Diet Coke is undergoing its biggest changes in
decades. But as veteran branding experts at CBX see it, the refreshed look and
new flavors are unlikely to trigger a backlash along the lines of Tropicana's
quickly scrapped packaging fail of 2009 or the "New Coke" launch of
1985.
Even when it comes to an iconic brand like Diet
Coke, today's consumers are more receptive to change, in part because they so
value variety, adventurism and the perception of healthier ingredients and
lifestyles, write CBX's Dustin Longstreth, Chief Marketing & Chief Strategy
Officer, and Satoru Wakeshima, Chief Engagement Officer, in a new post at
CBX.com.
The changes to the family of America's largest
low-calorie soft drink include the introduction of four new flavors - Ginger
Lime, Feisty Cherry, Zesty Blood Orange and Twisted Mango - as well as a
slimmer can with more refined fonts and an emphasis on Diet Coke's iconic
silver color. Diet Coke Classic will remain unchanged.
As Longstreth and Wakeshima note in the post,
today's younger consumers yearn for variety, which the Coca-Cola Co. has
clearly recognized in its new approach to Diet Coke. "Their strategy is
flavor-driven, and their goal is to get people to see variety," Wakeshima
writes in the Q&A-style post, noting that the new look is "smart, easy
to shop and clearly communicates something new from Diet Coke."
The Coca-Cola Co., he adds, aims to give consumers
as many ways to enter its Coke franchise as possible, via different sizes as
well as products like Diet, Cane Sugar, Classic and Zero. "And now they're
doing it again through flavor," Wakeshima writes.
Longstreth, meanwhile, writes that younger
consumers often are suspicious of soft drinks and tend to see diet soda as both
"old" and processed. These consumers are already able to find more
interesting and adventurous flavors in categories ranging from carbonated
water, to chewing gum, potato chips and hamburgers. "People are looking
for more bold and unique flavor experiences," Longstreth notes.
As a result, the company's changes to Diet Coke may
not amount to as large a risk as some might suspect. Indeed, write the branding
veterans, the carbonated soft drink category has been troubled for quite some
time and could benefit from bold moves. "I wouldn't be surprised if we saw
more new flavors in the next year," Wakeshima writes.
Many of today's leadership brands have an
opportunity to "flex their equities and be less precious with them,"
Longstreth notes. However, he cautions, those changes should pay respect to
what people love about these brands.
In making the new Diet Coke available in multiple
flavors and colors as well as both slim and standard 12-ounce cans, the
Coca-Cola Co. clearly has made a sincere investment in the brand, Wakeshima
writes. In today's era of online grocery shopping via mobile device, these
efforts could yield other dividends as well. "The fact that they chose a
simple, color-banded package design signals that the Coca-Cola Co. is also
considering how Diet Coke could appear in small-format, digital presentations
like on a mobile device," he concludes. "This is something they
didn't even think about when the brand was first launched in 1982."
