Andrew Grosman Blah …g

This is the first installment in an ongoing look at talking to, using the products of, and general embracing of brands.

Its finally here. And I have it on. It wears like a brand new, 60 – thread count dishrag, but it was free, and it proudly trumpets my affiliation. I am wearing my Miller High Life ¾ sleeve t-shirt.

It was quite a trek to get here; about fourteen months and 510 beers. Roughly every 0.67 months, I would buy a 30 pk of Miller High Life. When it was gone, I would rip apart the cardboard, and diligently enter the code at www.millerhighlife.com.

One year and half a summer later, I show my love for my favorite beer.

…well so what? So you got a free shirt? Big deal.

That response would be fair. But this is more of a discussion of what we will do for a brand than a discussion of freebies and fashion.

There are very few brands that I will evangelize. There are even fewer that I will wear. I like Ford trucks, but believe myself to be far too cosmopolitan to be wearing a Built Ford Tough hat around (I keed – I live in ‘Stallis). The Adobe Creative Suite is only second to my toothbrush in hierarchy of importance; still it’s another item I won’t have on the back of my Member’s Only jacket any time soon.

But I identify with High Life. It tastes good and is affordable.  A Good Honest Beer, At A Tasty Price. Its something that I enjoy, and don’t have to wait, or save up, to have. And because value is an ideal I hold in high regard, I am proud to talk about it, and show the world that I know a good deal, and a good beer. So much so, that I

1. Bought 17 30pks of beer
2. Bought very little other brands of beer
3. Took the time to rip out the promo code and enter it online, 17 times

So yeah, I guess I’m livin the High Life. The Champagne of Beers was worth it to me, to interact beyond just buying it and drinking it. I followed a lengthy process of sticking with a regimen of beer, entering data for a questionable quality shirt, so I could show everyone that I like this lager.

How do you embrace your brands? What ones are important to you?

…what are you wearing right now?

In this unstable world of severely fluctuating markets, global terrorism and infighting of American Idol judges, we have little to count on. The “rocks” that I cling to, personally, include my lovely wife, my fabulous daughter and the fact that a Coca-Cola® served at McDonald’s® is better tasting than any other Coke in the world. But even this pillar of truth has been attacked by close friends and respected coworkers.

But I’m telling you it’s true.

A Coke from McDonald’s tastes sweeter, is more satisfying and tickles my taste buds with light citrus notes. In fact, when I’m at other Coke-serving restaurants, I’ll ask for a slice of lemon in an attempt to recreate that great “Golden Arches” experience.

After years of defending my position, I finally asked The Great Oracle if there was anyone else out there like me. Google said, “Yes, you are not alone.” It turns out that several forum posts, and Yahoo Answers pages, are devoted to the idea.

UNNXMAL.com featured a Coke fan asking a McDonald’s shift manager about it – he told her they “pre-chill” the syrup before it gets mixed and dispensed, so straight from the fountain (with no ice) your drink is quite cold. Other restaurants pour room temperature soda into a cup of ice – creating instantly-watered-down-Coke.

But I am confident that it goes beyond not being “watered down.”

The folks who took the time to comment on a Yahoo Answers thread postulated on several theories:

1. McDonald’s uses more carbonation and less syrup.
This doesn’t seem to be true, as I have found it’s actually sweeter.

2. Freshness of product.
I think there is some merit to this.

3. The quality of the local municipality’s tap water.
This makes sense. Note to self: Do not order a Coke in Love Canal, NY.

And others say that McDonald’s just cleans its machines more thoroughly and more often. I have performed my own blind taste test – pitting a McDonald’s Coke against a can. Each was placed in a glass, and I readily picked the McDonald’s coke.

So, what does this mean? Have I fallen into the chasm of Brand Evangelism? Have years of habit petrified into years of devotion? Were my taste buds horribly disfigured in a freak soda accident? Maybe it’s simple truth. Or maybe it just means that I will never deviate from my drink order, and I will carry that allegiance to my grave. All I can really say is: Have a (McDonald’s) Coke and a smile.