Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
A can of Australian Coca-Cola No Sugar
TypeDiet cola
ManufacturerThe Coca-Cola Company
Country of origin United States
Introduced2005
reformulated 2017
reformulated 2021
ColorCaramel E150d
FlavorCola
Variants
List
  • Coca-Cola Zero Cherry
  • Coca-Cola Zero Vanilla
  • Coca-Cola Zero Cherry Vanilla
  • Coca-Cola Zero Lemon
  • Coca-Cola Zero Lime
  • Coca-Cola Zero Raspberry
  • Coca-Cola Zero Peach
  • Coca-Cola Zero Orange
  • Coca-Cola Zero Orange Vanilla
  • Coca-Cola Zero Cinnamon
  • Caffeine Free Coca-Cola Zero
  • Coca-Cola Zero Starlight
Related productsDiet Coke
Websitecoca-cola.com/zerosugar

Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is a diet cola produced by the Coca-Cola Company.[1]

The drink was introduced in 2005 as Coca-Cola Zero as a new no-calorie cola.[2] In 2017, the formula was modified and the name updated, a change which led to some backlash.[3] Another formula change occurred in the United Kingdom in July 2021, in the United States in August 2021, and in Canada in September 2021.[4]

History

Coca-Cola Zero was Coca-Cola's largest product launch in 22 years. The new product was ideated at the Spanish branch, turning Marcos de Quinto into one of the key people of the company. The global campaign was developed by creative agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky.[5] It was marketed as having a taste that is indistinguishable from standard Coca-Cola, as opposed to Diet Coke, which has a different flavor profile.[6][7] The move intended to appeal to a male target, since the existing sugar-free product, Diet Coke, was widely perceived as a female drink.

2017 reformulation

Can with former "Coca-Cola Zero" branding

In 2017, despite increasing sales in the United States, the Coca-Cola Company announced that Coca-Cola Zero would be reformulated and rebranded as Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, intended to taste more like standard Coca-Cola while emphasizing the lack of sugar content.[8][9][10] The new formula was first tested in the United Kingdom in June 2016, with plans to roll it out in other countries in the following months.[11][12][9]

The move caused some vocal backlash.[13][14] The Washington Post noted Coke Zero is very popular, and that fans compared the change to the launch of New Coke in 1985.[3] However, Beverage Digest executive editor Duane Stanford noted that it was very similar in flavor, and that the formula likely was tweaked only slightly as the ingredients list is the same. He noted that the rebranding was the main emphasis.[15]

In Australia, the soda was relaunched as "Coca-Cola No Sugar" in 2017 but had trouble gaining initial acceptance.[16]

In July 2018, it was confirmed that the original formula would continue to be sold under the original Coke Zero branding in New Zealand alongside the Coke Zero Sugar product.[17] The original Coke Zero branding was finally phased out in 2022 alongside the local launch of the 2021 reformulation.[18]

2021 reformulation

In July 2021, the Coca-Cola Company announced that another reformulation of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar would be released throughout the U.S. in August and then throughout Canada in September.[4][19] The reformulation would be the same recipe that was already available in Europe and Latin America.[20][21] The company said the recipe would "optimize existing...flavors and existing ingredients" without requiring a change in the listed ingredients or nutritional information.[4] Along with the reformulation, the labeling was updated.[4]

The original Coca-Cola Zero logo generally featured the Coca-Cola logo in red script with white trim, with the word "zero" underneath in lower case in the geometric typeface Avenir (or a customized version of it). These words appeared on a black background. Some details varied from country to country. Later packagings swapped the colors of the "Coca-Cola" script and "Zero", leaving the former in white and the latter in red.

The first Coca-Cola Zero Sugar logo featured the Coca-Cola logo in white script, with the words "zero sugar" in black underneath; the word "zero" in lower case in the geometric typeface Avenir (or a customized version of it) and the word "sugar" in upper case. These words appeared in a red disc on a black background. In European markets, the packaging instead matches the classic Coca-Cola red design with the addition of a black band around the top of the label with the text "zero sugar".[22] After the 2021 reformulation, the red disc was removed and the logo was changed to black text on a red background, the color of the background changing for certain flavors.

