New-Generation Millienials Become Target of the Diet Coke Modernisation
The Coca-Cola Company is re-energising and modernising Diet Coke for a new generation of drinkers – and offering its millions of current fans a new look and more flavours.
After 35 years, the zero-calorie beverage brand is entering a new era. The brand features an updated look, sleek new packaging, the debut of four bold, new flavours and a new campaign.
“Diet Coke is one of the most iconic brands loved by millions of fans in North America. Throughout this relaunch journey, we wanted to be bold, think differently and be innovative in our approach. And most importantly, we wanted to stay true to the essence of Diet Coke while recasting the brand for a new generation,” said Rafael Acevedo, Coca-Cola North America’s Group Director for Diet Coke.
“We know Diet Coke has all kinds of fans – from people who have loved its great taste since it launched in 1982 to Millennial men and women who are always looking to try new things. We’re modernising what has made Diet Coke so special for a new generation. The same unapologetic confidence still comes through and the same great Diet Coke taste people love is here to stay, but we’re making the brand more relatable and more authentic,” added Acevedo.
The company spoke to more than 10,000 people from across the U.S. to get their ideas and inputs on potential flavour extensions, packaging updates and more. From these insights, Coca-Cola’s R&D team developed and tested more than 30 Diet Coke flavour combinations, featuring tropical, citrus and even botanical notes. Ultimately, Diet Coke landed on four flavours that received the most positive consumer responses.
Ginger Lime, Feisty Cherry, Zesty Blood Orange and Twisted Mango bring more variety to the trademark by complementing the unique, crisp taste of Diet Coke with unexpected-yet-delicious tastes. They aim to satisfy adventurous fans’ thirst for bolder tastes and more dynamic and uplifting experiences.
The sleek cans will give Diet Coke a more contemporary feel. A refreshed visual identity, meanwhile, lives up to Diet Coke’s new flavors and packaging.
“For a design team, the opportunity to rethink such an iconic brand with the scale and reach of Diet Coke – to build on its heritage and create a visual language that will help write its next chapter – is a rare brief. This visual evolution elevates the brand to a more contemporary space, while still using at its foundation the recogniSable core brand visual assets,” said James Sommerville, Vice President, Coca-Cola Global Design.
Anchored by the brand’s iconic silver color, the new look-and-feel has a simplified color palette focused on silver and red with accents of bold color to represent the new flavors. A slightly refined typography simultaneously preserves Diet Coke’s heritage, yet presents it in a more progressive manner.
Coca-Cola was a four-time global winner of the World Branding Awards, in the Beverages-Softdrinks category.
