What Was New Coke And Why Did It Fail So Spectacularly?

Coca-Cola is one of the most recognizable brands in the world, and they've released some of the best new soda flavors in recent years, such as Coke Spiced and Sprite Chill. Unfortunately, not all of the company's releases have been a success, like their 2024 TikTok collaboration that tasted like salty tears. However, while Coke has experimented with flavors for decades, few were as divisive as New Coke.

While the brand has updated its soda recipe numerous times since its launch in 1886, usually by changing sweeteners, the taste largely remained the same. However, when New Coke was introduced in April 1985 — Coca-Cola's attempt to better compete against Pepsi — the soda's classic flavor went out the window. Despite performing well in blind taste tests, customers were not happy with the change when the soda was released. And, making matters worse, the company had put all its chips on New Coke, even going so far as to discontinue its original cola recipe.

According to Coca-Cola, the backlash was so severe that 800-GET-COKE became inundated with over 1,500 calls a day while the brand's offices were overcome with similar angry calls. Unlike the original Coke, New Coke was much sweeter and more like Pepsi, something fans were not impressed by. Due to the outcry, Coke reversed its decision on July 11, 1985, just over two months after the debut of New Coke, bringing back the original. For a while, the original Coke and New Coke were sold side by side, and New Coke eventually became renamed Coke II in 1990. The soda remained on shelves until 2002 when it was discontinued in North America.

New Coke makes a brief comeback

While the original release of New Coke was an unprecedented disaster, everyone assumed it was one of the many discontinued sodas that would probably never come back. Well, stranger things have happened. Literally. "Stranger Things," the Netflix series, helped give New Coke a second (but brief) lease on life.

As part of a 2019 promotional campaign for the '80s-based series, Coca-Cola resurrected New Coke for a limited time, but you couldn't find it in supermarkets. Instead, the soda was available online, in promotional vending machines in select cities, and as part of a giveaway at World of Coca-Cola. Less than 500,000 cans were produced for the run, and supplies disappeared quickly.

Despite being one of the soda brand's biggest blunders in the '80s, New Coke received pretty favorable reviews the second time around, with Buzzfeed and Food and Wine both applauding the soda, the latter describing it as sweet, smooth, and less bubbly than the original. Unfortunately, if you've never had the pleasure of trying New Coke, it seems unlikely the drink will ever come back for good. Instead, it will remain one of the most nostalgic and infamous beverages in history.

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