Ingredients

All versions of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar sold in various countries are based on the same flavoring formula, and all are carbonated. One liter of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar contains 96 mg caffeine.[23] Additionally, artificial sweeteners are used. In the U.S., this includes aspartame and acesulfame potassium.[24] However, the exact combination of sweeteners and preservatives used varies from market to market.

Marketing

A Coca-Cola Zero Sugar billboard in Hudson Yards, Manhattan in 2017

Coke Zero was originally specifically marketed to men, who are shown to associate "diet" drinks with women.[25] It was primarily marketed towards young adult males[26][27] and it has been nicknamed "Bloke Coke" in the UK.[5] In the U.S., advertising has been tailored to its targeted market by describing the drink as "calorie-free" rather than "diet", since young adult males are said to associate diet drinks with women.[27] U.S. marketing also emphasized its similarity in taste to sugared Coca-Cola; an advertising campaign for the beverage focused on Coca-Cola executives who were so angry over the drinks' similarities, they were considering suing their co-workers for "taste infringement".[27] Continuing the theme, a Coca-Cola Zero ad aired during Super Bowl XLIII parodied Coke's iconic "Hey Kid, Catch!" commercial, which is interrupted by two Coca-Cola "brand managers" accusing Troy Polamalu of "stealing" their commercial.[28][29]

In Australia, the product's launch was promoted by a fake front group; the campaign included outdoor graffiti and online spamming that mentioned a fake blog.[30][31] Once exposed, consumer advocates assailed the campaign as misleading and established the Zero Coke Movement[32] to comment on the ethics of Coke's activities.[33]

Coca-Cola Zero sponsors Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway in August, and also the Suzuka 8 Hours in Japan, a motorcycle endurance race.[34]

In 2013, Coca-Cola swapped the logo on Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, and Coke Zero bottles and cans in many European countries with 150 of the most popular local names for a summer-long "Share a Coke" campaign.[35] The same campaign was used in North America the following summer.

For Christmas 2013, Coke Zero launched an interactive website that allowed people to customize the designs of their Christmas sweater,[36] which have a significant role in United Kingdom Christmas traditions.[37] On the website, people could detail the cut, pattern, and icons for their sweater,[38] and join a popularity contest.[39] Users could choose designs from Christmas trees and Santa's head to reindeer, sleighs, and turkeys.[40] This initiative was tied to a social media campaign,[41] where the top 100 sweater designs with the most votes were manufactured and shipped to the contest winners.[42] According to the Coca-Cola Company, the website generated nearly 42,000 sweater designs in its first four days.[43]

