European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 3, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I Over Here Media Blitz Hopes to turn Pepsi into dear Winner by Crystal Laureano staff writer a the things we miss by being Here in Europe. The super bowl for one. No not the game silly. The television ads while Many of us stared Glassy eyed monday morning As an expounded for the umpteenth time on the magical qualities of the human Eyebrow the folks Back Home were being dazzled by the sights and sounds of something truly vital a the nation s newest soft drink. With the Rock group Van Halen providing the background sounds Pepsico inc. Paid a mind boggling $14,000 a second to flaunt its new colourless Colas to an audience Oft 20 million football fans. Those four minutes of air time Cost $3.4 rail lion. That s a lot of cans of Pepsi but in the High stakes cola wars Pepsico thinks it has a Clear Winner. Pepsi is Billing its new product a Crystal Pepsi and diet Crystal Pepsi a As a Quot unique tasting Clear cola that s 100 percent naturally Flavoured with no preservatives or . The. New Pepsi went on store shelves nationwide in december and has been the subject of an advertising Blitz that built to a Crescendo with the inauguration of Bill Clinton and entered the stratosphere on super sunday. The slogan a Quot you be never seen a taste like this Quot a is the Centrepiece of the and Campaign. It Quot people feel that this is the beginning of a new Era and that goes right along with our new cola Quot said Cary Hemphill Public relations it could be some time before the much hyped new drink reaches Europe. Pops co spokesman for Pepsico in Somers n.y., Navy Exchange and army and air Force Exchange service officials said they want to bring the new Pepsi to Europe but Don t know when. Contracts will be signed. Cafes Europe supplies sodas to defense commissary Agency stores in Europe said a spokeswoman for the commissaries in Europe. Pepsi execs Are hoping the Quot crystals Quot will capture 2 percent of All soft drink sales within a year. That May not seem like much but in the $48 billion soft drink Industry a 2 percent share Means almost $1 billion said Hemphill. The company was encouraged by the product s acceptance during test marketing that began in Rhodo Island Colorado and Dallas in april and later expanded to Cheyenne Wyo. Alliance neb. Grand rapids and Muskegon Mich. And Salt Lake City. Crystal Pepsi had one of the highest trial rates for a new soft drink and a Strong repeat purchasing pattern in test markets Hemphill said. In Denver seven of 10 residents sampled the product and 93 percent of teens tried it within the first month. More than 60 percent of Consumers people feel that this is the beginning of a new Era and that goes right along with our new co a Gary Hemphill spokesman for Pepsico inc. Said they purchased Crystal Pepsi a second time. The majority of Crystal Pepsi purchases took sales away from competitive products not from other Pepsi products researchers say. Pepsico officials also Are boasting about the results of an Independent nationwide consumer Survey of new grocery products that named Crystal Pepsi the Best new product of the year Hemphill said. The Survey released in december was conducted by Acu poll precision research a division of Richard Saunders International of Cincinnati. More than 16,000 new products were reviewed. The 500 most innovative products were tested with More than 1,200 Consumers what rated How interested they were in buying it How new and different the idea was and How Good of a value the product was. Quot Crystal Pepsi got an a plus in All three. It was at the top 20 percent of All the products we tested Quot said Steve Phelan vice president of marketing for Acu poll. Quot Only 3 i percent of the products we test get that High a  researchers predict that 148 million americans will try the new Clear cola within three months. What s it taste like Quot taste is a very subjective thing Quot said Hemphill. Quot but if i had to describe it i d say its lighter and less Sweet tasting. It s not just Pepsi with. The cola stripped  Marlene Rezvani of Denver liked the new cola. Quot it tastes almost like Pepsi but it s Clear. I Haven t bought any though. I m not a big soda Drinker Quot she said. Quot i guess the big attraction is that people Are looking for lighter and healthier tilings to  German toy firm Back on track by Larry Thorson associated press writer a company in Eastern German that was on the Brink of failure is now expanding to the United states and Russia although it s still Only a Success on a Small scale a the 1 120 scale of table 4op Model trains. The Saga of Berliner to Bahnen began like Many others in the former communist East Germany unification with West Germany was a disaster for the company and its 950 employees. The introduction of hard Western currency meant the loss of its faithful customers in the soviet bloc and it had no sales in the West. Enter Carlo Parisel a consultant from Southern Germany with two decades experience working for end tech a . Company in Ypsilanti Mich. His company sent him to Berlin in Early 1991 to examine Eastern Germany s environmental problems and he ended up owner and president of the Model train maker. Quot i decided in about 24 hours to make the change Quot Parisel 45, said in his Berlin office., maybe it was the midlife crisis and the need for a new Challenge he said. Quality was the first hurdle. The tiny models weren t Good enough for Western markets so better machinery was brought in. Now the boxcars Bear lettering a so Fine that it has to be read with a looking Glass a that stands up to the scrutiny of precision minded hobbyists who Are the main Market. After the initial Success the German government took Over All debts and the Cost of cleaning up the chemically saturated workshops giving Parisel a clean slate and line of credit. A global Market beckoned. Parisel said Only a few specialized companies make to gauge trains a to stands for table top a and Berliner to Bahnen was the Only mass producer. It once made 200,000 engines and 400,000 cars a year strictly for the East bloc and the . Company that introduced the concept had gone out of business leaving the Field open. Parisel took a display to a toy fair in new York last year and found an enthusiastic . Consultant to help break into a $700 million annual Market for toy trains. In August he went to a Model railroading convention in Ohio. Quot we were seen As something new and exciting Quot said Parisel s wife Michele Boss Parisel who runs a separate company producing miniature houses stations and other accessories. The company had to endure the massive layoffs common in Eastern Germany s move to a Market Economy. It employs Only 95 people now a one tenth the former staff. Quot we used to have 100 toolmakers and now Only five Quot Parisel said. Quot last year i had to look them in the Eye and say it was finished. It was an emotional experience i had not  wednesday february 3, 1993 a the stars and stripes 17