New Coke Blunder: The Pepsi Clone People Liked But Didn't Want

CULTURE | May 13, 2023

Written by Jacob Shelton

In April 1985, Coca-Cola took a huge risk with the introduction of New Coke. It had a refreshing taste that was closer to that of cola juggernaut Pepsi -- and the public revolted. Angry consumers felt they were being played by a company that was claiming to solve a problem that didn't exist. The launch of New Coke is one of the most famous debacles in the history of marketing, and exposed the limitations of market research, which said all along that people would love New Coke.

When then Coca-Cola Company chairman and CEO Roberto Goizueta sauntered in front of a crowd of press at New York City’s Lincoln Center he described New Coke as a "smoother, rounder, yet bolder—a more harmonious flavor" than the original Coca-Cola formula, making it sweeter than the company's number one competitor, Pepsi.

It turned out that consumers had a bond with Coca-Cola that went much deeper than taste. The introduction of New Coke sent them into a panic, as they were far more upset at the loss of the old formula than excited about trying a new and improved version.

As sales of New Coke went into a freefall the Coca-Cola Company did the only thing that they could do, they brought back the original formula as Coca Cola Classic a few months later and found success. Success might be too underwhelming of a term. The Coca-Cola Company scored a resounding win with the return of the most beloved soft drink of the 20th century, but not before the company was nearly brought to its knees.

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Jacob Shelton

Writer

Jacob Shelton is a Los Angeles based writer. For some reason this was the most difficult thing he’s written all day, and here’s the kicker – his girlfriend wrote the funny part of that last sentence. As for the rest of the bio? That’s pure Jacob, baby. He’s obsessed with the ways in which singular, transgressive acts have shaped the broader strokes of history, and he believes in alternate dimensions, which means that he’s great at a dinner party. When he’s not writing about culture, pop or otherwise, he’s adding to his found photograph collection and eavesdropping on strangers in public.