The Ledger
Every statement that passed quotation and attribution checks. Mix any filter with any other: certainty 1/5, debate potential 5/5, or both at once.
why aren't all 15 resolved? a statement only gets an assessment when the public record can support or contradict it. opinions and what-ifs never can, and 0 checkable ones are still open, waiting for their date. predictions held up or didn't; assertions are supported or contradicted. on every card: ▮▮▮▮▮ certainty · ▮▮▮▮▮ debate potential. speakers are clickable
Rosenthal: Coca-Cola's Robert Woodruff backed segregationist politicians in the 1940s
“In fact, Robert Woodruff was openly supporting segregationist politicians during this time.”
New Coke actually beat original Coke and Pepsi in blind taste tests
“They've done tons of taste tests. Not only does it beat Pepsi in taste tests, it beats original Coke. People prefer the taste of new Coke.”
Late 1950s McCann taste tests showed consumers preferred Pepsi over Coke
“Consumers, when presented with the two drinks, Coke and Pepsi, in a blind taste test, a statistically significant number of people prefer Pepsi. The taste of Pepsi.”
Pepsi tried to sell itself to Coca-Cola on three separate occasions
“Pepsi tried to sell itself to Coca-Cola, like sell its operations to Coca-Cola three separate times over the years.”
Rosenthal: Pepsi surpassed Coca-Cola in US bottled market share in 1977
“In 1977, Pepsi outspends Coke in advertising for the first time in history. And Pepsi actually passes Coke in market share in the bottled market.”
Coca-Cola forbids its sales teams from selling syrup below McDonald's rate
“Coke sales teams are prohibited from selling syrup to restaurants for less than McDonald's pays, even if it means they're going to lose the business to Pepsi.”
Coca-Cola's board rejected a $16B Quaker Oats acquisition after the CEO announced it
“In 2000, the CEO of Coke announces publicly a sixteen billion dollar deal to acquire Quaker Oats and Gatorade... So he announced it without board approval. The board rejected it after the public announcement. The deal falls through and the next year Pepsi ends…”
Coca-Cola passed on buying Monster at an $11 billion valuation in 2012
“So in 2012, Monster reached out to potential buyers, including Coca-Cola and Pepsi, but Coke decided against pursuing it because the price was high. Monster's market cap was eleven billion dollars at the time.”
Rosenthal: Coca-Cola directly addressing Pepsi in ads was its worst mistake
“Coca-Cola is a singular N of one product. Coca-Cola does not exist in a universe with other competitors. And here's Bill Cosby directly talking about Pepsi and the challenge. It's the worst thing that Coca-Cola could possibly do.”
Pepsi's 12-ounce bottle was textbook counter-positioning that Coca-Cola could not match
“This is textbook counter positioning. Coca-Cola cannot respond because they and their bottlers have just invested all of this capital and all of this IP into the six and a half ounce contour bottle. They can't react.”
Schultz: Starbucks and Pepsi launched bottled Frappuccino via 50/50 JV
“Subsequently, Craig Weatherup and I, on a napkin, I swear, shook hands and created a multi-billion dollar business For Pepsi and Starbucks and a fifty-fifty JV and bottle Frappuccino.”
Disney created four sponsored pavilions for the 1964 World's Fair
“The four exhibitions that they create for the 1964 World's Fair, many of which should probably sound familiar to you, It's a Small World, sponsored by Pepsi and UNICEF... Two, the Carousel of Progress, sponsored by General Electric. Three, The Magic Skyway, sp…”
Frito-Lay produces twice as much profit for PepsiCo as Pepsi beverages do
“While the revenues are a little bit smaller than the Pepsi business by revenue, Frito-Lay generates twice as much profit inside the parent company, PepsiCo.”
Gilbert: 1980 federal antitrust amendment allowed soft drink bottler territorial monopolies
“In 1980, the government passed an amendment to federal antitrust law that exempted the soft drink industry. So Coke and Pepsi could actually grant exclusive territories to their bottlers”
Rosenthal: Diet Coke became America's #3 soft drink by 1984
“By the end of 1983, the first full year on the market, Diet Coke is the number one diet drink in America. And unlike Tab, which clearly from That commercial that you talked about earlier was exclusively marketed to women. 30% of Diet Coke drinkers, even in the…”