+14
chrondog
techno raj
Michael K.
Bruegel
Duff...
reuben
quip
Ned Braden
Pete Best
ClosetOfExhaustion
yancy
undo
Paves
Gene Bootcut
18 posters

    British questions for American people.

    Gene Bootcut
    Gene Bootcut
    A fanatic of the sketch genre


    Posts : 1895
    Pizzas : 441
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Age : 32
    Location : Bowcat Alley

    British questions for American people. Empty British questions for American people.

    Post by Gene Bootcut Tue Jun 25, 2013 7:40 pm

    What's a 'Pepsi challenge'.
    Paves
    Paves
    Tub of Lemon Chobani


    Posts : 801
    Pizzas : 181
    Join date : 2013-01-13

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Paves Tue Jun 25, 2013 7:58 pm

    I recall a series of commercials with this very thing featuring Sammy Sosa, who is a former Chicago Cubs (baseball) team member from the Dominican Republic.

    The idea is that Sammy Sosa invites you to "take the Pepsi Challenge."  Participants are presented with Pepsi and Coca-Cola without being told which is which.  The "challenge" is to try both beverages and not select Pepsi as the superior tasting choice.

    Naturally, it's part of an ad campaign for Pepsi, their point being that anyone who is anyone will choose Pepsi over Coca-Cola every time because it just tastes better.

    I guess people use the phrase to make a point about a choice between two things being obvious even if one does not know which is which.  Like if I tell somebody to listen to Radiohead vs. Coldplay songs without telling them who the songs are by in order to make a point about one being objectively more pleasurable than the other.
    undo
    undo
    Internet's Busiest Music Nerd


    Posts : 6420
    Pizzas : 1133
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Location : small craft on a milk sea

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by undo Tue Jun 25, 2013 8:14 pm

    I believe that somewhat iconic ad campaign began sometime in the 1980s and that the ad you remember starring Sammy Sosa was probably part of a more-recent effort to capture the attention of younger customers by featuring a popular celebrity and using a once-successful slogan (with the hopes that it would still resonate with a younger demographic). And obviously, Pepsi also hoped to reconnect with older viewers who remembered the old commercials, with some nostalgic appeal in it for them perhaps.

    I might be wrong about all this but you know this sort of thing happens on a regular basis in advertising.


    Last edited by undo on Tue Jun 25, 2013 8:16 pm; edited 2 times in total
    Paves
    Paves
    Tub of Lemon Chobani


    Posts : 801
    Pizzas : 181
    Join date : 2013-01-13

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Paves Tue Jun 25, 2013 8:15 pm

    This is one motherfucking educational thread.
    Gene Bootcut
    Gene Bootcut
    A fanatic of the sketch genre


    Posts : 1895
    Pizzas : 441
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Age : 32
    Location : Bowcat Alley

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Gene Bootcut Tue Jun 25, 2013 8:26 pm

    Wikipedia wrote:The challenge originally took the form of a taste test. At malls, shopping centers and other public locations, a Pepsi representative sets up a table with two blank cups: one containing Pepsi and one with Coca-Cola. Shoppers are encouraged to taste both colas, and then select which drink they prefer. Then the representative reveals the two bottles so the taster can see whether they preferred Coke or Pepsi. The results of the test leaned toward a consensus that Pepsi was preferred by more Americans


    Apparently this started in 1975. Mindblowing stuff.
    Paves
    Paves
    Tub of Lemon Chobani


    Posts : 801
    Pizzas : 181
    Join date : 2013-01-13

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Paves Tue Jun 25, 2013 8:32 pm

    The funny thing is that the results of me actually talking to people in real life throughout my history on this planet have led me to conclude that most people think Coca-Cola tastes better.  Especially out of the soda fountain at McDonald's.  So fuck Pepsi up its ass, in all honesty.
    yancy
    yancy
    equal parts Skrillex, T. Rex, Ed Kowalczyk, Joe Dumars, Outkast, and Kate Bush


    Posts : 1610
    Pizzas : 342
    Join date : 2013-01-03

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by yancy Tue Jun 25, 2013 9:13 pm

    I dunno about regular, but diet coke tastes better from the fountain because it's sweetened by a mix of saccharin & aspartame. So good.
    undo
    undo
    Internet's Busiest Music Nerd


    Posts : 6420
    Pizzas : 1133
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Location : small craft on a milk sea

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by undo Tue Jun 25, 2013 9:26 pm

    In my community college biology class we were broken up into groups and had to set up stalls on campus where we served samples of Coke or Pepsi to people and had them guess what it was they were drinking.

