Today, This American Life revealed Coca-Cola's 107-year old secret recipe; or at least what they believe to be the original formula.
As stated in the podcast, there's one ingredient that can't be duplicated.
Said Phil Mooney, the Company's official archivist, "There's a psychological element to this product. We've got 125 years worth of marketing and advertising"
Oh how right Mr. Mooney is.
People don't buy Nike shoes because their Malaysian factory workers sew a better stitch, it's because the swoosh represents the "just do it" philosophy. MacBooks aren't superior because they have Intel Inside–HP has that, too–Apple users identify with a company that can "think different". Consumers certainly don't buy Coke on taste alone. They grab a Coke to "open happiness".
The real secret ingredient isn't secret at all: it's just good branding.
You can find the This American Life recipe on this Wikipedia page, along with other alleged recipes.