Pepsi vs. Coca Cola – Never-ending war!

Coca Cola, the most famous luscious drink in the world, recently celebrated its 125th birthday. But the main rival, Pepsi, still claims that they are better then Coca Cola in every aspect. It is needless to say that these two companies have written thousands of pages of marketing strategies.

World War II was perhaps the most devastating and tragic conflict in history. The U.S. war in Vietnam was perhaps the stupidest conflict in history. But, there is no doubt that the war between Coca Cola and Pepsi is the most expensive one. However, some would characterize this conflict and as “the vainest”, because almost everyone knows that these two drinks are actually the same thing – regardless of the efforts that these two giants are doing to prove otherwise.

With parties all around the world, Coca Cola has recently celebrated 125 years of planet amusement.  And let me clear immediately the following misconception – they have not created Santa Claus, nor dressed him in red, but they did gave an invaluable contribution to his image and popularity. Their legendary logo hasn’t change throughout history, nor has their famous bottle.

Pepsi was created 12 years later, in 1898, when the enterprising Caleb Bradham mixed something in his garage, in New Bern, North Carolina.

The first advertisement for Pepsi was a poster with one of the first professional automobile race drivers, Barney Oldfield, who promoted the drink with: "A bully drink...refreshing, invigorating, a fine bracer before a race." Previously, Coca-Cola had already developed a marketing system, which included special coupons for the purchase of their drink, as well as huge commercials and murals on U.S. buildings. Some of them have been preserved to this day.

For decades, the “second drink” tried to reach the popularity and sales of Coca Cola, until a real earthquake that occurred in the forties. Pepsi’s president at that time, Walter Mack, realized that all ads for this two refreshing drinks promoted stereotypes against black people, or just ignored them completely. He realized that Pepsi could focus on the “negroes” – as the black Americans were called then - and devised a campaign in which African-Americans appeared in a more positive perspective.

However, racial segregation was still very strong throughout America, especially in the south. Pepsi’s marketing team suffered great discrimination, insults, and the members of Ku Klux Klan even threatened them with death. Pepsi tried to use this through the messages that told how Coca Cola is a racist company. Thanks to this, the sales of Pepsi in Chicago surpassed Coke for the first time. 

 However, the pressure on the company leaders, who did not want to lose white customers, was too strong. Walter Mack, who soon left the presidential chair, defended himself with the words: “We don't want it to become known as a nigger drink.”

In the seventies, when the West entered the consumer heyday, the escalation of conflict that burned low for decades occurred. Thanks to the U.S. laws that allowed even the most aggressive advertising, Pepsi and Coca Cola started bombing each other with all forces they got.  That is how, in 1975, came the famous Pepsi Challenge.

Pepsi Challenge was, in fact, just an ordinary tasting that was supposed to prove that Pepsi is better, and that the people’s opinions were generally shaped with advertising and image. In shopping malls throughout U.S., a representative of Pepsi would set-up a stand with two unmarked cups. In one cup was Pepsi and in the other Coca Cola. The people would try both and then decide which drink was better. The test results showed that people preferred the taste of Pepsi.

From the late seventies and onwards, both brands hired celebrities as promoters. Pepsi started with Michael Jackson and Madonna, and Coca Cola responded with Paula Abdul and George Michael.  Pepsi later hired David Beckham, and even Britney Spears, which caused a scandal when she was caught with a glass of Coke in her hand.

Before that, in 1985 and a decade later, both drinks found themselves on a Space-shuttle "Challenger". Pepsi’s last great success was in the mid-nineties, when they launched a campaign called Pepsi Stuff. With each purchased can or bottle of Pepsi, you would receive a certain number of points, and by collecting them, you were able to redeem them for some gift. The success of the campaign was so great that Pepsi was selling more than Coca Cola, especially during the summer in which the Olympic Games were held in the United States, in Atlanta, where the headquarters of Coca-Cola is located.