    Our professor pretty much told us in advance that it had already been "proven" that people could not tell the difference, and any data we turned in that suggested otherwise resulted in a huge loss of credit and was evidence that we were doing everything wrong. After 2 weeks of getting upset at the whole class for not coming up with the results we were supposed to, and completely losing it one day because everyone's rough drafts were terrible, he was basically like "You know what, fuck this class, you're all stupid! Final papers are due Friday! Class dismissed!" He hated teaching and it was obvious that he resented the fact that his career had plateaued at a rural community college. He was also a militant atheist and a misogynist.

    One kid in my group was playing music really loudly on his phone in the science building hallway, totally oblivious to the fact that we were set up about 5 feet from a professor's office. His door was open and he was sitting right there grading papers. He got totally pissed and cussed us all out and said we needed to learn some respect for others.

    I still get mad thinking about the whole experience.
    ClosetOfExhaustion
    ClosetOfExhaustion
    Have You Heard?


    Posts : 1102
    Pizzas : 275
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Dispositiondisposed

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by ClosetOfExhaustion Tue Jun 25, 2013 11:18 pm

    coke tastes best from a fountain in a styrofoam cup with ice, drank through a straw, served with a cheeseburger or hotdog.  the only way to soda.
    yancy
    yancy
    equal parts Skrillex, T. Rex, Ed Kowalczyk, Joe Dumars, Outkast, and Kate Bush


    Posts : 1610
    Pizzas : 342
    Join date : 2013-01-03

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by yancy Wed Jun 26, 2013 2:37 am

    ^ You can't fuck with that man's soda game.
    yancy
    yancy
    equal parts Skrillex, T. Rex, Ed Kowalczyk, Joe Dumars, Outkast, and Kate Bush


    Posts : 1610
    Pizzas : 342
    Join date : 2013-01-03

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by yancy Wed Jun 26, 2013 2:45 am

    undo wrote:Our professor pretty much told us in advance that it had already been "proven" that people could not tell the difference, and any data we turned in that suggested otherwise resulted in a huge loss of credit and was evidence that we were doing everything wrong.
    So fucked up for two reasons. First & foremost, I could discern pepsi from coke 999 times out of 1000, and the remaining 1 time is a data entry error. Secondly, without a huge sample size, which I doubt you had, it's feasible that people could randomly guess correctly much more often than not (and vice versa). Flip a coin a hundred times; I will literally bet $10,000 that you won't get 50 of each. Mitchell Stirling could explain it with standard deviations & whatnot.
    Pete Best
    Pete Best
    Solid Bro


    Posts : 413
    Pizzas : 116
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Age : 40
    Location : London
    DispositionSweet

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Pete Best Wed Jun 26, 2013 2:49 am

    There's a large section in Thinking, Fast and Slow on this.
    Pete Best
    Pete Best
    Solid Bro


    Posts : 413
    Pizzas : 116
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Age : 40
    Location : London
    DispositionSweet

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Pete Best Wed Jun 26, 2013 2:58 am

    27,225 flips are needed to determine with 99.9% certainty the true likelihood of getting heads.

    You need in that order of Pepsi/Coke tests to say what the probability of correctly guessing either is.
    Ned Braden
    Ned Braden
    Yawn Yeller


    Posts : 4647
    Pizzas : 988
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Age : 41
    Location : The Windy Apple
    DispositionRock Guitars

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Ned Braden Wed Jun 26, 2013 5:50 am

    ClosetOfExhaustion wrote:coke tastes best from a fountain in a styrofoam cup with ice, drank through a straw, served with a cheeseburger or hotdog.  the only way to soda.

