LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM -- (Marketwire) -- 03/28/11 -- We Brits love American food and drink and, according to a new independent survey, our favourite American drink is cola - even if two per cent of the 1,000 people questioned think it comes from "Cola Island".
The top five food and drink favourites from America were, in order of preference:
1. Cola 2. Chocolate, for example Hersheys 3. Burgers 4. Peanut butter 5. Cakes, such as Twinkies.
The survey was conducted on behalf of Cott Beverages Ltd., which has teamed up with Asda to launch one of America's oldest and best known brands, RC® (Royal Crown) cola, in the UK.
RC® cola was created in 1905 in the same place as Coke; Columbus, Georgia - not Cola Island in the Caribbean, as almost two per cent of those questioned believed.
Sundeep Gill, assistant brand manager for Cott Beverages Ltd. said: "The rise in popularity in Britain of all things vintage American - think of Mad Men, cheerleaders and cupcakes - fits like a dream with the launch of RC® cola in the UK, as British consumers can now buy an American drink with the perfect retro look, feel and taste they've been searching for."
Overall, we Brits voted for five of our favourite American things, with American films and TV programmes coming first and second, food and drink third. However as Simon Cowell prepares to take The X Factor to America, he might want to consider that as far as the British are concerned, American music was the least popular - only five per cent voted it their favourite.
Northern Irish people in particular love their U.S. food and drink, with 50 per cent of respondents declaring it their favourite thing to come out of America. And despite cola being as American as the Star and Stripes, 15 per cent of respondents thought it originated here in the UK, perhaps indicating that the ties between the U.S. and the UK are stronger than we think.
Central and Northern England, Scotland, Eire and Northern Ireland proved to be the biggest fans of cola, and over 40 per cent of people said they were keen to see more U.S. products in Great Britain.
RC® cola was born out of the efforts of a young pharmacist in Columbus, Georgia, after he had a disagreement with a local soda bottler. Claude A. Hatcher began creating his own soft drinks, but never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that the result of his experiments would become an iconic American soft drink affectionately nicknamed RC® cola.
Sundeep added: "Created in 1905, RC® cola is one of America's original colas and is already available across the globe in over 45 countries. Available in Asda stores nationwide from the 28th of March - just visit www.rccola.co.uk for your local stockist."
Notes to Editors
1. Originally launched in 1905 by Claude Hatcher in Columbus, Georgia,
U.S.A., consumers first knew RC® cola as "Chero-Cola". In 1934, Chero-
Cola was reformulated and re-released as Royal Crown.
2. RC cola proudly introduced a series of industry firsts:
a. 1950s - First to sell soft drinks nationally in cans and to
introduce the 16 ounce bottle
b. 1960s - First to introduce a low-calorie diet cola, Diet Rite, and
the all aluminum beverage can
c. 1980s - First to introduce a caffeine free diet cola, RC 100 and a
diet cherry cola Diet Cherry RC
3. RC cola is a part of American popular culture:
a. Television/Movies -RC was featured in the Jerry Lewis movie, The
Nutty Professor and The Green Mile with Tom Hanks.
b. Celebrity Endorsements - RC cola enhanced advertising with the use
of celebrities such as Bing Crosby, Joan Crawford, Bob Hope,
Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Scott and Hedy Lamarr.
Contacts:
Gill Alexander
0113 243 1117
Rebecca Theodorou
0113 243 1117
rccola@lucre.co.uk
