2020年经济学人 可乐大战(2)

But his masterstroke was the all-out marketing¹ blitz against Coca-Cola, long the global market leader in non-alcoholic beverages³. The two firms had competed for decades, but they mostly fought low-grade battles. Mr Kendall changed that, by forcing both companies into an advertising⁴ arms race. In 1975 Coca-Cola spent around $25m on advertising and PepsiCo some $18m. By 1985 those figures had shot up to $72m and $57m, respectively. In 1995 Pepsi outspent Coke by $112m to $82m.

但他的绝招是针对可口可乐发动营销闪电战，后者长期以来一直是无酒精饮料市场的领导者。这两家公司已经竞争了几十年，但大多是低级别的较量。肯德尔通过迫使两家公司进入广告军备竞赛，扭转了这一局面。1975年，可口可乐公司花费约2500万美元用于广告宣传，百事可乐花掉了大约1800万美元。到了1985年，两家广告费各自飙升至7200万美元和5700万美元。1995年，百事可乐的广告费为1.12亿美元，超过了可口可乐的8200万美元。

This was a risky⁵ gambit for both cola rivals. But it paid off in two ways. First, it helped fizzy drinks win a greater “share of throat” (a term coined by Roberto Goizueta, a former boss of Coca-Cola, who died in 1997). They went from 12.4% of American beverage² consumption in 1970 to 22.4% in 1985. And though Coca-Cola maintained its lead in that period, with over a third of the market, PepsiCo’s share shot up from 20% to a peak of over 30% in the 1990s. Last year carbonated-drinks sales totalled $77bn in America, and over $312bn globally. Coca- Cola and PepsiCo remain dominant⁶.

这对两家可乐公司来说都是冒险之举。但同时也带来了两大好处。首先，它帮助汽水饮料赢得了更大的“喉咙份额”（这是由1997年去世的可口可乐公司前老板罗伯特·戈依苏埃塔发明的术语）。1970年，汽水饮料占美国饮料销量的12.4%，而到1985年则上升至22.4%。在20世纪90年代，尽管可口可乐公司以超过三分之一的市场份额保持了当时的领先地位，但百事可乐公司的市场份额从20%骤升至峰值30%以上。去年，碳酸饮料在美国的销售额达到770亿美元，全球总销售额达到3120亿美元。可口可乐和百事可乐依旧占主导地位。

The second way that the cola wars benefited both companies was by turning them into “the world’s best marketers”, observes Kaumil Gajrawala of Credit Suisse, a bank. Today a decades-long obsession⁷ with cutprice volume growth has been replaced by a focus on revenues and profits.

瑞士信贷银行的考米尔·格拉瓦拉认为，可乐大战使两家公司受益的第二个方面是，它令两家公司都变成“世界最好的营销企业”。如今，数十年来对降价销量增长的痴迷已被对收入和利润的关注所取代。

PepsiCo in particular has relinquished⁸ some of the soft-drinks market, where its share has fallen back down to a quarter (see chart 1). But its marketing magic continues to sparkle, even if it is deployed⁹ to sell less sugary alternatives such as bottled water, coffee and energy drinks to health-conscious consumers. And over the past 40 years PepsiCo has returned nearly a third more to shareholders¹⁰ than Coca-Cola has.

尤其是百事可乐公司已经放弃了部分软饮料市场，其在该市场的份额已回落至四分之一。即使百事公司只面向注重健康的消费者销售低糖替代品，如瓶装水、咖啡和能量饮料，但它的销售魔力仍旧闪耀。在过去的40年里，百事公司给予股东的回报比可口可乐多出近三分之一。

In many industries a cosy¹¹ duopoly retards¹² innovation and harms consumers. The happy outcome of the cola wars has been the exact opposite. As Mr Kendall himself observed, “If there wasn’t a Coca- Cola, we would have had to invent one, and they would have had to invent Pepsi.”

在许多产业中，密切的双寡头垄断阻碍了创新，并损害了消费者。而可乐大战的结果则恰好相反。正如肯德尔先生自己所观察到的那样：“如果没有可口可乐公司，我们也要创造一个，而可口可乐也必须创造出百事可乐公司。”

1 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

2 beverage   

n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料

参考例句：

• The beverage is often colored with caramel.这种饮料常用焦糖染色。
• Beer is a beverage of the remotest time.啤酒是一种最古老的饮料。

3 beverages   

n.饮料( beverage的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• laws governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 控制酒类销售的法规
• regulations governing the sale of alcoholic beverages 含酒精饮料的销售管理条例

4 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

5 risky   

adj.有风险的，冒险的

参考例句：

• It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险，但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
• He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。

6 dominant   

adj.支配的，统治的；占优势的；显性的；n.主因，要素，主要的人(或物)；显性基因

参考例句：

• The British were formerly dominant in India.英国人从前统治印度。
• She was a dominant figure in the French film industry.她在法国电影界是个举足轻重的人物。

7 obsession   

n.困扰，无法摆脱的思想(或情感)

参考例句：

• I was suffering from obsession that my career would be ended.那时的我陷入了我的事业有可能就此终止的困扰当中。
• She would try to forget her obsession with Christopher.她会努力忘记对克里斯托弗的迷恋。

8 relinquished   

交出，让给( relinquish的过去式和过去分词 )； 放弃

参考例句：

• She has relinquished the post to her cousin, Sir Edward. 她把职位让给了表弟爱德华爵士。
• The small dog relinquished his bone to the big dog. 小狗把它的骨头让给那只大狗。

9 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

10 shareholders   

n.股东( shareholder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The meeting was attended by 90% of shareholders. 90%的股东出席了会议。
• the company's fiduciary duty to its shareholders 公司对股东负有的受托责任

11 cosy   

adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的

参考例句：

• We spent a cosy evening chatting by the fire.我们在炉火旁聊天度过了一个舒适的晚上。
• It was so warm and cosy in bed that Simon didn't want to get out.床上温暖而又舒适，西蒙简直不想下床了。

12 retards   

使减速( retard的第三人称单数 )； 妨碍； 阻止； 推迟

参考例句：

• Cold weather retards the growth of the crops. 寒冷的天气妨碍作物的生长。
• Lack of science and education retards social progress. 缺乏科学和教育会妨碍社会进步。