The changes unify both variants with the iconic Coca-Cola red and form part of the company’s commercial strategy to encourage more people to try Coca-Cola zero sugar.
From September onwards, the bottles and cans of both variants will feature the iconic Coca-Cola red with a coloured band across the top of the bottle or can to denote whether it is the original taste or zero sugar. The bottles will also feature coloured caps to help consumers differentiate between the original recipe and no sugar variants.
The packaging changes are the latest move in the company’s commercial strategy to drive sales of its no sugar drinks including Coca-Cola zero sugar. This builds on the launch of the new Coca-Cola zero sugar in 2016, when it was given a new recipe and look. The company said that 58% of the Coca-Cola now sold in retail in the UK is no sugar.
A £5m marketing campaign will communicate the changes to consumers and will include a 10 second and 30 second TVC alongside out of home advertising. An extensive Coca-Cola zero sugar sampling campaign will see seven million cans sampled by the end of the year.
The new TVC, ‘One Way or Another’, reminds consumers “they can enjoy the great taste of Coca-Cola, with or without sugar”. The creative is brought to life through a series of mirrored visuals of great experiences, that like both drinks, are just as enjoyable either way – tied together with the tagline ‘an original taste, one way or another’.
Simon Harrison, customer marketing director, Coca-Cola European Partners GB, said: “For more than 130 years, the colour red has been associated with the great taste and experience of enjoying a Coca-Cola and we want to make it even clearer that you can have that taste and experience with or without sugar. Sales of Coca-Cola zero sugar have almost doubled in the last two years and we believe this latest change will help us grow it even further and encourage more people to give it a try.”
In 2015 Coca-Cola brought all the Coca-Cola variants together under one brand and for the first time featured all variants together in campaigns. In 2016 the new and improved Coca-Cola zero sugar was launched with a new recipe and a new look replacing the all black packaging with a new design featuring the rising red Coca-Cola disc more prominently on pack.
All Coca-Cola packaging will continue to be 100% recyclable and the company has a commitment to increase the recycled plastic in all of its bottles from 25 to 50% by 2020.
Coca-Cola zero sugar sales (volume) YTD July 2018 compared to YTD July 2016, Nielsen. Coca-Cola zero sugar relaunched in July 2016 with a new recipe and new look.