Variants

NameLaunchedNotesPhoto
Coca-Cola Cherry Zero Sugar 2007 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with cherry flavor. Introduced in the US in late January 2007 and was widely available throughout the United States before its official debut, which occurred on February 7, 2007 at New York Fashion Week.[44] It was launched in the UK in 2014. In 2017, it was launched along with Coca-Cola Lemon Zero Sugar in Luxembourg, Poland and Belgium.
Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero Sugar 2007 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with additional vanilla flavor. Introduced in the US in June 2007[45] concurrently with the relaunch of Coca-Cola Vanilla, and was later introduced in the UK in 2017. It has also been sold in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Belgium, and Hungary.
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Zero Caffeine 2010 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar without caffeine (formerly marketed as "Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola Zero Sugar"). First released in France in February 2010 as Coca-Cola Zero Sans Cafeine[46] It was later released in Japan as Coca-Cola Zero Free in April 2010.[47] In Israel, The Netherlands, Belgium, Greece and Luxembourg as Coca-Cola Zero Caffeine Free since the start of 2011 and in the US since July 2013. In Great Britain it is referred to as Coca-Cola Zero Zero.[48]
Coca-Cola Lemon Zero Sugar 2017 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with additional lemon flavor. It has been sold since 2017 in Italy, Luxembourg, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Israel, Croatia, Czech Republic, and Serbia.
Coca-Cola Peach Zero Sugar 2018 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with peach flavor. Released in the United Kingdom in 2018,[49] Australia and Lithuania in 2019[50][51]
Coca-Cola Clear 2018 A 'clear' version of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, with a hint of extra lemon. Released in Japan in 2018.
Coca-Cola Raspberry Zero Sugar 2018 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with raspberry flavor. Released in Norway in 2018, Denmark and UK in 2019 and Australia in 2023.
Coca-Cola Cinnamon Zero Sugar 2018 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with extra cinnamon flavor. Released in the United Kingdom, Poland, Lithuania and Estonia in 2018 for the Christmas period.[52][53]
Coca-Cola Stevia No Sugar 2018 Coca-Cola Stevia No Sugar was a variant that used stevia as its sole sweetener. Replaced Coca-Cola Life in New Zealand on 7 May 2018.[54] Product lineups of Coke No Sugar and the still-lingering-in-this-region original incarnation of Coke Zero were both phased out completely in New Zealand as of June 2022, and replaced with the reformulated & rebranded Coke Zero Sugar product line.[55]
Coca-Cola Orange Vanilla Zero Sugar 2019 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with orange and vanilla flavors. Made available nationwide in the United States on February 25, 2019. Available in Romania since 2020[56]
Coca-Cola Energy Zero Sugar 2019 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with ingredients found in other Energy Drinks. Originally launched in Hungary and Spain,[57] it is now also available in the United Kingdom[58] and Australia.[59] Coca-Cola confirmed October 2019 it will be launching the variety in the United States in 2020, along with a Cherry variant of Coca-Cola Energy.[60]
Coca-Cola Cherry Vanilla Zero Sugar 2020 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with cherry and vanilla flavors. Released in the United States on February 10, 2020.
Coca-Cola Orange Zero Sugar 2020 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with orange flavor. Available in Poland, Hungary, Serbia and Russia.[61]
Coca-Cola Zero Mango 2020 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with mango flavor. Available only in Israel.[62]
Coca-Cola Starlight Zero Sugar 2022 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with the mysterious "space-inspired" flavor. Part of the Coca-Cola Creations range. Limited edition, available in North America.[63] Branded alternately as Coca-Cola Intergalactic in the UK and other select markets.
Coca-Cola Marshmello 2022 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar flavored with watermelon and strawberry. Part of the Coca-Cola Creations range. Created in collaboration with electronic music producer/DJ Marshmello.
Coca-Cola Dreamworld 2022 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with a mystery "dreams-inspired" flavor. Part of the Coca-Cola Creations range. RomanianCoca-Cola Creations cans.
Coca-Cola Movement 2023 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with a mystery "transformation" flavor. Part of the Coca-Cola Creations range. Created in collaboration with Rosalía. Branded alternately as Coca-Cola Movement in the UK and other select markets.
Coca-Cola Ultimate 2023 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with a mystery "+XP" flavor. Part of the Coca-Cola Creations range. Created in collaboration with League of Legends developer Riot Games.[64]
Coca-Cola 3000 2023 Coca-Cola Zero Sugar with a "future-inspired" flavor co-created with AI. Part of the Coca-Cola Creations range.

