All of sudden posters for Coca-Cola's latest product have sprung up around Bangkok. As if to say that Diet Coke (Coke Light) is not enough, now Thailand can lick its lips in appreciation of Coke Zero. It's a sugar-free variation of regular Coke, although I had always though Diet Coke held that status. Coke Zero is one of those products that leaves me scratching my head wondering: what's the point in it?
I succumbed to advertising and bought a can out of curiosity. It tastes like flat Pepsi, which is no good thing. Actually, the word "taste" is pushing it. It's not unpleasant, but it doesn't have much bite. It's a lifeless drink that really serves no purpose. Coke Zero is apparently targeted at young males. The black can and videogame-like name make it feel like a cool drink, but is it really necessary to have a male version of Diet Coke? I've never had a problem drinking Diet Coke; I never realised there was a stigma that went with it. I'd have thought that after the infamous "Diet Coke break" advertising campaign that men would be happy to drink the beverage. Perhaps I've led a shaded life.
If ever something would put me off drinking Coke Zero it's the fact that the celebrities used to market the brand in the UK include: football fat-head Wayne Rooney, his girlfriend Coleen Mcloughlin, and toilet attendant-assaulting pop star Cheryl Tweedy.
Coca-Cola have put an enormous amount of time and money into launching Coke Zero (it's their biggest campaign for more than twenty years), but I for one have no intention to ever drink it again.
Techno' tags: Coke Zero
Again, this is one of the most pointless topics I have ever read so far.
As a person who does not drink a fizzy drink, I find the drink is somewhat cheap and a rip off.
I used to make an effort to try this useless aqua, I, luckily, was put off by fat western men who were addicted to either Coca-cola or Pepsi. I merely do not want to be like them.
Matt,
I personally do not drink Coke or any sugar loaded fizzy drink. I dislike Diet Coke (or Coke Light depending where it illegally comes from) but drink Pepsi Max. I was hooked on that when I was in the UK until I got sick and had to do a break.
I am not jocking, Pepsi Max is highly addictive because it contains some protein that gives it more taste than its Coke counterpart (which I think taste like soda water in which you would have dissolve some part of a a bike frame, don't ask…).
There was a recent study showing that people prefer the taste of Pepsi as long as they did not know it was Pepsi (Brain activity was used to measure the exact effect of the drink) but when they knew it was Coke that they were drinking , the brain activity was similar to that when they where drinking Pepsi !
It is all in the head.. . Anyway I believe this new Coke Zero is just an attempt to catch more market shares and we know how our Thai friends like novelty. Won't last but while it lasts Coke will make profit … Never forget Rotiboy…
~R
This is the article referencing the study in The New York Times
~R
(PS: pardon my joking sp. !)
Stupid, I know. Someone I know who is addicted to Diet Coke informed me that the Coke people didn't want to change Diet Coke to make it taste more like coke, since there are so many devotees who like it just the way it is, but wanted to launch something calorie-free that would appeal to health-conscious regular coke drinkers. Whatever.
Well, you know a few geniuses thought that both Schtick & Gillette inserting an additional razor from a two-bladed shaver wouldn't make a heck of a difference to the male consumer over two decades ago. Guess what? Today, we have four-bladed shavers and these two companies (& their investors) had been laughing all the way to the bank!