Diet Coke

For the Pusha T song, see Diet Coke (song).
Not to be confused with Coca-Cola Zero Sugar.

Diet Coke
Logo used since December 25, 2017
A can of Diet Coke
TypeDiet cola
ManufacturerThe Coca-Cola Company
Country of origin United States
IntroducedAugust 9, 1982; 42 years ago (1982-08-09)
ColorCaramel
VariantsSee below
Related productsCoca-Cola
Coca-Cola C2
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
Tab
Diet Pepsi
Pepsi Max
Websitedietcoke.com

Diet Coke (also branded as Coca-Cola Light, Coca-Cola Diet or Coca-Cola Light Taste) is a sugar-free and low-calorie soft drink produced and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company. It contains artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Unveiled on July 8, 1982,[1] and introduced in the United States one month later,[2] it was the first new brand since Coca-Cola's creation in 1886 to use the Coca-Cola trademark. The product quickly overtook the company's existing diet cola, Tab, in sales.

History

First Diet Coke logo, used from 1982–88

When diet colas first entered the market, beginning with Diet Rite in 1958, the Coca-Cola Company had a long-standing policy to use the Coca-Cola name only on its flagship cola, and so its diet cola was named Tab when it was released in 1963. Its rival Pepsi had no such qualms, and after the long-term success of its sugar-free Diet Pepsi (launched in 1964) became clear, Coca-Cola decided to launch a competing sugar-free brand under the Coca-Cola name that could be marketed more easily than Tab. Diet Coke was launched in 1982 and quickly overtook Tab in sales by a wide margin, though the older drink would remain on the market for decades until Coca-Cola discontinued Tab during the COVID-19 pandemic along with other of the company's slower-selling drinks in 2020.[3]

Diet Coke is not based on the Coca-Cola formula, but instead on Tab.[citation needed] The controversial New Coke, introduced in 1985, used a version of the Diet Coke recipe that contained high-fructose corn syrup and had a slightly different balance of ingredients. In 2005, the company introduced Coca-Cola Zero (renamed Coca-Cola Zero Sugar in 2017), a sugar-free formula more closely based on original Coca-Cola.

In 2005, under pressure from retailer Walmart (which was impressed with the over-the-counter popularity of Splenda sweetener), the company released a new formulation called "Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda".[4] Sucralose and acesulfame potassium replaced aspartame in this version. As the formulation was done to mollify one retailer, this variety had little advertising and promotion, as the company preferred to market Coca-Cola Zero instead. By late 2009, most distributors had stopped distributing the Splenda-formulated Diet Coke.

English and Hebrew Coca-Cola labels

In 2018, in an effort to be more appealing to millennials, Diet Coke was packaged in a taller, more slender can (of the same volume) and introduced four new flavors.[5] The cans reverted to the conventional shape a year later.

Sales

Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi have capitalized on the markets of people who require low sugar regimens, such as diabetics and people concerned with calorie intake. In the UK, a 330 ml can of Diet Coke contains around 1.3 kilocalories (5 kJ) compared to 142 kilocalories (595 kJ) for a regular can of Coca-Cola.[6]

Sweeteners

Diet Coke in the US was sweetened with aspartame, an artificial sweetener that became available in the United States in 1983.[7] Early on, to reduce costs, this was blended with saccharin. After Diet Rite cola advertised its 100 percent use of aspartame, and the manufacturer of NutraSweet (then G. D. Searle & Company) warned that the NutraSweet trademark would not be made available to a blend of sweeteners, Coca-Cola switched the formula to 100 percent aspartame. Diet Coke from fountain dispensers still contains some saccharin to extend shelf life.[8]

According to the Coca-Cola Company, the sweetener blend is "formulated for each country based on consumer preference".[9] Cyclamates were banned in the US in 1970;[10][11] in countries where they are permitted Diet Coke or Coca-Cola Light may be sweetened with a blend containing aspartame, cyclamates, and acesulfame potassium.

