In this episode of Decisions at the Fulcrum, we enter the focus (groups) on taste. Through the lens of Coca-Cola’s Test–Learn–Scale methodology, we examine how an iconic beverage brand manages risk, generates resonance, and sometimes spectacularly misfires.

From the pixel-infused flop of Coca-Cola Byte to the calibrated triumph of Zero Sugar's reformulation, we explore how flavor is tested and calibrated.

Along the way, we dig into how Freestyle machines became stealth research platforms, how popular drinks in some regions, like Peach Coke, didn't make it big in the U.S., and how the flop of Coke Mocha Coffee revealed misalignments of prototypes. Finally, the episode considers why iterative design might be a new industry standard.

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In this episode of Decisions at the Fulcrum, we follow the symbolic changes of soda, through its early days as a societal routine at the 1950s soda fountain to its more ambiguous current iterations as liquid sugar, nostalgia, and brand fairy tale, beginning in the 1980s and carrying into the present day.

We begin at the fountain, with chrome chairs, phosphate mixers, and the common syntax of refreshment. We pivot to look into how soda lost the plot. In the 1980s, overrun marketplaces brought in an era of gimmicks. Many examples of this can be covered. Dr. Hoffman highlights Life Savers soda, a "fruit" flavored drink that encouraged customers to drink candy and crested traditional category distinctions and imploded under its own enigmatic confusion.

To explain why items like this fail, we look to Gregory Murphy's notion of cognitive prototypes, which are frameworks that help us identify what fits. When a drink does not fit into any established category, or when it's unclear for whether it's a soda, a snack, or a prank, the mind protests. This resistance, a cognitive disfluency, contributes to the short shelf life of dessert-flavored drinks.

We next look at Coca-Cola's own efforts to manage this crossing, such as its widespread use of focus groups. Using realistic reconstructions of Coca-Cola Life and Oreo Coke conversations, we explore ways the organization fit, sensory coherence, psychological response, and category expectations, in addition to taste. These are more than simply beverage tests; they are sense-making rituals.

This podcast episode makes limited use of copyrighted materials—such as archival audio, advertisements, or public statements—for purposes of commentary, critique, and scholarship. These uses fall under the doctrine of fair use as defined by U.S. copyright law (17 U.S.C. § 107). All excerpts are employed selectively and transformatively to support critical analysis, educational inquiry, and public understanding. No commercial gain is derived from their inclusion.

The story of Hertz's autonomous rental system is explained in this episode of Decisions at the Fulcrum. Initially meant to simplify fleet management, the technology spiraled into a mechanism for arbitrary prosecutions.

A NASA contractor held at gunpoint, a veteran arrested before his wedding, and a nurse apprehended at a border crossing years later are just a few of the striking case studies showing how a system named efficiency promised automation but reflected a deeper abandonment of human judgment.

This episode considers the outsourcing of institutional trust to opaque algorithms that mistook logistical uncertainty for criminal intent draws on the work of Tarleton Gillespie and Neil Postman's criticism of Technopoly.

Hertz was finally compelled to face its defective system in late 2022 for $168 million after a series of civil lawsuits and regulatory investigations that started in 2019 and extended through 2021.

As mainstream logics rapidly become dependent on data analytics, this story is a cautionary tale about presuming automation means error-free. The episode further offers an invitation to restore responsible human guidance and oversight of systems.

Snapple went from being an unexpected select underground favorite to just sitting on a shelf, bottled up.

With Liz Moor's notion of branding as a guide, we trace the history of Snapple as it changed over the years, paying special attention to the cultural intermediaries: From the local deli in Brooklyn to Wendy the Snapple Lady, from Howard Stern to decentralized distribution networks, these were the individuals who gave it a unique, local taste.

In this episode, we follow a perpetual shift from a local ordinance in a glass bottle to a commodity in shrink wrap, from iconic individual to corporate hot potato.

As Snapple became part of larger enterprises, intermediaries had vanished and were replaced with planograms, automated shelf scans, and a seasonal flavor rollout. The concluding result? A name that always worked but gradually lost its distinctness.

This episode addresses about what happens when an organization gives up uniqueness in favor of efficiency.

You may not to drink Snapple anymore. But you probably still remember how the Peach Tea bottle felt in your palm.

This episode makes limited use of archival audio, advertisements, or public statements for purposes of commentary, critique, and scholarship. These uses fall under the doctrine of fair use as defined by U.S. copyright law (17 U.S.C. § 107). All excerpts are employed selectively and transformatively to support critical analysis, educational inquiry, and public understanding. No commercial gain is derived from their inclusion.

This week on Decisions at the Fulcrum, we delve into the unexpected journey of LaCroix, the sparkling water that found its niche not through its flavor, but through its inscrutability.

Before it became a meme or an iconic item, LaCroix was simply found in laid-back settings: office break rooms, workplace cafeterias, and your aunt’s second fridge. Then it made its way to Trader Joe's, appeared in your social media feeds, became your friend's Halloween costume, and turned into a daily ritual. It wasn’t seeking attention; it was just present, evoking the scent of sandalwood and bran muffins, infused with an ethereal sense of virtue. In that relaxed atmosphere, something changed.

LaCroix morphed into more than a beverage; it transformed into a whole atmosphere. Each sip was clean, simple, and purposeful.

The flavor was essentially nonexistent, and that was precisely the intention.

In this episode, we're diving into a few questions:

• What’s happening when you enjoy something that barely has a taste, yet stipulates something novel?

• How did the almost nothing flavor item turn into a routine?

• Why does practicing restraint often lead us to discover so much more?

This episode makes limited use of archival audio, advertisements, or public statements for purposes of commentary, critique, and scholarship. These uses fall under the doctrine of fair use as defined by U.S. copyright law (17 U.S.C. § 107). All excerpts are employed selectively and transformatively to support critical analysis, educational inquiry, and public understanding. No commercial gain is derived from their inclusion.

The Instant Pot was a game-changing kitchen innovation of the digital age. Pyrex was a legendary household icon for over a century.

When a private equity firm tied them together under a single corporate roof in 2019, it seemed like alliance, but it felt like an appliance mismatch.

In this episode of Decisions at the Fulcrum, we dive into how Instant Brands incorrectly understood online popularity as a sign of lasting endurance, neglected key qualitative opportunities, and ultimately forgot to vent.

We delve into the Spiral of Silence and the consequences that ensue when nobody in the kitchen pauses to inquire: Is anybody still cooking with us?

This includes topics such as online recipe groups, shattering glass shocks, Black Friday blowouts, and boardroom echo chambers.