Coca-Cola Zero Sugar
Coca-Cola Zero, aka Coke Zero, named so because it contains no calories, is a product of the Coca-Cola Company, released in the US in June 2005, in Canada shortly afterwards and in Australia in January 2006. It is a sugar-free variation of Coca-Cola Classic, sweetened with a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium. It differs from Diet Coke in that Coke Zero is based on the Coca-Cola Classic formula, while Diet Coke uses the New Coke formula. It is a caffeinated beverage with 34.5 mg of caffeine, roughly the same as regular Coke (which has 34 mg of caffeine) and, in Australia, is carbonated exactly the same as Coca-Cola, leading to an almost identical taste profile. The recently released Australian version is a slightly different formulation from the US version and has unique black packaging as opposed to white [1]. The Coca-Cola Company states that the Australian roll-out of Coca-Cola Zero is their biggest product launch in 22 years in Australia, and other sources quote and campaign cost of AUD $18 million. Some sources claim that initial sales have been so strong in Australia that they are having to airlift ingredients in from Ireland to ensure they continue to meet demand. Go to thezeromovement.com[2] for more details on the Australian launch of Coca-Cola Zero.
Sales
Even though the original, "hip" advertising campaign for Coke Zero was quickly replaced by a new, more "informative" one (because consumers were confusing it with C2 and Diet Coke with Splenda), Coke Zero has gotten off to a successful start. After just a few months in release, its market share hovers around 1%, and grew by 18% from September 2005 to November of the same year. For some perspective, market share (in the U.S.) for some other popular sodas are as follows: Coca-Cola Classic (18%), Pepsi (12%), Diet Coke (10%), and Diet Pepsi (5%). So, in a $20 billion industry, 1% is equal to hundreds of millions of dollars. Some even predict that Coke Zero may break the soda Top Ten by the end of 2006, making it the most successful launch since Diet Coke lept to #3 in the early 1980s. The drink is catching on even faster in Australia (where it was introduced in January 2006) and is expected to compete head-to-head with PepsiMax (or Diet Pepsi in America), which currently corners 10% of the Australian market.
Perhaps the trickiest job for The Coca-Cola Company, though, is to make Coke Zero a success without cannibalizing sales of Diet Coke (the diet soda leader). To prevent this, Coke Zero is being aimed at young adult males, who don't traditionally drink "diet" sodas, but, at the same time, are increasingly health-conscious. So far, results seem encouraging. In the US, 7 of 10 of those who tried the product (in the target group) reported trying it again. Similar results are expected in Australia.
Coca-Cola Light
Contrary to popular belief, Coca-Cola Zero is not a new formulation in the US. The same blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium along with the Coca-Cola Classic formula has been available for quite some time in many European countries which were never exposed to New Coke. Commonly called Coca-Cola Light or Coke Light in Europe, the Coca-Cola Zero US formula is identical to that used in foreign countries. In Australia this is not the case - the formula used in Australia is unique.
In addition to never having been introduced to New Coke, part of the basis for the decision to market this different product was determined by health regulations in the various countries. In 1970 both the United States and the United Kingdom placed a ban on cyclamates due to fears of possible carcinogenic effects. The ban on acesulfame potassium was lifted in the mid 1980s in all countries except Canada, which approved its use in 1994.
The lifting of the ban and new studies refuting the carcinogenic nature of acesulfame potassium paved the way for a more broad use of the compound across the globe, and allowing for the long standard European version of Diet Coke to come to North America.
Controversy
Despite current studies indicating the safety of aspartame and acesulfame potassium there are still wide concerns amongst consumers about the safety of these compounds. More information about this controversy can be found in the main article on diet Coca-Cola products, or the articles on the compounds in question.
Notes
This product is not to be confused with "Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda," which is based on the Diet Coke/New Coke/Coke II formula and is sweetened with sucralose (under the trademark Splenda). It is also not to be confused with Coke C2, a 70-calorie variant of Coca-Cola Classic.
In its North American formulation, a 355 mL (12 US fl oz) can of Coca-Cola Zero contains 85 mg of aspartame and 46 mg of acesulfame potassium.
See also
External links
- Coca-Cola Zero
- Coca-Cola Zero's Australian Campaign website
- The ZERO COKE anti-campaign website
- The Zero Movement Sucks, a website critical of the Australian Zero Coke launch.