interesting article about diet coke's upcoming 25th anniversary and how coke zero is tapping some of diet coke's past glory.

there's also an explanation of the new packaging on coke products.

Diet Coke sales lose fizz | ajc.com

Now that there are sweeter diet colas on the market, I think Diet Coke needs a serious update, using the same aspartame/ace-K formula as Diet Coke Plus but without the vitamins.

Otherwise I think Zero will overtake Diet Coke in sales in a few years.

Originally Posted by billygtexas

Now that there are sweeter diet colas on the market, I think Diet Coke needs a serious update, using the same aspartame/ace-K formula as Diet Coke Plus but without the vitamins.

Otherwise I think Zero will overtake Diet Coke in sales in a few years.

will it really matter though, whether zero or diet is selling better, if more people are drinking coke products?

probably not.

also, diet coke is still very popular. a lot of people actually like how it tastes (go figure!). so i think there will always be a market for diet coke.

however, if coke wants to grow the brand. then, yeah, that will be harder and may require a sweetener change. but, let's face it, after the new coke fiasco, i doubt coke will ever tinker with one of their major brands again.

instead, it seems they're trying to grow diet coke by offering newer, modern versions (like diet coke plus).

finally, it does seem clear that coke zero is growing much faster than diet coke was (before zero's introduction). so, overall, it's a net gain for coca-cola.

Originally Posted by popologist

but, let's face it, after the new coke fiasco, i doubt coke will ever tinker with one of their major brands again.

I think Coke could slip the Plus formula or the addition of Ace-K "out the door" since it tastes just like Diet Coke but gets rid of the nasty aftertaste.

Pepsi has done this for years with Diet Pepsi, slowly improving the taste whenever a new sweetener is approved but never making a big promotion about it.

while in london recently, i tasted UK diet coke, which is basically the US version with ace-k in it, and it tasted almost exactly like diet coke plus.

if coke added ace-k, would they have to announce it on the box (i.e. "now with ace-k"), or could they simply just update it on the ingredients list?

perhaps, diet coke with plus was coke's way of testing the waters for a reformulated diet coke. personally, i think it tastes better. but coke zero is so much better--it just has much more coke taste to it. diet coke just tastes bland to me.

After the New Coke fiasco, I seriously doubt that Coke will mess with the Diet Coke formula.

I think that Coke underestimated the number of people that switched from Diet Coke to Coke Zero.

In my experience, there were a group of people who for one reason or another, who had to stop drinking Coke (diabetes, weight, etc). So, the closest thing at the time would have been Diet Coke - I am sure that quite a few people sufferingly drank it, but when Coke Zero came out, they jumped right on that, because it has a taste that is so much more like Coke than Diet Coke ever could hope to be.

I am curious to see what happens to Caffeine Free Diet Coke if a Caffeine Free Coke Zero ever comes out. CF Diet Coke is already slipping in sales as it is.

Originally Posted by popologist

while in london recently, i tasted UK diet coke, which is basically the US version with ace-k in it, and it tasted almost exactly like diet coke plus.

if coke added ace-k, would they have to announce it on the box (i.e. "now with ace-k"), or could they simply just update it on the ingredients list?

perhaps, diet coke with plus was coke's way of testing the waters for a reformulated diet coke. personally, i think it tastes better. but coke zero is so much better--it just has much more coke taste to it. diet coke just tastes bland to me.

Maybe they can just slap the word 'NEW' on it.

Originally Posted by fusion

I think that Coke underestimated the number of people that switched from Diet Coke to Coke Zero.

In my experience, there were a group of people who for one reason or another, who had to stop drinking Coke (diabetes, weight, etc). So, the closest thing at the time would have been Diet Coke - I am sure that quite a few people sufferingly drank it, but when Coke Zero came out, they jumped right on that, because it has a taste that is so much more like Coke than Diet Coke ever could hope to be.

I am curious to see what happens to Caffeine Free Diet Coke if a Caffeine Free Coke Zero ever comes out. CF Diet Coke is already slipping in sales as it is.

I would love to see a CF Coke Zero too.

I think word of mouth has helped sell Zero more in the USA than any of Coke's advertising has. Diet drinkers aren't that loyal since no diet soda tastes exactly like "The Real Thing". And Zero is proving people will switch if something sweeter and better tasting comes along.

I agree with everything everyone is saying but seriously.... when was the last time Diet Coke had a real memorable commercial? The last most popular Diet Coke commercial was in the mid 90s.

I think they need to stop with the dull ads they have been using and start with something more lively and give the product a jingle again.

"Just for the taste of it!" was Diet Coke's biggest campaign in the history of the brand, the other two that most people would remember to this day are the short lived "It's One Of A Kind" and "Taste It All". They were both short lived promos but they were promos that still stay in people minds.

Has anyone noticed Diet Coke has come out with a new slogan every year for about 10 years now and nobody can remember any of them? This year the slogan is "yours" which is again weak without a jingle.

Maybe Diet Coke can resurrect the "Just for the Taste of it!" slogan again for a third time. I'd like to knowq what everyone else thinks about their commercials and advertisements.

I agree! Whatever happened to those great yet simple cola slogans and catchy sing-along jingles on radio? The last one I remember was "Always Coca-Cola". Coke needs to drop the too-clever "imaging" advertising and get back to it's roots.