    I also enjoy it in a red cup with ice, served with pizza. Otherwise 100% OTM.
    Gene Bootcut
    Gene Bootcut
    A fanatic of the sketch genre


    Posts : 1895
    Pizzas : 441
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Age : 32
    Location : Bowcat Alley

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Gene Bootcut Wed Jun 26, 2013 4:22 pm

    Is this how you Americans picture Waylon as well

    British questions for American people. 1
    yancy
    yancy
    equal parts Skrillex, T. Rex, Ed Kowalczyk, Joe Dumars, Outkast, and Kate Bush


    Posts : 1610
    Pizzas : 342
    Join date : 2013-01-03

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by yancy Wed Jun 26, 2013 4:30 pm

    Pretty much.
    quip
    quip
    Jasper's Yurt of Enlightened Conversation


    Posts : 495
    Pizzas : 74
    Join date : 2012-12-27
    Location : Logan Square

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by quip Wed Jun 26, 2013 6:03 pm

    yeah. as much as i think we would get along, meeting waylon irl isn't worth the shattering of mystique he's built around himself.

    yancy, otoh, strikes me as a what you see is what you get as it relates to boarding & irl personas.
    reuben
    reuben
    President Bannon


    Posts : 2755
    Pizzas : 710
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by reuben Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:37 pm

    I'm fascinated by your collective perception of me as a persona.  I'd love to see it summarized into a character sketch some time.  It would help with my novel!

    As for the photo I guess it's close to how I see myself if you lose the hat and lower the waistline.
    Duff...
    Duff...
    Current Bass Player of UFO


    Posts : 3813
    Pizzas : 806
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Location : private beach in Michigan
    DispositionSunny.

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Duff... Thu Jun 27, 2013 12:45 am

    Still see Elliot Gould.
    Bruegel
    Bruegel
    basically just a wordier, shittier sausage blurb


    Posts : 1661
    Pizzas : 453
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Age : 45
    Location : E2-E4

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Bruegel Wed Jul 03, 2013 9:59 am

    personally feeling 5 of these. curious to see if that's more or less than duff:
    http://www.buzzfeed.com/lukelewis/very-british-problems
    ClosetOfExhaustion
    ClosetOfExhaustion
    Have You Heard?


    Posts : 1102
    Pizzas : 275
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Dispositiondisposed

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by ClosetOfExhaustion Wed Jul 03, 2013 10:05 am

    zero for me, but i'm guessing 11 for Duff?
    reuben
    reuben
    President Bannon


    Posts : 2755
    Pizzas : 710
    Join date : 2012-12-25

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by reuben Wed Jul 03, 2013 10:37 am

    Can someone please explain #20?
    Bruegel
    Bruegel
    basically just a wordier, shittier sausage blurb


    Posts : 1661
    Pizzas : 453
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Age : 45
    Location : E2-E4

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Bruegel Wed Jul 03, 2013 10:47 am

    symbolic display of haste to allay petrol station cashier's fear that you are going to do a "drive off"

    wading a little too deep into the paranoid/neurotic waters of the national psyche for any empathy in these quarters


    Last edited by Bruegel on Wed Jul 03, 2013 11:04 am; edited 1 time in total
    Gene Bootcut
    Gene Bootcut
    A fanatic of the sketch genre


    Posts : 1895
    Pizzas : 441
    Join date : 2012-12-25
    Age : 32
    Location : Bowcat Alley

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Gene Bootcut Wed Jul 03, 2013 10:49 am

    I scored a 12 Sad
    Michael K.
    Michael K.
    Fascist Groove Shark


    Posts : 941
    Pizzas : 161
    Join date : 2012-12-27
    Location : west
    Dispositionpickled

    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Michael K. Wed Jul 03, 2013 1:47 pm

    Bruegel wrote:personally feeling 5 of these. curious to see if that's more or less than duff:
    http://www.buzzfeed.com/lukelewis/very-british-problems

    I was British for 28 years until I figured out how to be American, I think.

    Sponsored content


    British questions for American people. Empty Re: British questions for American people.

    Post by Sponsored content


      Current date/time is Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:54 am