OT: Jones Soda (Thanksgiving Flavors)

[nobody]

So my roommate and I picked up both new Jones soda holiday packs tonight and drank the worst Thanksgiving Day meal ever! We only took a tiny taste of each flavor, but with an extensive collection of 9 flavors that still equals a whole lot of disgusting soda... and a half an hour later I still feel sick.

If anyone cares to pick up these drinks, here's our ranking (from "best" to worst):

1. Cranberry Soda
2. Turkey Soda
3. Pumpkin Pie Soda
4. Pecan Pie Soda
5. Corn on the Cob Soda
6. Salmon Soda
7. Brocolli Casserole Soda
8. Wild Herb Stuffing Soda
9. Brussell Sprout Soda

My advice: Drink them on an empty stomach. If you make it all the way to #9 it will make you gag. And you'll also need a strong, sugary chaser to accompany your "meal," like Mt. Dew.

[odinn7]

I've heard about this and I just don't understand it. Does anyone actually drink that crap and think it tastes good? Turkey soda?

[ulthar]

nobody should drink something this disgusting ...

Oh wait, he did.

[dean]

Wow, what a consumer blitz that must have been for that product!

Do you think their key market demographic is for people like nobody who are curious as to the idea, and then punish themselves for this curiousity?

I sometimes really don't understand the crazy things people make in order to try and create their own section of an already established market.

[AndyC]

I find that it's a mistake to buy any of the Jones assorted packs, even of the regular flavours. Their root beer and cream soda are amazing, but once everybody drinks those, you're left with a box of blue bubblegum and green apple that nobody wants.

I agree that Jones is aiming squarely at people's curiosity with this holiday pack. Of course, lots of companies experiment with weird, or at least different, flavours, particularly the big soft drink makers. Make a limited amount, and you're guaranteed to sell enough for everyone to try at least once. Once people decide they don't like it, it's gone, and so is their money. If you happen to hit on something they do like, so much the better.

It sounds gross, but I have to admit, turkey soda interests me more than vanilla Coke.



Post Edited (11-19-05 08:00)

[Just Plain Horse]

AndyC wrote:

> I find that it's a mistake to buy any of the Jones assorted
> packs, even of the regular flavours. Their root beer and cream
> soda are amazing, but once everybody drinks those, you're left
> with a box of blue bubblegum and green apple that nobody
> wants.
>
> I agree that Jones is aiming squarely at people's curiosity
> with this holiday pack. Of course, lots of companies experiment
> with weird, or at least different, flavours, particularly the
> big soft drink makers. Make a limited amount, and you're
> guaranteed to sell enough for everyone to try at least once.
> Once people decide they don't like it, it's gone, and so is
> their money. If you happen to hit on something they do like, so
> much the better.
>
> It sounds gross, but I have to admit, turkey soda interests me
> more than vanilla Coke.
>

My thoughts exactly (well, except the turkey soda part), but the basic mindset is, if you make it someone will try it... which generally holds true. Now, if it was somebody out selling "broccoli soda" at a lemonade stand, they'd have to deal with people face-to-face (where they'd face a lot of criticism), but since its a faceless corporation, they can foist whatever they want on the public (cranberry sauce soda, anyone?), and just sit back and rake in the profits. We're nice and placid that way... it's the same reason our government dicks us over all the time and we just shrug our shoulders and say, "Eh, no big deal. A lot of countries have it worse than us... we shouldn't complain. Bill O'Reilly was right, we should shut up and let others do the thinking for us..."

...and that's what soda and politics have in common... New Iraqi Coke, anyone?

[nobody]

It was totally curiosity that made us buy the drinks. And once we were finished tasting them all, and nursing our upset stomachs, we said to ourselves, "well... what did we expect?" We both knew we were throwing our money away on a dumb purchase.

It's no doubt the Jones soda company is making these drinks just for the free publicity it generates. They're hoping people will see their other (real) sodas and give them a spin, too. I sort of want to try their "depeach mode" flavored soda, now (just because I think the name is funny)- so the stunt worked.

We plan on passing the unfinished holiday sodas to family and friends today... poor bastards.

[ulthar]

Just Plain Horse wrote:

> just
> sit back and rake in the profits.

What profits?  These stupid flovors probably took many man-years and big $$ to develop.  It's not like they just grind up some turkey, add carbonation, bottle and sell.  They invested probably a rather large chunk of money into this idea.

They probably lose money on the product itself.  It's called a "loss leader."  To me, as a SMALL business owner, I think the idea is dumb.  But, if you are part of a BIG company, some think it a sound investment strategy.  The publicity they get off this is worth far more than the revenues generated by actual sales.

As they say, there's no such thing as bad publicity.

[Shadowphile]

I'm in favour of anything that promotes Jones Cola.  I'm a big fan.  And it gives me an additional alternative, since I've learned a few disturbing thigns about Coke.  (The company, not the product.)

[dean]

Shadowphile wrote:

> I'm in favour of anything that promotes Jones Cola.  I'm a big
> fan.  And it gives me an additional alternative, since I've
> learned a few disturbing thigns about Coke.  (The company, not
> the product.)

