Logo Temptation

By some accident of history I’d rather drink Coca-Cola than Pepsi. When I’m in a restaurant that only serves Pepsi-associated soft drinks, I choose something other than cola. I do know this is one more distinction with little meaning; I do once remember opening a can of Coke and a can of Pepsi and sampling both of them to impress on myself that there isn’t that much difference in flavour before I had to finish both of the cans, which was a lot of cola to drink.

I have found, though, that when I see a “retro” can of Pepsi that looks more or less like they did in the 1980s I’ve been tempted more than once to buy it. The way Pepsi can alter its trade dress while Coca-Cola relies on an impression of history does get my attention. It might have got my attention that much more when I was in the grocery store yesterday and I spotted Pepsi packages with new trade dress both current (an all-blue background) and old-fashioned (a logo restored to symmetry with the name in between the red and blue parts). I did hold back the thought of buying some at once, though.