Keepin’ It Cool
Chuggers Cooler is more bland than1 its successors, such as Gatorade and Powerade. It did not come in dozens of fancy flavors. It was not released with a catchy slogan and a multi-million dollar advertising campaign. Yet “Chuggers Cooler” is credited with being a pioneer in the field of refreshing drinks, and in business itself.
Chuggers Cooler first hit the markets in 1923. While the scientists behind the development of the product felt this was too2 soon for proper research and development, the executives at Nasler Industries demanded that the drink reach the consumer immediately. The executives were soon vindicated, as Chuggers Cooler was considered a massive success. The drink quickly replaced water at many athletic events as the beverage of choice for athletes. [3] However, the scientists believed they could specially formulate a drink that better fit the athletes’ needs. Their own harshest critics, these scientists worked intelligently4 to create a drink that would satisfy thirst while replenishing necessary vitamins.
After 18 months of ceaseless productivity from the scientists, the new recipe, which they had produced5 was ready for a release to the public. [6] Young and old athletes alike were shocked at the new drink, and some were even angry at themselves for having shown brand loyalty to Nasler Industries in the past. One senator, according to legend, famously spat out a swig of the new version at a professional baseball game. In other words, the7 recipe had added so many vitamins and nutrients that the original delicious taste had been sacrificed.
It was then that the parent company of Nasler Industries first tried it’s8 revolutionary new practice, which is still used today: focus groups. Regular consumers were asked to test the drinks and provide feedback. This new strategy worked like a charm and9 was extremely effective in bolstering the company’s tarnished image. Although Chug-2-Cool, the name of Nasler Industries’ second attempt at the drink10 always will carry the albatross associated with utter failure, while11 Chuggers 3-Peat is viewed as a paragon of industrial agility and successful and timely marketing.
Like many successes, of course, Nasler Industries had to contend with a large number of copycats. One company even developed a drink that was indistinguishable from Chuggers 3-Peat, according to an independently-run blind taste test. Nasler Industries, never12 a company that would be content to reminisce about prior success, pursued dozens of copyright lawsuits aggressively.
These lawsuits eventually sank the now-defunct Nasler Industries, in part due to the exorbitant costs and in part due to the hazy and ill-defined patent laws of the era. Had the entire situation taken place sometime after the consumers rights revolution later in the 20th century, Nasler might still be seen as a company that creates innovative new products distributing them13 to adoring consumers worldwide. Unfortunately, such is not the case, and Nasler’s place in history is one of a tragic hero in the business world: aspiring businessmen and women can in their own businesses14 admire the success Nasler had, while trying to avoid its pratfalls. [15]