Care to share these things?  I love Coke, don't get me wrong, but the buggers have quite the history don't they?

[Scottie]

Never tried the stuff, nor do I intend to. The closest I ever came to drinking something like that was when I tried a Bloody Mary without celery. Yech.

Nobody wrote:

"It's no doubt the Jones soda company is making these drinks just for the free publicity it generates. They're hoping people will see their other (real) sodas and give them a spin, too. I sort of want to try their "depeach mode" flavored soda, now (just because I think the name is funny)- so the stunt worked."

>
>
>

I think Depeach Mode soda is funny as well. I wonder if they are in cahoots with the band Depeche Mode to use their name. There's a coffee shop back home that would sell coffee drinks with flavoring and name them 'Travelling Willberry,' and 'A Clockwork Orange,' and other flavorful names. I wonder how far pop culture (if you excuse the soda pun) will take cross marketing into the corporate sector. With bands like U2, Rolling Stones, and Aerosmith selling their image to cell phone companies and car companies, it's just a matter of time before local band Scuzzy And The Aquatic Trio go on TV for local car dealerships and grocery stores.

As for Coca Cola, I avoid soft drinks for the most part. Pepsi, Coke, Dr. Pepper, etc, etc...



Post Edited (11-20-05 14:29)

[Shadowphile]

Where to start on that topic......

My personal boycott started after I read an article in a local 'free press' newspaper.  It seems Coke had an exclusive agreement with the local university.  As part of a thesis, one student began looking into the terms of the agreement and decide to invesitigate Coke as well.

He discovered something like 179 cases of human rights violations in South America, including possible connections to a number of DEATHS.

He discovered that Coke was pulling 500 000 litres of ground water PER DAY out of a drought stricken region in India.  They were also giving local farmers  a  processing byproduct sludge as 'free fertilizer'.  A sample of the sludge analyzed by an English University lab was declared to have no useful value as a fertilzier.  In addition, it was toxic.

That isn't even considering all of  their North American human rights violations and discriminatory hiring practices.

There is more detail available if you are interested.  I kept the article.....

Needless to say, I switched to Pepsi.  It's been difficult, since all my favourite soft drinks are Coke products.

[Ed, Ego and Superego]

I want to try the single bottles of the Jones Soda.  I don't wanna buy the multipack, which is all I can find.
-Ed

[Just Plain Horse]

ulthar wrote:

> Just Plain Horse wrote:
>
> > just
> > sit back and rake in the profits.
>
> What profits?  These stupid flovors probably took many
> man-years and big $$ to develop.  It's not like they just grind
> up some turkey, add carbonation, bottle and sell.  They
> invested probably a rather large chunk of money into this idea.
>
> They probably lose money on the product itself.  It's called a
> "loss leader."  To me, as a SMALL business owner, I think the
> idea is dumb.  But, if you are part of a BIG company, some
> think it a sound investment strategy.  The publicity they get
> off this is worth far more than the revenues generated by
> actual sales.
>
> As they say, there's no such thing as bad publicity.
>

And there in is why it was worth it... and if even one of these oddities takes off, it will make them millions. Your attitude was what I was reffering to in my post, the sheer stupification and anger at something so incredulous would chase a vendor off the streets, but a company just has some guy in a truck ship it around. Thusly, if our world leaders had to walk by our houses on a daily basis they'd tread a lot more quietly and with less pomp... ask yourself how many vacations our current president has taken since he took office. It may sound absurd to some, but my odd cross reference still stands. Government is a business... and all businesses are only looking to make a bigger profit... even off turkey flavored soda.

[ulthar]

Just Plain Horse wrote:

>
> And there in is why it was worth it... and if even one of these
> oddities takes off, it will make them millions.

You missed the point of my post it seems.  They won't take off, the company leaders know they won't take off, and they were never put on the market to generate profit.  They were placed on the market to generate publicity.  If they don't sell one can of the stuff, it does not matter.  The EXISTENCE is the "product" in this case.

After all, we ARE talking about that company, are we not?

> ask yourself how many vacations our current president
> has taken since he took office.

Good or bad, right or wrong, agree or disagree, what does this have to do with the price of tea in China?  Or, more to the point, what does this have to do with the existence (and/or acceptance) of turkey flavored soda?

> Government is a
> business... and all businesses are only looking to make a
> bigger profit... even off turkey flavored soda.
>

Government is not a business; governments, local, state, federal, etc, all over the world generally operate at a LOSS.  Have you ever heard of our National Debt?  Have you ever heard of deficit spending?

Also, your comments suggest an aversion to businesses making profits.  What is wrong with that?  Those businesses are comprised of the people therein employed, and profits means

(1) higher salaries/wages
(2) more employees get hired
(3) increased economic activity (as that business buys more raw materials, for example), thereby 'spreading the wealth' to other businesses.

There is no business in existence, I would wager, that makes money and hordes it.  It is true that the business goal is profit, but it really the goal to SPEND that profit (on employees, growth of the business, etc).  

How is that goal ANY different from an individual's personal goals?