Coca-Cola brings back iconic flavor in classic packaging
The beverage giant will make a lot of its long-time customers very happy with the latest soda it's bringing back.
Soda companies like to take away products in order to bring them back.
In some cases, that happens seasonally. You know, certain flavors make their way to shelves in the summer or for the holiday season and then go away.
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That model works a bit like the way Starbucks treats its seasonal drinks. You may not know exactly when the Pumpkin Spice Latte or any other seasonal drink will return, but all the favorites come back every year.
Starbucks and Coca-Cola (KO) have another model they use where certain beverages go in and out of production without any sort of schedule. The companies won't tell you if a limited-edition flavor will be brought back.
That makes fans buy it more often and, in the case of canned products, leads to some people stocking their shelves with their favorites.
Under this model, customers never know when the flavor might return. And, it's also possible the the answer is actually never, so when a beloved soda of the past makes a comeback it can be a big deal for people who thought they may never get to try that flavor again.
Coca-Cola has tried lots of limited-edition flavors over the past few years, but its latest limited-edition offering is a returning classic. Image source: TheStreet
Coca-Cola brings back a fan-favorite soda
While flavored sodas were available at soda fountains, canned flavored editions of your favorite colas did not happen until the 1980s. Cherry Coke was first offered in 1985 and quickly became a hit.
"Cherry Coke launched in early 1985 in select U.S. cities and rolled out nationwide that summer. It was "the first major entry into a whole new category: cherry-flavored sodas," Brian Dyson, president of Coca-Cola USA, told The Coca-Cola Bottler at the time.
It was a novel product that quickly led to the launch of Diet Cherry Coke in 1986. Both products were hits for decades, but Diet Cherry Coke quietly disappeared a few years ago.
That's about to change.
"Diet Cherry Coke is coming back — with a classic look! This is the first limited edition re-release for Diet Cherry Coke since it was discontinued by @cocacola in late 2020," shared the popular SodaSeekers Instagram page.
Fans of the iconic beverage should also like its packaging.
"While we are unable to share a photo of this release at this time, we can confirm the can and bottle design are nearly identical to the late-80's design...In addition to the U.S. release, Diet Cherry Coke is expected to return to Canada exclusively in 24-Packs at Costco around the same timeframe," Soda Seekers added.
The drink will hit U.S. stores in July.
Coca-Cola's namesake brands remain strong
"In North America, we grew both transactions and volume and had robust top-line and profit growth during the quarter. Trademark Coca-Cola and Fairlife remained leaders in at-home retail sales growth. Sparkling flavors gained share during the quarter due to successful limited-time innovations like Sprite winter spiced cranberry and Fanta Beetlejuice," shared CEO James Quincey during his company's fourth-quarter earnings call.
He did share that consumers remain price-conscious.
"Consumers responded well to value messaging in away-from-home channels, and we increased distribution of key affordable and premium offerings and benefited from product, package, and channel mix in the quarter," he added.
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Coca-Cola has been doing well with its classic brands and with new innovations.
"Trademark Coca-Cola's retail sales have increased approximately $40 billion," Quincey said referring to sales over the past three years combined.
Leveraging the company's famous brands has also been successful.
"Each of our innovations has clear objectives. Sometimes we innovate to create a short-term buzz like Coke and Oreo or Sprite winter spiced cranberry. In other instances, we innovate for lasting impact. This year, we focused on sustaining investments behind key innovations to improve multiyear success rates and drive greater impact," the CEO added.
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