One of the biggest scandals in the history of Pepsi is related to this very campaign. Their commercial claimed that anyone who collects seven million points, would receive as a gift a military plane - Harrier Jump Jet. For $700,000, Seattle resident John Leonard bought just enough points and asked his reward from Pepsi. When the company refused to give him an aircraft worth $23 million, Leonard sued them, but he lost...

How things stand now? Latest information indicates that Pepsi lost its second place by Diet Coke. But, apparently, Pepsi is preparing a new, and more “dangerous” campaign…

Pepsi and Coca Cola over the decades

-    1972 – Pepsi conquers Soviet Union
-    1975 – Pepsi launches Pepsi Challenge
-    1977 – Pepsi bought Pizza Hut
-    1985 – in April, Coca Cola changes her recipe and introduces New Coke
-    1985 – in July, Coca Cola returns to the old recipe
-    2000 – Coca Cola enters on the North Korean market
-    2002 – in Atlanta begins the operation Coca Cola Vanilla, which ends with a failure
-    2003 – Coca Cola starts selling its products in Iraq

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Lusty Ram of the Third Reich - Joseph Goebbels

Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany, Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945), among the most important tasks that he performed for the Fuhrer, was constantly chasing after women. He wrote everything about it in his diary.

Sex scandals, which are surrounding Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, are probably the thing that will be most remembered in the mandate of this politician. This is also the evidence that there was always more interest in the sexual details of some politician’s life than what he did for his country when he was holding his position. This tradition is dating back to ancient Rome and it is still present today.

In many biographies of the Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini, it is written that he was obsessed with sex, even more then he was with planetary conquest. He even had his own team that was in charge of bringing him every day at least on beauty. However, sexual affinities and love affairs of German Nazi chiefs were never quite clear. Hitler preferred to conquer territories instead of women, and that was even confirmed by Mussolini, who, in several occasions, tried to introduce many beauties to Fuhrer. But Fuhrer was not that interested in them so Mussolini eventually gave up on such treats for him. Fuhrer's sexual power was brought into question several times and sometimes Mussolini even suspected that Hitler had affinities for perversions.

Like him, all the other Nazi heads were more described as monsters with ordinary family life then seducers with many love affairs.

However, the book “Joseph Goebbels: Biography” that was published recently uncovered unknown details regarding love life of Hitler’s closest associate. "Evil genius" who developed propaganda to perfection and dark manipulator who organized the burning of books, brutal deaths during Kristallnacht attack, and finally, deportation of millions of Jews to concentration camps and death, was described as lusty person. He even had a nickname The Ram, and, in his diary, he wrote: “Eros awoke. Sentimental period. Bombastic letters, poems. Besides which, love for mature women”.

When he was seven years old, Goebbels had an attack of osteomyelitis which resulted in having his right leg a few centimeters shorter that his left leg. This handicap isolated him from his peers. As he himself admitted, he became a bit eccentric and weird after that. 

At the same time, he was very attached to his mother, whom he described with the following words: “To her I owe everything I accomplished in life.” His mother was a role model through whom Goebbels chose friends, and even the future boss - Adolph Hitler. His attachment to his mother had influence even on his earliest love affinities.  

In accordance with the psychological profile of a person very attached to his mother, Goebbels’ earliest love life was associated with older women. The first love of Hitler's propaganda chief was a stepmother of his school friend. Her name was Theresa and Goebbels described her as a handsome woman, always wearing a freshly washed skirt. His affinity towards older women was continued with falling in love with Mrs. Lennartz, wife of the owner of the factory where his father worked. And when he became completely infatuated with the girlfriend of his older brother Hans, his father became furious.

However, those were all fantasies of platonic genre. He had his first true relationship with Lena who, after a year of a relationship, allowed him to kiss her breasts. Hitler's hellish assistant described the event in his diary: ”The first kiss on Garden Street! At night in the Kaiser Park - I kissed her breast. She experienced for the first time what it was like to be a loving woman.”

