Diet Coke's Millennial-Inspired Makeover Leaves People Befuddled
Diet Coke is the latest brand to make a play for the elusive millennial market.
The Coca-Cola Company announced Wednesday that its popular diet soda will undergo a makeover, with sleek new cans and four new flavors: Ginger Lime, Feisty Cherry, Zesty Blood Orange and Twisted Mango.
“Throughout this relaunch journey, we wanted to be bold, think differently and be innovative in our approach,” said Rafael Acevedo, Coca-Cola North America’s director for Diet Coke. “And most importantly, we wanted to stay true to the essence of Diet Coke while recasting the brand for a new generation.”
“Millennials are now thirstier than ever for adventures and new experiences, and we want to be right by their side,” Acevedo added.
While plenty of fans expressed excitement over the news on Twitter, the decidedly La Croix-looking design and interesting flavor names raised some eyebrows.
Coke Person 1: diet coke sales suck
Coke Person 2: ppl seem to enjoy something called la quaah
CP1: la what?
CP2: or la kroicks? nobody knows how to say it.
CP1: but it's popular?
CP2: and colorful.
CP1: what if we sell diet coke ... in la kroicks costumes
CP2: genius https://t.co/7fP02N2th5— Derek Thompson (@DKThomp) January 10, 2018
Also: Diet Cherry Coke is already a thing. Is "feisty cherry" the same thing only more aggressive? I started this day with no Diet Coke questions and now I have so many Diet Coke questions. pic.twitter.com/LhJnFPuYkw
— Kate Elizabeth Queram (@katequeram) January 10, 2018
— Dammit Erin (@DammitErin) January 10, 2018
I feel personally victimized by @DietCoke https://t.co/MzpUkEzsKW
— McCall Turner (@McCall_Turner) January 10, 2018
Diet Coke’s relaunch comes at a difficult moment for the sugar-free soda, as more and more customers switch to bottled water. The company said Diet Coke saw sales fall by a “mid single-digit percentage” in its third quarter of 2017.
The new flavors and cans will hit stores in the United States this month, and make their way to Canada in February. And if you’re a Diet Coke purist, don’t panic: The classic flavor and packaging will still be available as well.
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This article originally appeared on HuffPost.