RC Cola - Why It Failed

RC Cola has faced some unfortunate setbacks. They've never been able to catch up to Coke or Pepsi, and this video talks about why.

Note: This video was originally created in August of 2019 but was never released. I'm putting it out now as part of the channel's big 5-year celebration.

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Company Declines:
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[CZsWorld]

Coke really pulled a Fine Bros by trying to copyright the word "Cola".

[RedLPS]

Royal Crown Cola is not out of business. It is still alive and well, and is phenomenally better tasting than Pepsi Cola.

[cenewton]

RC Cola is still on shelves across much of the US. Walmart, Dollar General Store, et. al. I buy it every week because a) I like it, & b) it costs considerably less than Coke or Pepsi. It's December 2023 right now and typically two liters are about $1.50 each, and 12 pack cans are always about $1.50 (at least) less than C or P - usually about 33-42 cents per can as opposed to 55-60 cents each.

[jreiland]

The Penguins’ arena in Pittsburgh actually sells RC Cola, I think it’s the only major league sports venue in North America that does

[Jarekthegamingdragon]

RC is way better than people treat it to be.

[Pinstar]

Back in college, our business professor decided to have the class take the Pepsi challenge with a 3rd contender: RC Cola. He had everyone estimate what the class's favorites would be before the blind tasting, and then had everyone list which of the three was their favorite after. The professor revealed that over 60% of the class picked RC cola as their favorite of the three.

[pobels]

The delivery of the line "Arby's... They bought A R B Y's" was just hysterical to me.

[AnthonyfrmYO]

As a kid growing up in New York in the '70's, we drank RC cola all the time . We also had something called C & C soda . It came in a variety of different flavors . I would love to know the history behind the brand . Thanks for posting .

[jerryborths]

RC didn't fail. You can still find it everywhere, and personally, it's my favorite cola. It may not be as successful as Coke or Pepsi, but it's definitely not a failure.

[SuperWeebBros]

You forgot two of RC's biggest contributions to the industry! It was the first soda to ever be sold in a can, and then the first soda to be sold in an aluminum can

[BeingRomansed]

If you're gonna eat a Moon Pie, you gotta have an RC Cola.

[joesalyers]

My neighbor worked for RC as a truck driver & delivery worker for 35 years. He made no real money since he was on a low hourly pay and made most of his money from commission of sales. It was Him and 1 other guy supplying 6 Virginia counties and 4 Kentucky counties. His pay was low but they had a great retirement package apparently and when he retired a couple years ago he was bringing home more than he ever made while working. So RC might suck but the retirement plan is pretty sweet apparently. I still like RC but the Double Caffeine RC is REALLY GOOD!!

[CaseofSpades]

Honestly, the fact that RC Cola was created out of spite makes me like it a LOT

[lindawolffkashmir]

Can you really say that RC Cola failed? It’s still in stores, still being produced, and people still like it, and seek it out. As long as there’s a market for it, it truly can’t be a failure. Add to that all the other sodas under the Keurig/Dr. Pepper umbrella, I can’t count it as being a failure.

[ashmir]

I love your videos! Just discovered your channel and have been bingeing for days! Would love to see you do some long form videos too!

[jerrysanders]

Dude i love your book notes podcast FOUNDERS- you’re a top notch orator with a superb delivery. I always recommend your material 🤙

[wills]

My family did a just for fun taste test a couple years ago and everyone, I mean 100% of us, chose RC as their #1 pick. So from that day forward, RC has been the only cola I ever buy.

[MusicFromAnotherTime]

The main reason why I ever had RC Cola back in the day was because a vending machine down the street from me was always broken and returned my money every time I bought one. It was like infinite RC cola for a while. Good times.

[leonardpoindexter]

Who out there remembers having an RC and a moon pie?

[thylacine]

Decades ago they had RC Cola "With a twist of lemon" and it was solid in glass bottles. Loved it! So refreshing and it had this lemony citrus aftertaste. Was disappointed when it disappeared from the shelves.