I finally made it to the World of Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, and wasn't disappointed. As seems to be the case with the brand of Coke, they did a great job. You can learn about the history and origins of the brand, see a 4-D movie, watch how the brand has had such a huge influence on our world over the years and even taste Coke products from all around the world. (Not to mention you get a free old school glass bottle coke on the way out.
But the part that really stuck with me (even though it's tucked away in the "Pop Culture Gallery") was the huge FAIL that was New Coke. On April 23, 1985, after 99 years of what everyone come to know as Coke, the company changed the formula. Sure, they based the change on over 200,000 taste tests and sure, they were trying to do something about their market share slipping away to Pepsi. So they took a big risk. And had a big fail.
It only took 79 days for Coca-Cola to admit it screwed up and brought back "Coke Classic." New Coke became Coke II and then just faded on into the sunset.
What's my point? That not many people even remember Coke's monumental mistake. That you don't want to screw with what makes you "you" when you've got a great thing going. That the path of every great company is littered with mistakes, big and small - because it's the only way we learn.
Here's to the 79 days we can all look forward to or look back on that makes us better for it.