Remember New Coke? It Debuted 41 Years Ago Today

On April 23, 1985, the Coca-Cola company introduced a brand new updated version of its original Coca-Cola soft drink.

New Coke was an instant, colossal, and embarrassing flop for the company.

Coca-Cola reformulated regular Coke because of an intense soda war with rival Pepsi. Parent company Pepsico had started an ad campaign called the “Pepsi Challenge,” and reported that the majority of blind taste testers chose Pepsi over Coke. So, Coke executives decided to reformulate their soda to create a sweeter product. They even did extensive taste tests and had encouraging results.

However, within days of New Coke’s debut, customers revolted. It got so bad that people in Seattle dumped New Coke into the sewers. After just 77 days, Coca-Cola brought back “Coca-Cola Classic” on July 11, 1985. The company lost millions in research and advertising, but the whole debacle probably gave them their spot back on top of the soda business.

New Coke stayed on store shelves and was renamed Coke II in 1992, before it was finally discontinued in 2002.

Pepsico, on the other hand, experienced a flop of its own with the introduction of Crystal Pepsi in 1992. The company wanted to take advantage of the clear soda craze and make a “healthier” soft drink. So, Crystal Pepsi had a lighter flavor, color, and calorie content. Crystal Pepsi make a big splash when it debuted, but quickly lost favor and was off the market just two years later.

We dug up a couple of old New Coke ads just to sweeten this Throwback to 1985! Check them out!