New Coke
Eighties formula fiasco
New Coke was Coca-Cola's reformulated soft drink, introduced in 1985 to replace the original formula.
The sweeter taste tested well in blind trials but triggered fierce backlash from loyal customers, forcing the company to restore the original as "Coca-Cola Classic" within months.
New Coke became a cautionary tale in marketing about underestimating brand loyalty: That rebrand was their New Coke moment.
- Coca-ColaIconic American cola brand
- PepsiAmerican cola brand
- 1985Specific calendar year
- secret recipeUndisclosed culinary method
- backlashStrong negative reaction
formula · taste · sweeter · Classic · marketing · disaster · failure · flop · nostalgia · outrage · boycott · rebranding · soda · soft drink · consumer · protest · switchback · blind taste test
- soft drinksCoca-Cola, Pepsi, cola, Sprite, 7 Up
- 1985Live Aid, Back to the Future, The Breakfast Club, Gorbachev, WrestleMania
- Famous Failuresflop, bomb, dud, turkey, lemon
- Retro SodasCrystal Pepsi, Tab, Orbitz, Storm
- ColaCoca-Cola, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, RC Cola
- 80s drinkswine cooler, fuzzy navel, peach schnapps, melon ball, B-52