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This page is about the pre-War company. For the soft drink, see Vim. |
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Vim! Pop Incorporated was a pre-War soft drink manufacturer that operated out of Maine. Its main competitor in 2077 was the Nuka-Cola Corporation.[1]
Background[]
Vim! Pop Incorporated was founded in 1931 by Herbert Reed who originally sold the beverage as a health tonic. Vim never gained the national attention that Nuka-Cola did, but it remained a large part of Maine culture and was even up for consideration as the state's official drink.[2]
Even though the drink carried a strong localized following (residents of Maine considered it a point of pride to drink it over the more nationally recognized Nuka-Cola brand),[3] its producer still faced several challenges in the years preceding the Great War. At the end of the third quarter in October 2077, the corporation was nearly 3.29 million dollars in the red, with more than 20% of the company's expenditures going toward repairs, more than on marketing (14.9%), production (14.4%), or distribution (10.0%).[4] In addition, Vim! Pop had just gotten out a litigation with the Nuka-Cola Corporation over the trademark on the Quartz name, losing them further revenue from that source as well.[5] Accordingly, the main investors in the company began to lose faith and were considering selling their stocks to Nuka-Cola, which would effectively make Vim! Pop a subsidiary of the soft drink giant.[5]
Despite all of these hindrances, CEO Doyle Reed was determined to keep the company independent of the Nuka-Cola Corporation and sell Vim nationwide, and launched several campaigns. In order to widen their consumer base, the corporation began the "Vim Ambassador" advertisement campaign, whereby power armored ambassadors bearing the distinctive white and red colors of the brand would travel to communities and hand out free bottles of Vim, Vim Quartz and Vim Refresh in addition to answering questions and providing contact information for the corporation's sales distribution team.[6]
However, this advertising campaign came with its own set of problems, particularly with crime: for example, one of suits of power armor was stolen right off the truck, and one ambassador was physically assaulted by a bar patron, completely unprovoked.[7] The head of distribution, Willis Rudd, was even convinced that the company was being intentionally targeted and it was not simply bad luck: their delivery trucks had been stolen and shot up, their drivers had been jumped and even machine technicians reported tampering.[8]
Rudd was correct; the Nuka Cola Corporation had hired Aubrey Copland to sabotage Vim! Pop Incorporated, and goad them to being bought out. The plan was divided into three phases: the goal of phase one to disrupt local confidence in Vim by placing "out of order" signs on vending machines, replacing cases of pop with tainted bottles and covering Vim advertisements with those of Nuka-Cola. Additionally, Madison Young would work from the inside of the company, pointing out losses to investors and pointing then toward Nuka Cola.[9] The next phase included escalation of force, such as random thefts and assaulting workers to lower morale, making it obvious enough that they are being targeted, but not enough to launch an investigation. The final phase included stealing the recipe for their newest soft drink (Captain's Blend) so Nuka-Cola could beat them to it.[9]
Regardless of the distribution fiascos and sabotage, the corporation's "Escape into Adventure" campaign was largely successful, with 87% of those polled feeling "excited" or "intrigued" by the ads, and 56% of those people saying they would be likely to purchase a bottle of Vim after seeing the ads.[7] Especially after the litigation over the Quartz brand, the corporation also found hope with a new flavor of pop tentatively named "Captain's Blend" which was popular with taste testers, who predominantly described the flavor as "fishy."[7]
Of course, the troubles of the company all ended when the Great War broke out; compared to nuclear annihilation and the factory under attack, hemorrhaging money, failed ad campaigns and lawsuits did not seem too dire at all.[10]
Known facilities[]
- Vim! Pop factory on Mount Desert Island, Maine - The main and only factory producing Vim!
Known products[]
Vim[]
A combination of pure Maine spring water and other extracts and syrups, the flagship beverage of the Vim! Pop Corporation is slightly fermented, which helps to better bring out its unique and natural flavor profile.[11] Vim produced several varieties including Vim, Vim Refresh, Vim Quartz, and Vim Captain's Blend.
