It may not be all that widespread as it used to be in days when sweetened beverage choices were limited, but coca-cola still manages to sell thanks to brand recognition and the occasional reinvention globally. In 2005 the company, seeing how men shied away from diet sodas due to word association of “diet” with women, developed a new low-calorie cola drink called “Coke Zero.” The new Soda was touted as tasting as close to regular “Classic” Coke rather than the obviously different Diet version. So the drink has gone on to some significant success in the international market, but its time is soon to be up.
Coca-Cola is phasing out Zero for something new.
Obviously ‘Zero Sugar’
When it came out in 2005 Coke Zero was the biggest new product launch by Coca-Cola in 22 years. Twelve years later the company is replacing it with a new reformulation, to be called “Coke Zero Sugar.” This altered product has already made its debut in 25 distinct markets around the world, but it is only in this coming August that Zero Sugar is going to hit the United States, the birthplace of Coca-Cola. This was announced by the company on Wednesday, July 26 on a call with Coke investors.
Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey laid out just what consumers can expect from the new Coke Zero Sugar saying what is most obvious from the name addition: "It is a reinvention of Coke Zero." The company has been market testing the new diet soda for over a year now to promising results.
This is due, according to Quincey, to the new blend’s taste. Coke Zero Sugar is guaranteed to taste even more exactly like Coca-Cola classic than Coke already did. What has not changed is the assurance that Zero Sugar is indeed totally lacking in sugar content, as well as zero calories.
Following through with success
With the continuing health frenzy of consumers to take in as little to no sugar as possible, Coca-Cola is primed to make a heavy impact in the US market with Coke Zero Sugar.
Already its predecessor the Zero has recorded a 2016 growth in sales up to 3.5%. In contrast, the traditional Diet Coke drink has shrunk by about 1.9% in the same year. To underscore just how close to actual coke the new Zero Sugar formula is, the once predominantly black packaging of Coke Zero is given more a splash of red like the original soda that started it all.
At about the same time that Coca-Cola announced its Zero Sugar product, shares of the company rose. It is just as well with their strong branding, enough for them to supplant old rival Pepsi as the official soda drink sponsor of Major League Baseball just this April.