References

  1. ↑ "What's the Difference Between Coke Zero and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar?". coca-colacompany.com. August 4, 2017. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Coke Zero: Ingredients : Nutrition : GDA - Coca-Cola GB". Coca-cola.co.uk. April 13, 2010. Archived from the original on June 7, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Judkis, Maura (July 27, 2017). "R.I.P., Coke Zero: The five stages of ice-cold grief". The Washington Post – via washingtonpost.com.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Heil, Emily (July 13, 2021). "Coke Zero fans brace themselves as company announces a ‘refresh’". The Washington Post.
  5. 1 2 Hickman, Martin (July 4, 2006). "Introducing 'Bloke Coke' - is this now the real thing?". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
  6. ↑ Coke Zero unveils new 'taste experiment' ad Archived April 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine - The Drum, April 5, 2013
  7. ↑ "FAQ: What's the difference between Diet Coke and Coke Zero?". Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  8. ↑ "Coke No Sugar: Closer than ever to the classic Coca-Cola taste". The Coca-Cola Company. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  9. 1 2 Chang, Olivia (July 26, 2017). "Coca-Cola is replacing Coke Zero with a new drink". CNNMoney.
  10. ↑ Willis, Jay (July 26, 2017). "We're About to Lose the Best Soda the World Has Ever Known".
  11. ↑ "Coca-Cola Zero to be renamed in UK and will taste 'more like Coke'". the Guardian. April 19, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  12. ↑ Archived October 8, 2017, at the Wayback Machine - Coca-Cola Company, retrieved June 15, 2017
  13. ↑ Tucker, Alexa (July 31, 2017). "Coke Zero Is Being Replaced by Coke Zero Sugar and People Are Outraged". Self.
  14. ↑ Spence, Shay (July 26, 2017). "People Are Very, Very Upset About the Demise of Coke Zero". People.
  15. ↑ Bomey, Nathan (July 27, 2017). "Coke Zero out, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar in due to recipe change". Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  16. ↑ Brook, Benedict (February 22, 2018). "Coke No Sugar is supposed to be replacing Coke Zero. But Australians aren't playing along".
  17. ↑ "Coke Zero to be phased out in Australia from August 1 - but not in New Zealand". NZ Herald.
  18. ↑ "Coke Zero, No Sugar officially scrapped, 'Coke Zero Sugar' launched". Newshub.
  19. ↑ "Coca-Cola (KO) Zero Sugar Gets Better: Will it Aid the Stock?". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved November 25, 2022.
  20. ↑ Best Coke Ever? Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Refreshes Taste and Look" (press release). The Coca-Cola Company. July 13, 2021.
  21. ↑ D'Angelo, Bob (July 14, 2021). "Coke Zero Sugar will be changing its flavor". WSBT-TV.
  22. ↑ "Red is the new black – Coca-Cola reveals new packaging design". www.coca-cola.co.uk. Archived from the original on January 2, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  23. ↑ "How much caffeine is in Diet Coke, Coca‑Cola and Coke Zero? : FAQ - Coca-Cola GB". Coca-cola.co.uk. April 13, 2010. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  24. ↑ "Diet Coke vs. Coca-Cola Zero: What's The Difference?". The Huffington Post. AOL. November 1, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Should Men's Products Fear a Woman's Touch?". HBS. November 13, 2013.
  26. ↑ Tungate, Mark (2008). Branded Male: Marketing to Men. London and Philadelphia: Kogan Page Limited. pp. Chapter 3. ISBN 978-0-7494-5011-3.
  27. 1 2 3 Elliott, Stuart; March 5, 2007; "Can’t Tell Your Cokes Apart? Sue Someone"; The New York Times; retrieved March 6, 2007.
  28. ↑ Hinds, Julie (February 2, 2009). "Super Bowl ads deliver big laughs". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Coke to reprise 'Mean Joe' commercial for Super Bowl". Atlanta Business Chronicle. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  30. ↑ "Tantillo’s Branding Bite: Pepsi Goes Online (Exclusively)" Archived June 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Marketing Doctor Blog. March 20, 2008.
  31. ↑ "Coke Gets A Zero For Effort" Marketing Doctor Blog. January 25, 2006.
  32. ↑ "The Zero Movement". Tim Longhurst. Archived from the original on January 12, 2006. Retrieved July 24, 2006.
  33. ↑ "The Zero Coke Movement". Archived from the original on July 18, 2006. Retrieved July 24, 2006.
