Pepsi needs to hire some psychologists

-via boingboing-

Remember the Pepsi challenge? Where they had blind taste tests and people would supposedly discover that they really liked pepsi?

Well it totally backfired - people really don't like when they're told they are wrong.

This is one reason people need to study psychology.
In the 1980s, Pepsi's infamous "Pepsi Challenge" (El Reto Pepsi) campaign helped to virtually destroy the Pepsi brand in Peru, due in large part to the fact that consumers do not enjoy being told they're wrong. The campaign was quite simple actually: Tasting centers were set up in and around Lima where people could freely participate in a blind taste test between Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Attendees were presented with two covered bottles and two glasses, each bottle was opened and poured into its respective glass, whereupon the tester was asked to drink each and declare his or her favorite, but not before being asked which they preferred and drank regularly. The campaign was a disaster, as one of three results came from the testing, all detrimental to Pepsi: 1) People were angered by the fact that they were "wrong" in their choice and abandoned Pepsi, switching to either Coca-Cola or Inca Kola; 2) Those who chose Coca-Cola over Pepsi either switched to or stayed with Coca-Cola; 3) Those who were ambivalent between them cemented their ambivalence and switched to Inca Kola. Additionally, the costs of the Pepsi Challenge, which started tu run into the millions of US dollars, coupled with managerial mistakes left CEPSA virtually bankrupt.

Well according to Wikipedia it seems that as long as its only captured on film its ok. So watching other people get it wrong is fine ;)

In blind taste tests, more consumers prefer the taste of Pepsi to that of Coca-Cola. Because Coke was the historical leader, more people expected that they'd prefer and select Coke. Their surprise at picking Pepsi in the blind taste test (products were served in unmarked cups) helped change their minds about which product they prefer. Capturing this on film, Pepsi turned this into a memorable TV campaign that lasted many years.

Aww and look a chimp likes a tennis ball more than either coke or pepsi.

The "volunteer", a chimpanzee, claimed that he preferred the taste of the tennis ball to both Coke and Pepsi, and that he thought it was the "fuzzie goodness" that made the difference.