Dear Coca-Cola
by Terry Ravenscroft
Razzamatazz (e-book)

Some book ideas should never be taken to market. Dear Coca-Cola is one of them. It contains letters written by Terry Ravenscroft to food and drink firms, and the responses. Representatives of Cadbury, Tesco, McVitie's and Nescafe, among others, reply to missives that question their products and marketing campaigns. The laughs quickly die after it becomes clear how laboured the letters are. One to Coca-Cola asks whether the drink contains cocaine and, if so, whether it is responsible for the high consumers experience. The inquiries are largely unfunny, although some responses are handled by people with a sense of humour. In a missive to Tesco pointing out that its explanation of 'healthy eating' products is double-speak worthy of Tony Blair himself, one Marc Turnbull replies that the person in charge used to write speeches for Blair. The project could have been saved if it had seriously examined some of the products. Showing how PR folk deal with legitimate inquiries would be more satisfying than the daft questions Ravenscroft submitted.