Black is the new Red

בקטגוריות: Export|Uncategorized

8 Nov 2006

A new drink has entered the already saturated Coca Cola product family. I’ve seen it in the US but hadn’t gotten around to sampling it, so now I tried it out in the UK. I’m talking, of course, about the Coca-Cola Zero (left).

The Coca Coka Zero has a rather interesting history, it would seem. Takes us back all the way to 1985 and the New Coke fiasco and even before that, to 1982 and the launch of Diet Coke, the most popular sugar-free soda in the world.

The difference in flavors between Coke and Diet Coke are not accounted for simply by the replacement of sugar with aspartame and other sweeteners. These two beverages use a completely different formula of chemicals and whatnot for their flavor – Diet Coke’s formula was originally conceived independently of Coca Cola’s formula, specifically for that drink.

When Coca Cola wanted a new formula for their flagship product in 1985, they turned to the popular Diet Coke and reformulated that with sugar and a different blend of chemicals ingredients. After New Coke bombed, Diet Coke and Coca Cola continued their seperate ways.

 

Coca Cola Zero was introduced to the world earlier this year, and at first seemed a surprising move – what’s the different between Coke Zero and Diet Coke? Both are aspartame and Ace-K based sugarfree Coke beverages, so what’s the deal?

The deal, as my exposition clearly leads up to, is that Coke Zero is a sugarfree Coke that uses the standard, classic Coca Cola formula. Its flavor is much, much closer to that of normal Coke, and it has the added advantage of being sugarfree, which makes it better than the US’s horrible high-fructose corn syrup sugar-substitute.

Marketing of Coke Zero in the UK so far has been mostly targeted at young men, a relatively weak demographic in the sugarfree Coke segment. Diet Coke is traditionally seen as a weight-conscious woman’s drink. Ordering one is as much a blow to one’s masculinity as eating a salad. This is why the new brand (Zero is much more manly that Diet), why the new color scheme (Black, baby! Black!) and the using of babes to promote it.

In short, my professional opinion: It’s good. We like it. Bring it over the Israel.

7 תגובות על Black is the new Red

Avatar

iod

8 בNovember, 2006 בשעה 11:09

what soft drink isn’t promoted using babes, exactly?

(note: a quick google image search for coke zero got, yes, zero results with Ms. Cole’s face. Hrp.)

Avatar

yggdrasil

8 בNovember, 2006 בשעה 14:43

Diet Coke is traditionally advertised with good looking men, actually. Bring to mind, if you will, the man-falling-asleep-on-the-lap-of-a-girl-who-can’t-reach-her-can-of-Diet-Coke commercial. This obviously a commercial targetted at women. Likewise, the getting-naked-in-the-car-wash commercial for Diet Coke with Lemon emphasised the damp male physiognomy.

Avatar

spelljammer

8 בNovember, 2006 בשעה 14:26

My opinion on Diet Coke Zero is not as favorable as yours. As someone that’s already used to the Diet Coke flavor, I found Diet Coke Zero to be, well, quite disgusting 🙂

Avatar

yggdrasil

8 בNovember, 2006 בשעה 15:01

Probably because you have already sold your soul to the demon of Diet Coke. You can no longer appreciate the true taste of goodness. You have closed yourself to the light.
You are lost to us.

Avatar

luckluster

9 בNovember, 2006 בשעה 10:32

Did you plan to go the UK right after the US trip?

Avatar

yggdrasil

9 בNovember, 2006 בשעה 10:47

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans” – John Lennon

I’m in the UK on business, a surprise opportunity to give a week and a half of .NET training to a bunch of MAGIC programmers. No plans, no nothing. Life is good.

Avatar

Anonymous

9 בNovember, 2006 בשעה 14:55

the diet coke affair

It is well known (in some circles, at least) that diet coke is part of a larger joint NSA and CIA program. The soft-drink has a specific combination of substances (chemical and other) that, when consumed over many years, cause the human brain to grow a miniscule appendage that reacts to waves of a certain frequency. Transmitters have been scattered across the world waiting for the right button to be pushed in order to transmit the signal.
An addictive ingredient has been added to ensure that people will use the drink long enough to grow the new organ. The addictive ingredient tends to evaporate quickly, which is why diet-coke victims are especially averse to allowing their drink to rest undrunk in the open air.
I wonder what they’re up to with this new zero thing. probably a rival department in the NSA or something.

טופס תגובות

פעם היה לי לייבג'ורנל. עכשיו הוא כאן, מגובה.

פוסטים