Diet Coke and Mentos mint candies are reaping a publicity bonanza from an odd experiment in which the two ingredients are mixed together to produce a soda geyser that rivals Old Faithful. Hundreds of
amateur videos recording the reaction have been made and plastered all over the Internet, resulting in a gush of free advertising for each brand. The popularity of the videos has resulted in different
reactions from the two major players. "We are tickled pink by it," says Pete Healy, vice president of marketing for Mentos, which spends less than $20 million on U.S. advertising annually. He
estimates the value of online buzz to be "over $10 million," and says the marketer might cut a deal with the two men responsible for one of the more elaborate videos. Executives at Coke, however, are
considerably less enthusiastic. "It's an entertaining phenomenon," said Coke spokeswoman Susan McDermott. "We would hope people want to drink [Diet Coke] more than try experiments with it." Despite
Coke's "Who needs it?" attitude, the phenomenon shows how brands can take on a life of their own, particularly on the Internet. Mentos' Mr. Healy points out that Coke-Mentos experiments have been
around for years--but they have been given a new jolt by the newfound fascination among young people to create video content and share it online.
advertisement
advertisement
Read the whole story at The Wall Street Journal »