In terms of restorative properties, basic Vim is the weakest of the four known flavors, yet still better than a bottle of regular Nuka-Cola. It restores 50% more health with the added benefits of being craftable and not subjecting the consumer to any additional radiation poisoning, thus making it useful especially during the early game stages. However, its usefulness is somewhat mitigated by only being available on the Island.
Vim Refresh[]
Vim Refresh was even more energizing than Vim Quartz, and was flavored with apples.[12] Refresh looks the same as regular Vim, but with a light green color and a lime wedge design on the label. Rarer than Vim, it can be found in Vim machines. It is an upgrade to regular Vim, as the weight and lack of rads stays the same while the HP and AP gains increase, along with the added faster recovery effect.
Vim Quartz[]
A twist on classic Vim, Vim Quartz was bubble gum flavored[13] and contained extra "oomph" (or "vim"), making drinkers more energized. Vim! Pop Incorporated was in a dispute with Nuka-Cola over the use of "Quartz" in the drink title,[14] as the latter company had already produced a drink with the name "Quartz," which is a special glowing white version of their signature drink, Nuka-Cola Quartz, which was a regional exclusive in the American Southwest. Nuka-Cola eventually won out, and it was predicted that Vim Quartz would be off the shelves by the following year. However, the bombs fell before any repercussions could take place.
Captain's Blend[]
Vim Captain's Blend, test formula 10784, was in its testing state before the Great War. It hadn't yet been released on the market, though it was noted as being remarkably popular among focus groups. The #1 word used to describe the taste was "fishy." The company higher-ups were confused as to the popularity of the taste and were hesitant to put it out for a full release. The inspiration for the drink's odd flavor came from the marketing department team member Norman Fuller's request to put the "taste of Maine in a bottle." In fact, even the CEO hadn't been made aware of the ingredients causing the popular fishy taste.
The Captain's Blend is a result of Vim! research and development team member Iris Mason getting frustrated with Norman's vague request and taking bottles of Vim and mixing in fiddleheads, lobster shells and various extracts. Aster was later added to mask the aroma of the lobster shells.[15]
One thing working to the detriment of Captain's Blend, however, was testers remarking that it caused an odd-smelling sweat. One tester remarked that another "smelled like a pier" after drinking the beverage.[16] However, a side effect of the smell was how it made lobsters less prone to attack a commercial fisherman when he was removing them from the cages.[17]
Appearances[]
Vim! Pop Incorporated appears only in the Fallout 4 add-on Far Harbor. It is mentioned in Fallout 76 through various advertisements and posters.
Behind the scenes[]
Vim is a reference to the real-world beverage Moxie, the official state beverage of Maine. The Captain Blend's slogan, "The Taste of Maine in a Bottle," is identical to Moxie's slogan.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Vim! Pop factory terminal entries
- ↑ Vim! Pop factory terminals; tour terminal, tour notes #1
- ↑ Far Harbor loading screen hints: "Vim! was a prewar soda pop native to New England. Residents considered it a point of pride to drink it over the more nationally recognized Nuka Cola brand."
- ↑ Vim! Pop factory terminal entries; Madison's terminal, quarterly earnings report
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Vim! Pop factory terminal entries; CEO's terminal, meeting with investors
- ↑ Vim! Pop factory terminal entries; Vim Ambassador terminal
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Vim! Pop factory terminals; marketing terminal
- ↑ Vim! Pop factory terminal entries; CEO's terminal, [WRudd] - We're being attacked
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Basement armory terminal entries; Copland's terminal, plan of attack
- ↑ Vim! Pop factory terminal entries; CEO's terminal, it's happened
- ↑ Vim! Pop factory terminal entries; Vim mixing terminal, tour notes #6
- ↑ Beverage recipe at the cooking station
- ↑ Beverage recipe at the cooking station
- ↑ Meeting with investors: "I'm not going to let Nuka bully me into selling the company. We already lost the trademark battle on Quartz."
- ↑ Vim! Pop factory terminal entries; marketing terminal, Marketing Plans
- ↑ Vim! Pop factory terminal entries; terminal, Notes
- ↑ Vim! Pop factory terminal entries; R & D terminal, Well that's weird