  34. ↑ "Borussia Dortmund". www.bvb.de.
  35. ↑ "Coca-Cola Gets Personal in Europe with "Share a Coke" Campaign". Brandchannel.com. May 15, 2013. Archived from the original on January 21, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2014.
  36. ↑ 7 Great Holiday Marketing Campaigns of 2013 Matthew Bushery. The Hubspot. December 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2014
  37. ↑ Coke Zero dares fans to design the ugliest Christmas sweater Kevin Allen. PR Daily. November 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2014
  38. ↑ "Coke Zero's Digital Sweater Generator Calls on Your Inner Knitter". AdWeek. November 2013.
  39. ↑ Coca-Cola helps fans create customer tacky Christmas Sweaters for the holidays. Ross Brooks. PSFK. November 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2014
  40. ↑ Create the seasonal horror of your dreams with Coke Zero’s Holiday Sweater Generator Rae Ann Fera. FastCoCreate.com Retrieved April 9, 2014
  41. ↑ Coca-Cola Lets You Create Your Own Ugly Christmas Sweater Anthea Quay. DesignTaxi. November 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2014
  42. ↑ Coke Zero invites users to create their own tacky Christmas sweater Ben Bold. Marketing Magazine UK. November 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2014
  43. ↑ ‘Tis the Season for Tacky Traditions: Coke Zero Launches Online Sweater Generator Jay Moye. The Coca-Cola Company Press Center. November 2013. Retrieved April 9, 2014
  44. ↑ "Cherry Coke Gets Fresh Jay-Z graciel Remix" Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Kenneth Hein, BrandWeek, January 29, 2007
  45. ↑ Vanilla Coke is Back! Archived October 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, Business Wire, May 25, 2007
  46. ↑ Le Coca-Cola Zéro sans caféine arrive dans vos verres, CocaColaWeb.fr, February 15, 2010
  47. ↑ Coca-Cola | News: Details Archived April 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, CocaCola.Co.jp, April 26, 2010
  48. ↑ Coca-Cola Zero Zero launches in Great Britain,Coca-cola.co.uk, February 2023
  49. ↑ "Life just got peachy! Coca-Cola brings Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Peach to UK shores". www.coca-cola.co.uk. Archived from the original on April 6, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  50. ↑ "Coca-Cola launches limited edition peach flavour". Mumbrella. February 11, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  51. ↑ "Mažiau cukraus gėrimuose ir nauji skoniai". Alytaus Gidas (in Lithuanian). April 26, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  52. ↑ "Nowy smak na Święta - Coca-Cola Cynamon", Coca-Cola Journey, October 20, 2018
  53. ↑ "Cinnamon Coca-Cola will be on sale by Christmas" Archived April 7, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Coca-Cola HBC Baltics, October 29, 2018
  54. ↑ "Kiwis First In The World: Coca-Cola Stevia No Sugar Launches" Archived September 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Coca-Cola Journey, May 2, 2018
  55. ↑ "Coca‑Cola New Zealand introduces Coca‑Cola Zero Sugar". www.coca-cola.com/nz. May 25, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  56. ↑ "Introducing Orange Vanilla Coke and Orange Vanilla Coke Zero Sugar", Coca-Cola Journey, February 8, 2019
  57. ↑ "First Coca-Cola branded energy drink to launch this month". Inside FMCG. April 1, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  58. ↑ "Coca-Cola-energy-launch". March 28, 2019. Archived from the original on May 26, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  59. ↑ "Coca-Cola Energy to hit Australia later this month". Inside FMCG. June 14, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  60. ↑ "First Coke-Branded Energy Drink to Launch in the U.S. in 2020". The Coca-Cola Company. October 1, 2019. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
  61. ↑ "Coca-Cola változatok | Tápértékadatok és összetevők | Termékinformációk". www.coca-cola.hu.
  62. ↑ "Coca-Cola launches new mango-flavored zero-calorie version in Israel". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  63. ↑ Pearlman, Robert Z. (February 17, 2022). "Coca-Cola launches 'Starlight' limited-edition drink inspired by space". Space.com.
  64. ↑ "Game On: Coca-Cola and Riot Games Team Up for 'Ultimate' Flavor and Experiences Celebrating Every Player's Journey". www.coca-colacompany.com. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
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