Brand portfolio

Name Launched Discon­tinued Notes
Diet Coke 1982 — The first version of Coca-Cola without sugar
Caffeine-Free Diet Coke 1983 — Diet Coke without the caffeine. It was the first extension of the Diet Coke formula
Diet Cherry Coke/Diet Coke Cherry 1986 2018 (physically) Diet Coke with a cherry flavor. Was available in the United States and United Kingdom until it was replaced in both territories with Diet Coke Feisty Cherry in 2018, although remained available for a limited time in the former country via Amazon.com during the time of the new flavor rollout,[12] but has since been discontinued. It still currently remains available from Coca-Cola Freestyle machines.
Diet Coke with Lemon 2001 Diet Coke with a lemon flavor. Available in several territories.
Diet Vanilla Coke/Diet Coke Vanilla 2002 Diet Coke with a vanilla flavor. Available in Hong Kong, New Zealand (only 300mL and 600mL), Australia, Belgium, Canada. Only available in the United States from Coca-Cola Freestyle machines.
Diet Coke with Lime 2004 Diet Coke with a lime flavor.
Diet Coke Raspberry June 1, 2005 End of 2005 Diet Coke with a raspberry flavor. Only Available in New Zealand. Also available through Coca-Cola Freestyle machines.
Coca-Cola Light Citra/Diet Coke with Citrus Zest 2005 2018 Diet Coke with a lemon and lime flavor. Only available in Mexico and the United Kingdom.
Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda 2005 2024 A version that was sweetened with Splenda. Diet Coke with Splenda contained 2.83 mgs of caffeine per fluid ounce. The drink contained acesulfame potassium and sucralose; aspartame was used previously as sweetener.
Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla 2006 2007 Diet Coke with a combination of black cherry and Vanilla flavors. Only available in the US.
Coca-Cola Light Sango 2005 2010's Coca-Cola Light with a blood orange flavor. Only available in Belgium, France and Luxembourg. A similar drink was introduced to the United States and Canada in 2018, known as Diet Coke Zesty Blood Orange.
Diet Coke Plus 2007 2011 Diet Coke with a combination of vitamins and minerals. Available in many European countries, US and Brazil
Diet Coke Feisty Cherry 2018 2020's Diet Coke with a "spicy" cherry flavor. Available in the UK, US and Canada, replacing the former Diet Coke with Cherry flavor.
Diet Coke Ginger Lime 2018 2020's Diet Coke with a combination of Ginger and Lime flavors. Available in the UK, US and Canada, replacing the former Diet Coke with Lime flavor.
Diet Coke Twisted Mango 2018 2020's Diet Coke with a Mango flavor. Available in the UK (as Exotic Mango), US and Canada.
Diet Coke Zesty Blood Orange 2018 2020's Diet Coke with a Blood Orange flavor, similar to Coca-Cola Light Sango. Available in the UK, US and Canada.
Diet Coke Ginger Lemon 2018 2020's Diet Coke with a combination of Ginger and Lemon flavors. Exclusively sold in the United States from Coca-Cola Freestyle machines.
Diet Coke Strawberry Guava 2019 2020's Diet Coke with a Psidium cattleyanum flavor. Available in the United States.
Diet Coke Blueberry Acai 2019 2020's Diet Coke with an Açaí Blueberry flavor. Available in the United States.
Diet Coke Twisted Strawberry 2019 2020's Diet Coke with a Strawberry flavor. Available in the United Kingdom.

Product timeline

Main article: History of Coca-Cola
  • 1982 – Diet Coke is introduced, becoming the largest-selling low-calorie soft drink in America.
  • 1983 – Diet Coke is introduced in the UK.
  • 1986 – Diet Cherry Coke is introduced in American markets.
  • 1994 – Diet Coke changes logo.
  • 1999 – Diet Cherry Coke changes logo.
  • 2001 – Diet Coke with Lemon is introduced.
  • 2002 – Diet Vanilla Coke is introduced.
    • Diet Coke and Diet Cherry Coke change logo.
  • 2004 – Diet Coke with Lime is introduced.
    • Diet Coke with Lemon changes logo.
  • 2005 – Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda is introduced.
    • Diet Cherry Coke and Diet Vanilla Coke change logos and are renamed.
  • 2006 – Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla is introduced.
    • Diet Coke with Lemon and Diet Coke Vanilla are discontinued.
  • 2007 – Diet Coke Plus is introduced.[13][14]
    • Diet Coke Black Cherry Vanilla is discontinued.
    • Diet Coke and its six flavors changes logo.
  • 2011 – Diet Coke surpasses Pepsi in sales for the first time to become the second most popular soda in the United States after Coca-Cola.[15]
  • 2013 – In the UK, Coca-Cola swapped the logo on Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero bottles and cans in the UK with 150 of Britain's most popular names for a summer-long "Share a Coke" campaign.[16][17]
  • 2014 – In the US Coca-Cola swapped the logo on Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero bottles and cans in the US with 150 of America's most popular names for a summer-long "Share a Coke" campaign
  • 2014 – Diet Coke invites consumers to 'Get A Taste' of the good life. This campaign asks the question "what if life tasted this good?". Television commercials debuted September 24. The first commercial take place on an airplane when a woman is surrounded by crying babies but takes a sip of Diet Coke and opens her eyes into a speak-easy party.
  • 2018 – On January 22, Diet Coke introduced Ginger Lime, Feisty Cherry, Zesty Blood Orange and Twisted Mango flavors in a skinny can, targeting millennials.[18]
  • 2019 – Diet Coke added two new flavors, Blueberry Acai and Strawberry Guava to their "Because I Can" Campaign line.[19]

