1985 “New Coke” Promo Gift Comb-custom made by Krest Comb Co, USA

This comb was custom made by Krest Comb Co. (est. 1958) of Leominster, Massachusetts. It is a 5” gold-toned aluminum “fine tooth” barber’s comb.
The face features a finger rest and only weighs 1/2 of an ounce. It is dense pressed aluminum and is extremely durable for being so lightweight. The top portion of the face is stamped with black cursive writing “The Coca-Cola Foods Division”.
Krest made this comb and a few others like it exclusively for Coca-Cola in 1985 in gold to commemorate the first change in Coke’s classic recipe and their new “coke can” feature. It was called “NEW COKE” and the 12oz cans featured the normal red, white and silver wavy banners but now with a GOLD” top so you could tell the difference from just “plain ole Coke”. The combs were given to a select few in the Coca-Cola Foods Division in Houston, Texas during the marketing event as corporate gifts…very rare design and not many were given out due to the 1985 New Coke campaign and recipe switch only lasting 79 days.

It all started in 1975 when Pepsi marketing personnel stationed “blind taste test” cubicles all around America in public venues. An unsuspecting passersby would stop and try two cups of unmarked soda (one Coke & one Pepsi) and say which one they prefer. It was called “The Pepsi Challenge “and was a marketing phenomenon. Pepsi showed commercials year after year of consumers selecting the much sweeter Pepsi over Coke. By 1983, Coke executives started panicking over their declining numbers and its market share (60% down to 24%) being lost to their competitor Pepsi. The Coca-Cola Company felt they were losing the Pepsi Challenge and consumers over America’s new cravings for “sweeter” soft drinks. So, after having the same Coke recipe for 99 years; Atlanta, Georgia’s magic elixir changed flavor.
Coca-Cola's senior executives approved a secret project headed by marketing Vice President Sergio Zyman and Coca-Cola USA president Brian Dyson to create a new flavor for Coke. This project was named "Project Kansas", from a photo of Kansas journalist William Allen White drinking a Coke; the image had been used extensively in Coca-Cola advertising and hung on several executives' walls.
The sweeter cola overwhelmingly beat both regular Coke and Pepsi in taste tests, surveys, and focus groups. So, New Coke was introduced nationwide on April 23, 1985. Production of the original formulation ended later that week. In many areas, New Coke was initially sold in original Coke packaging; bottlers used up remaining cans, cartons and labels before new packaging became widely available. Old aluminum cans containing New Coke were identified by their fancy gold-colored tops, while glass and plastic bottles were given red caps, instead of silver or white, respectively. Bright yellow stickers indicating the change were placed on the cartons of multi-packs.
IT WAS A DISASTER!!!
Coca-Cola's consumer hotline (1-800-GET-COKE) was inundated with calls, peaking at around 8,000 per day compared to 400 before the change. The company received approximately 40,000 complaint letters, including one addressed to CEO Roberto Goizueta as "Chief Dodo, of the Coca-Cola Company"!
Consumers were not just disappointed; they felt a sense of betrayal and personal loss, with one psychiatrist hired by Coke reporting that callers sounded as if they were grieving the death of a family member. The sentiment was that a cherished American icon had been tampered with. Protest groups, such as the "Old Cola Drinkers of America," formed to demand the original formula's return. In-person demonstrations took place in several cities such as Atlanta and Houston. There were protestors holding signs and publicly pouring the New Coke into sewer drains. Across the country, consumers frantically hoarded cases of the original Coke, leading to shortages and a black market where the old formula was sold at inflated, "Prohibition-style" prices. The controversy became a national news story, with television news programs and newspaper columnists ridiculing the company's decision. The New Coke ads were booed when shown on the then famous "Jumbotron" at the Houston Astrodome. Pepsi capitalized on the moment with full-page ads declaring that "The Other Guy Blinked".
The sheer volume and emotional intensity of the negative response, which the company's taste tests had not predicted, forced Coca-Cola to backtrack. Just 79 days after the launch of New Coke, the company announced the return of the original formula, branded as "Coca-Cola Classic," a decision that was met with widespread relief and a significant boost in sales.
Bottles and cans continued to bear the "Coca-Cola Classic" title until January 2009, when the company announced, it would stop printing the word "Classic" on the labels. Coke didn’t ever use gold on top of a can again until 2003 when Caffeine Free Diet Coke (est. 1983) had a 20-year Limited Edition all gold can.
The story of New Coke remains influential as a cautionary marketing tale against tampering with an established and successful brand.

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