Goebbels’ love life continued during his student days in Bonn, where he became deeply in love with Anka Stalherm who was studying economy. She wasn’t physically attracted to Goebbels but he won her with his intellect and persistence – a very strong card he had when it comes to winning a heart of a woman. The young student didn’t spare ink, and he sent regularly to Anka long letters, as well as epics and dramas he wrote. He neither spared his fingers when he played organs in the cathedral for his sympathy. How deeply in love the future Hitler's propaganda chief was, shows and his trip to Munich, just to be with his love. In the center of Bavaria financial difficulties caught on him, and he was forced to pawn his suit and watch at some “cocky Jew”. He was soon faced with end of their relationship because wealthy industrialist's daughter did not like the fact that Joseph was beginning to turn to the left and writing plays about the struggle of workers. He often said about himself: "I am a German communist," and in his diary he wrote: “Anka walked out on me. And my entire relationship to women has suffered ever since.” However, he didn’t forgot her and he sent her letters even ten years after they stop seeing each other. He stopped when Anka’s husband began to threaten him. Joseph’s great love outlived him. She died of cancer in 1955.

Soon came new loves but also and growing anti-Semitism. When his teacher Else Janke revealed to him that her mother is Jewish, Goebbels lost interest in her. He wrote in his diary: “She told me her roots. Since then her charms were destroyed for me.” At the same time, his left-wing beliefs were starting to lose battle against dreams of dictatorship: "Ninety percent of people are worthless and only 10 percent are worthy. That is why those 10 percent should rule over the rest. "

When he met Hitler in 1925, he was completely mesmerized. He described the future dictator as "a man who has everything it takes to be a king." Later, Hitler awarded him with high political position.  His fascination with women continued.  From many young female members of national socialist party, he picked the most beautiful ones and took them to nightclubs and movie theaters. He also despised Hollywood movies, which he described as "Jewish kitsch."

Then, a blonde named Magda walked into Goebbels life. When she joined the national socialist party she was captivated with Hitler, but Hitler matched her with Joseph. Goebbels wrote in his diary: "Hitler loved Magda, but he left her to me. With tears in his eyes, he told me to be happy and to remain a good friend. "

Although he was infatuated with his wife, Goebbels couldn’t resist chasing other women. When he fell in love with Czech actress  Lida Baarova, because of which he wanted to divorce from his wife,  Magda asked of Hitler to help, and he resolved their  marital crisis.

Joseph and Magda had six children whose names all began with the H, because of Hitler of course. The couple Goebbels killed their children and committed suicide just after Hitler and Eva Braun did it. Later, Red Army found their bodies, burned them and thrown the ashes in to the river Elbe.

Horrified with the stories that he was gay

In spite of so many girls around him, rumors were circulating from time to time that the wicked Nazi propaganda chief was gay, and that was the reason he didn’t had a permanent partner. These rumors have horrified him. “It’s all so dirty. It must be expunged, radically and ruthlessly!” – he wrote about homosexuality when he discovered that several Nazi chiefs preferred men.

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Diplomatic scandals from Top Gear's kitchen!

Top Gear trio raced with an aircraft, went to France with a tank, blew "Yugo" ... Now they have insulted Mexicans, and fled from robbery in Albania with Zastava 101.

It is known that international scandals usually occur because of spy affairs. But even TV shows can cause them. And that exactly happened with a mega popular show Top Gear, which deals with the world of motor vehicles.

Hosts of this high-octane show have fueled Mexico by not sparing the dictionary of political incorrectness. The famous and nutty trio of Top Gear predicted that Mexican sports car Mastretta was going to be like Mexicans, "a lazy, feckless and flatulent oaf with a moustache, leaning against a fence asleep, looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat".

