Diet Coke has a new look and taste. The 35-year-old, zero-calorie Cola brand kicks off 2018 with its biggest makeover yet. While the original Diet Coke formula will still be available—in its telltale red and white can, no less—the new Diet Coke family will feature four new fruit-inspired flavors.
According to a press release posted on the Coca-Cola website, the new Diet Coke brand portfolio and sleek packaging were launched to appease Millenials, as well as attract a new audience. The reboot was two years in the making.
“We continue to believe and invest in Diet Coke because it’s a great-tasting, zero-calorie beverage loved by millions,” said Coca-Cola North America’s Rafael Acevedo. “We know Diet Coke has all kinds of fans – from people who have loved its great taste since it launched in 1982 to Millennial men and women who are always looking to try new things. We’re modernizing what has made Diet Coke so special for a new generation.”
Coca-Cola’s R&D team developed more than two dozen Diet Coke flavor combinations with tropical, citrus, and botanical notes before settling on the four flavors that received the highest response from consumer testers. The winning flavors are Ginger Lime, Feisty Cherry, Zesty Blood Orange, and Twisted Mango.
The new Diet Coke flavors come in sleek, color-coordinated packaging with the 12-ounce cans sporting a more slender profile reminiscent of an energy drink can than a soda. The new Diet Coke products will hit store shelves later this month.
It’s the brand and taste loved by millions, now with a new look! Get to know @DietCoke all over again… and meet its four bold new flavors, too: https://t.co/NzhzhkkVte pic.twitter.com/PY2JecP4IU
— The Coca-Cola Co. (@CocaColaCo) January 10, 2018
With so many flavors to choose from, even diehard Diet Coke fans won’t get bored. And maybe they shouldn’t. In a recent interview with Michigan’s 11 Alive , a 104-year-old woman revealed that she attributes her long life to her daily can of Diet Coke. Centenarian Theresa Rowley told the news station that she believes the secret to her longevity is her daily consumption of Diet Coke. Rowley drinks one can of the soft drink every day simply because she likes it. It seems to be working out well for her.
As for Coca Cola’s promise that “the one-and-only Diet Coke is not being reformulated,” soda lovers can take that to mean that the company has no intention of dodging a New Coke fiasco as they did back in the day. In 1985, the company attempted to change their 99-year-old Coke formula, and it did not go well. According to Adweek , the formula faux pas resulted in an onslaught of complaints with original Coke fans stocking up on the remaining cans of the precious liquid gold.
“We’ve had the opportunity to learn through the years that if you have something great you don’t mess with that,” Acevedo told Adweek. “We know we have a loyal following that loves the taste and we want it to be super clear that we don’t want to change that great taste.”
Past Diet Coke combinations have included Diet Coke with Lemon, Diet Coke Vanilla, and Diet Coke Raspberry, but this multi-flavor launch and rebranding is the biggest change in the history of the brand.
Take a look at one of the very first Diet Coke commercials below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH1FksSLqGA