15 Comments
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Viktoriia Vasileva's avatar

the Diet Coke vs Coke Zero gendered branding debacle is my fav part of the Coke lore

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Annika's avatar

It totally is. I would have loved to be part of that marketing meeting.

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Kate's avatar

I love a deep dive! I am sucker for getting a diet coke, doing the ice lemon etc and then after a few sips being like "I don't like this..."

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selara's avatar

Diet Coke is my drink of choice on a night out and I absolutely loved this piece

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Liv Rowe's avatar

As a DC girl, this was such an interesting read!

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Annika's avatar

Glad you enjoyed it 🧡

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Barbs Honeycutt's avatar

Did you and your friend do the game where you keep flicking the can opening hook (surely it has a name) listing the alphabet and the letter that it breaks on, will be the initial of your future husband??!!

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Annika's avatar

A little googling just told me that thing is called a "pull tab" (had no idea). We did play with the pull tab until it broke, but the game we didn't play. Sounds fun though!

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Lu Chekowsky's avatar

Yesss. Loved walking down DC advertising memory lane. Thanks for this.

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JUSTONETHING's avatar

Coca-cola Tab…if I remember rightly, it was clear too. Which was enough to frighten anyone off: if they can make it clear, what sort of pure hell are they putting in the brown stuff?! And at which marketing meeting did someone say, ‘You know what’s a great colour? Brown’.

Great piece!

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Annika's avatar

It was clear? But did it still taste like Coca Cola? Glad you enjoyed reading, it sure was fun researching.

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JUSTONETHING's avatar

Yep! Clear but still she same taste. Never took off, I assume, because people were so fixed to the colour/taste combo.

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Kristine Neeley's avatar

This was a journey and I’m so here for it! Though I remember so much of this marketing, I never did get bit by the DC bug, and funny enough, the only person I know who still drinks it consistently is my brother-in-law!

My mom could only afford off-brand soda or whatever was on sale, if she bought any at all, when she wasn’t dieting, so there was no brand loyalty. My dad would (and still does) only drink the original, usually out, when he, too, wasn’t dieting!

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Annika's avatar

DC bug 🧡 I am going to steal that one. That's totally what it is. Glad you enjoyed it.

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Jun 22, 2024
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Annika's avatar

Glad you enjoyed it 🧡 it sure was fun researching this piece. And no worries, another (bigger) supermarket was well stocked. Just the cans I guess they have disappeared for good.

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