New Coke, After Coca-Cola Classic Returned

New Coke's Fans Kept Coke II Going: The Despised Had a Slow Demise

Aug 10, 2009

After the initial PR disaster, what happened to New Coke, how did it get marketed, and can you still get a can of it?

In the 1980s, the Coca-Cola Company decided to mess with The Real Thing, changing the nearly century-old formula. While many people privately loved the new taste, the public image of Coke took a major hit, forcing the company to re-release the Classic mix. But New Coke's story didn't end there. What happened to New Coke, how did it get marketed, and can you still get a can of it?

Coke Launches, Retreats On New Formula

Nearing its centenniary, Coca-Cola was hanging on by its fingernails in the 1980s, being overtaken by the Pepsi Generation and its own Diet Coke. In desperation, it decided to try a different formula for its the American classic soft drink, Coca-Cola. The result was everything Coca-Cola previously mocked Pepsi for; it was sweeter, arguably with less of a bite.

In blind taste tests, the new flavour and texture was loved. Coca-Cola was sure it would win over the undecided youth market and keep the existing fan base. Instead of releasing a second, arguably competing drink, they decided the new soda would outright replace the old one.

When it was released, New Coke was instantly booed by the public and the media, as if an outright threat to the American identify. In some areas of the country, New Coke actually sold better than its predecessor, but the public image flailed about.

Coca-Cola Returns as a Classic, New Coke Sticks Around

The drink no one would admit to drinking was kept officially under the name Coca-Cola - but it was New Coke in the public's minds. The original drink was re-released as Coca-Cola Classic. But the story of New Coke didn't end there—while no one would admit to drinking it, the soda was popular enough to keep.

“New Coke” was only available in Canada, the United States, and US territories, with only 3% of the market deciding to “Catch the Wave”.

In 1986, “computer-generated” MTV personality Max Headroom (actor Matt Frewer) replaced Bill Cosby as company spokesperson. The target of the ads and the drink were youth, once again, and surveys showed the campaign was known by three-quarters of the target audience within two days of the launch. It didn't do too much to help sales, however: in 1987, The Wall Street Journal found only 2 of 100 randomly selected cola drinkers indicated a loyalty to New Coke, despite it winning in their blind taste test.

By 1989, the drink was still flying strong under the radar, with $621.6 million in domestic retail sales. You wouldn't find ads for it throughout most of the US, but the upper Midwest, Florida, and California still loved the product.

Coca-Cola has a system of dozens of independent bottlers across the country. At the start of the 1900s, each bottler bought the rights to make Coca-Cola, and retains the rights in perpetuity. This process allows individual bottlers to make more, less or none of a product, depending on the market for it in their own area.

Relaunch as Coke II

So in 1990, with no target for sales figures or how much of the country would get the product and when, the product was re-launched as Coke II. The name was cemented in 1992, and it was distributed nationwide. After about a year, the drink fizzled out yet again. Still, the company threw a tenth anniversary party for Coke II in 1995. By 1998, it was only available in the Midwest—even the market in Florida and California ceased to be viable. Sometime in 2002, the drink was cancelled entirely in the US.

Finally, in January 2009, Coca-Cola Classic dropped the last word in its name, feeling it no longer needed to designate the difference between the old drink and its failed attempt at a new one.

Want a Drink of New Coke?

Now, the only way to get a sip of New Coke is to fly off to the Federation States of Micronesia. Only one of the country's states, Yap, sells the beverage. Supposedly, vending machines in American Samoa also sell the drink.

If you'd like to stay on North American soil, you can always check out eBay for New Coke. A few people here and there saved stock of the drink, and it is still available.

Sources

The copyright of the article New Coke, After Coca-Cola Classic Returned in Beverages is owned by Nicholas Moreau. Permission to republish New Coke, After Coca-Cola Classic Returned in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.