Ambassador of Mexico in London, Eduardo Medina-Mora, reacted immediately, protesting that his country was described as "lazy and irresponsible”. BBC apologized, but the stars of Top Gear didn’t. Their unofficial boss, Jeremy Clarkson, said that Mexicans have no sense of humor. He added that "Mexico doesn’t participate in the Olympics because everyone who can run, jump and swim has already crossed the border", referring to illegal immigrants who are fleeing to the United States.

Almost immediately after that, stellar trio "dived" into another international excess. While shooting in Albania, they called this land a nest of mafia car thieves. However, Albanians didn’t react.

In the same show, Serbia was also “scratched” through Zastava 101. Hosts of Top Gear staged a bank robbery, after which Clarkson escapes from police in a Mercedes, Hammond in Rolls Royce while May is left in the lurch and stack with "Zastava 101", which happens to have Kosovo plates. Otherwise, this was not the first appearance of the Serbian car. Yugo 45 was Clarkson’s target in one show, which he destroyed with a tank, and before that, he tested it, proving that even cyclists can be faster than "Yugo”.

For years now, Top Gear is world’s best show about motor vehicles, and its not watched only by those who are interested in four-wheelers. Since 40 percent of their audience are women, this form has shown that shows about motor vehicles can be interesting and to the broadest range of viewers.

Top Gear trio, which consists of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, is known for original ideas. In the show about Romania, they raced in Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Ferrari through the poorest parts of that country. They raced with the French fast train in Aston Martin. They even put a nun to drive a monster truck. They had raced with planes and helicopters, and they even landed with parachute into a moving car. The favorite part of the show is the one where celebrities participate. They drive laps on the racetrack in the car assigned to them, and are trying to break a record of their predecessors.

Of course, everything that is worth, costs a lot. Top Gear’s annual budget is around 46.5 million euros! It also includes salaries, which are annually around 14 million. Since they are making 20 episodes per year, it means that each episode costs an average of 1.6 million euros. These figures have leaked from BBC and the producers have never publicly disclosed the actual costs.

Top Gear is for years the most watched show on BBC and has about 350 million viewers worldwide. Of course, the backbone of this TV show is the mentioned trio.

Jeremy Clarkson

Head of Top Gear is accused of homophobia, sexism, racism, and he is often labeled as an ultra-rightist. He started as a salesman selling toys, but soon he abandoned that job. His television career began in 1989, in the 10th season of Top Gear. Besides the popularity and nasty labels, in his career he managed to receive and honorary doctorate from Oxford University. Clarkson has caused many scandals with his behavior. The most famous one is when he made disparaging remarks aimed at Gordon Brown, in February 2009, calling him a "one-eyed Scottish idiot" and accused him of lying.

James May

The second member of this crew is known for reaching a speed of 417.6 km/h with Bugatti Veyron Super Sport (the fastest road-legal car in the world). Also, he made a successful visit to the North Pole and, along with his friends, he became one of the first persons who came to the freezing point by car. His education has nothing to do with motor vehicles. James May studied music at Lancaster University.

Richard Hammond

The youngest member of this trio. After graduating, he started working for BBC where his first job was reading an ad for the sale of sheep, on the radio. He later went to work as a PR for Ferrari and Renault. In September 2006, while shooting an episode for the show, he was driving a car at the speed of 464 km/h. During the ride, a tire on the front right wheel broke, and he hit the ground with his head. It was a true miracle that he survived because, at the time of the accident, he was moving at a speed of 373 km/h.

The Stig mystery - Phantom in the white is Ben Collins.

Stig is the fourth and unidentified character in the show. He always appeared with a helmet, hiding his identity. Mystery over the identity of Stig lasted seven years. Speculations about the true identity of white phantom have been a hot topic of the media, who brought news that Michael Schumacher, and even actor Roan Atkinson, is hiding behind the Stig's helmet. But then it was discovered that Stig is a stunt and rally driver Ben Collins, who dubbed in the James Bond films.

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