Advertising slogans

  • "Just for the taste of it!" (US 1982,[20] 1986, 1991, 1995, 2000, 2009, 2014)
  • "The one of a kind" (US 1984)[21]
  • "Taste it all!" (US 1993)[21]
  • "This Is Refreshment" (US 1994)[22]
  • "You are what you drink" (US 1998)[23]
  • "Live Your Life" (US 2001)[24]
  • "Do what feels good" (US 2002)[25]
  • "Must be a Diet Coke thing" (US 2004)[26]
  • "Life is how you take it" (US 2005)[27]
  • "Light it up!" (US 2006)[28]
  • "Yours" (US 2007)[29]
  • "Enjoyment" (US 2007)[citation needed]
  • "What life should be like." (US 2008)[citation needed]
  • "Open Happiness" (Worldwide 2009–present)[30]
  • "Hello You..." (UK 2009)[31]
  • "I light it" (Spain 2010)[32]
  • "Stay Extraordinary" (US 2010–2014)[33]
  • "You're On" (US 2014)[34]
  • "Get a Taste." (US 2014–2018)[20]
  • "Because I can." (US 2018–present)[35]
  • "Give yourself a Diet Coke break." (UK 2020)
  • "Just because." (Worldwide 2021)

Health assessment

See also: Aspartame
Further information: Aspartame controversy

The most commonly distributed version of Diet Coke uses aspartame as a sweetener. As one of the most intensively scrutinized food additives, the safety of aspartame has been studied since its discovery.[36] Aspartame has been deemed safe for human consumption by the regulatory agencies of many countries.[36]

See also

References

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  2. ^ "See First Use in Commerce, Trademark Application, US Patent & Trademark Office Archived April 29, 2017, at the Wayback Machine."
  3. ^ "PBS NewsHour Weekend Full Episode December 19, 2020". Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via www.youtube.com.
  4. ^ "Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda Archived January 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." The Coca-Cola Company. 2009. Web. February 9, 2010.
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  13. ^ "The Diet Coke Story Archived July 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine." Diet Coke. *2010 – The Coca-Cola Company, Web. January 29, 2010.
  14. ^ "Cola Marketing History Archived January 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine." Solar Navigator. 2008. Max Energy Limited, Web. January 29, 2010.
  15. ^ "Top-10 CSD Companies and Brands for 2010" (PDF). John Sicher, Editor & Publisher, Beverage Digest Company L.L.C. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 10, 2011. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
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  17. ^ "Share a Coke: Is your name on the list?". The Belfast Telegraph. Belfast, UK: Independent News & Media. May 27, 2013. Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved May 28, 2013.
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  19. ^ "Diet Coke Unveils New Flavors and Marketing as Brand Refresh Enters Second Year". Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
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  21. ^ a b Paul, Larry R. (2005). Made in the Twentieth Century: A Guide to Contemporary Collectibles. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-4563-3. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
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  23. ^ Sunset, Bali (May 29, 2008). "YOU ARE WHAT YOU DRINK CAMPAIGN". Marketing Campaign Case Studies. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  24. ^ Pendergrast, Mark (2013). For God, Country, and Coca-Cola. Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-04699-7. Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
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