1960s Handbook - Patio Diet Cola
The 1960s Handbook takes a closer look at the cultural references that appear in each week's episode of Mad Men.
"New! A sugar-free cola with rewarding true-cola taste!" That was the message sent to American housewives in 1963 when they opened their newspapers to advertisements that fired the first shots in the diet cola wars. This particular smoking gun belonged to Patio Diet Cola, Pepsi's first entry into a market already occupied by Coca-Cola's Tab and then-powerhouse Royal Crown Cola's Diet Rite.
What had begun as a soft drink alternative for diabetics in the '50s exploded into a full-blown diet craze a decade later. Patio redefined the conversation by aiming its marketing squarely at weight-conscious women via ads depicting svelte spokeswoman Debbie Drake assuming acrobatic poses while explaining how gals could maintain their figure through proper diet and exercise. ("Great to your waist!" "The refreshing way to stay slim!")
In no time at all, Pepsi thereby changed the diet cola conversation. "All of the leading diet colas are practically alike," Pepsi declared. "They look alike. They're all sugar-free. And they all have but one tiny calorie to the glass. The only real difference is taste!" (This same argument continues today.)
So how is it that marketers haven't spent the past 50 years challenging Coke drinkers to take the "Patio Challenge"? Because in 1963 a former syrup sales representative named Donald Kendall became CEO of Pepsi-Cola. Eschewing the notion that diet sodas should be distanced from their caloric counterparts, Kendall rebranded Patio Diet Cola as Diet Pepsi. The gamble paid off: Diet Pepsi became so popular that Coca-Cola was eventually forced to all but abandon Tab in favor of Diet Coke.
Not that the Patio brand vanished forever. Flavors like Strawberry Cream and Root Beer persisted into the '70s. Indeed, you can still find Patio sodas today, lurking behind bar taps as a fountain Ginger Ale and Quinine Tonic. As for Debbie Drake, her fame appears to have faded completely.
So Peggy was right. They should be marketing it directly to women as a weight loss aid. Don, you should listen to your protege!
Well, considering that Debbie Drake's catch phrase was "Keep Slim, Keep Him", I'd say Don was pretty on the money too.
Thanks I was wondering ...I had never heard of Patio before
Thanks for this! How interesting that it was renamed Diet Pepsi.
Don will eventually learn to listen to Peggy.
It's funny how little advertising has changed. Today most products are still sold the same way: Product X will make you 'better' (i.e. slimmer, whiter teeth, clearer skin, shinier hair, etc.) and/or they will make you irresistible to men/women. We're still falling for it, so I guess if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
Hi Clayton, it's good to see you again!
Thanks for the information. I lived up North in Cleveland, Ohio in 1963 and don't recall seeing Patio, but I do remember Tab and didn't care for it one little bit.
Anyone know what kind of sweetner they used? I don't drink sods at all, diet or otherwise. Too much sugar in the regular stuff, and too much "funky stuff" in the diet stuff.
Probably saccharine, but I am only guessing. I remember people carrying those little bottles full of those teensy little saccharine pills and dropping one or two in their coffee, tea, etc.
I know that was an artificial sweetener in the '60's, but have no clue if it was used in Patio or Tab or any of the soda diet drinks. I remember the brand name Sweet n Low (still around?)...which I think is saccharine, but, again, guessing....anyone know/recall for sure?
.....Here's a quick history.....
http://hubpages.com/hub/Artificial-Sweeteners-A-History
I guess they all have their drawbacks. Has anyone heard the one about Aspartame causing Alzheimer's? Or was it Parkinson's.....
(.....what was I saying?)
Thank ya, Dry!
Well, I guess I'm safe (til the next "study" comes out anyhow) ~~
I use Splenda ~~ it's in the cup of Constant Comment tea I'm sipping right now...delicious....it's a blend of sweet orange, spices and......uh......a blend of........hmmm.....what was I saying??
Dry, you rock on the research!! I love learning about this stuff!
I remember as a kid back then my mother ordering a Tab with chocolate syrup. It never made much sense to me. We went to lunch the other day and she does the same thing, this time Diet Pepsi w/chocolate syrup! LOL!
As somebody, among many, who is extremely sensitive to any artificial sweetener, ew. I had never heard of Patio, either.
Don will learn to listen to Peggy eventually. Anyone ever have a hot Dr. Pepper with lemon? I guess you would have to order Tab with chocolate syrup. It would probably mask the taste. I've recently tried the Pespi and Mountain Dew Throwback, the one with actual sugar. It's not as heavy. Until somebody tells me I'm diabetic, I'll only use real sugars. Artificial sweeteners are not actually healthy. I guess it would be the same with the Lucky's: "Four out of five dead people smoked your brand." LOL And this coming from a 20 year Camel smoker, too. ;)
What I loved about the whole Patio incident was how the MM team are using a little postmodern irony when Peggy says that if it's a diet drink aimed at women then they should be using a female fantasy as opposed to a male one. 25 years later, Diet Coke did exactly that when it brought in the ads with the male "piece of meat" for all the girls to drool over. And what happened? Diet Coke (which is aimed at women) and its sales went through the roof and have remained so ever since. A little empowerment goes a long way. Well done Wiener & co. It's knowing, but not too knowing.
Why would Diet Rite, Tab, and Patio have gotten the notion that diet sodas should be distanced from their caloric counterparts? It just seems so counter-intuitive.
I agree. When they switched the name from Patio to Diet Pepsi, they had a campaign : "Pepsi, either way", advertising them side-by-side.
BTW, I'm enjoying a grape Diet Rite sweetened with Splenda!
I have no brilliance, just a link to a frightening TV ad for Tab:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkpFmFTXakY
From the "1970s".
The original sweetener was cyclamates (sometimes combined with saccharine) which was banned in 1969. (based on research that no one has been able to duplicate) It tasted much better than other artificial sweeteners.
Yes....cyclamates were used. BEST tasting artificial sweeteners around. These are still used in Canada, by the way, for some products.
All these artificial sweeteners are harmful. Splenda has its pitfalls, too. Aspartame is probably worse than Cyclamates ever were. (See http://www.rense.com/general33/legal.htm and http://www.naturalnews.com/026849_aspartame_health_Donald_Rumsfeld.html for starters.) Best bet: eat natural foods and wean yourselves off sugar and artificial sweeteners.
Well, just can't help myself here....but this is a must-see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYSyJoNDf3E
Sound: OMG! That old Tab spot was scary, creepy, and oh so eeeeeeewwwwwwww!