca leaf and cola nuts, so says the advertisement of yore, professing the natural flavours of Coca-cola which has passed the test of time with flying colors. Coke remains the oldest guarded secret for a commercial formula. Boasting of being number one in sales (most of the time), Coke came out with variations, starting with the semi-bland to the sweetest concoction. But the Coke classic still tops the list of consumers.
Drinking Coke has been a habit all over the world, unconscious of the fact that Coke gives employment to poor countries like Philippines. Some say that Coke is a pillar of the Philippine economy. Although the production cost is adversely affected by the fluctuating world prices of sugar, Coke tries its best to maintain their selling price in order to please the consumers. And to further boost sales, promotions come in different gimmicks, from free Coke to items like yoyo, caps, etc.
Being a cola, excessive drinking of Coke results in sticky throat so it is best to avoid drinking it at before sleeping. Much more, the sweetener that stays in between the teeth and the gums can cause tooth decay. However, Coke is recommended to some diabetic patients. A famous Filipino singer by the name of Gary Valenciano drinks Coke to pep him up for a performance. He says that Coke had saved his life many times particularly when his blood sugar abruptly goes down below normal level.
I came across an item in the internet which says cola is like acid that can destroy steel in a matter of 10 days and that cola is also good for cleaning toilet sinks and bowls. The emphasis of the item was on the destruction of teeth. This internet item was belied by the authorities on the subject, brushing it as a mere smear campaign against soft drink manufacturers. And I agree because if Coke was destructive of health then a majority of the world population should have already been suffering.
There is a Coke memorabilia museum in a southern province of the Philippines where an array of Coke items, old and new, are on display, included are Coke bottles of different sizes. This museum is a favourite haunt of school field trips. Also, Coke plants (factories) invites school children to see how Coke is manufactured. Of course, the visitors get free drinks.
Coke will remain the number one softdrink unless competitors can concoct a better formula that would suit the human taste buds. Pepsi had been trying hard to eclipse the market position by employing scientific marketing techniques but to no avail. Here in the Philippines, some stores sell only Pepsi but they later admit that their sales, in general, markedly decreased and so they were back to selling all kinds of drinks. Once there was a Pepsi promotion that hit the country like a storm. Pepsi caps contain 3 numbers that would be raffled off. It’s like buying Pepsi with a free lotto ticket. However, an anomaly arose and a horde of supposed to be winners filed a class suit against Pepsi. That was the end of the threat to the supremacy of Coke.
Drinking cola has the benefits and ill side effects depending on one’s health. But people drink it anyway. And people prefer Coke.