Why did the New Coke 1985 fail?

It was renamed Coke II in 1990 and discontinued in July 2002. By 1985, Coca-Cola had been losing market share to diet soft drinks and non-cola beverages for several years. Blind taste tests suggested that consumers preferred the sweeter taste of rival Pepsi, and so the Coca-Cola recipe was reformulated.

What was a major mistake for Coke during the 1980’s cola wars?

At the height of the war, Coca-Cola made what became known as one of the biggest marketing mistakes to take place. The Pepsi Challenge, introduced in 1975, invited consumers to conduct blind taste tests between Coke and Pepsi.

Why is introducing New Coke a challenge?

The outrage caught Coca-Cola executives by surprise. They had hardly made a rash decision unsupported by data. After all, they had performed 190,000 blind taste tests on U.S. and Canadian consumers. The problem, though, is that the company had underestimated loyal drinkers’ emotional attachments to the brand.

Was New Coke a mistake?

​30 years ago today, Coca-Cola made its worst mistake. That negative association emerged 30 years ago Thursday, on April 23, 1985, when Coca-Cola Company announced a change to its nearly century-old secret formula. The new Coke would have a smoother, sweeter taste — similar to Diet Coke, but sweetened with corn syrup.

Why did Coca-Cola fail in diversification in 1980s?

Company executives grew convinced that its soda’s taste—not its rival’s advertisements targeting the “Pepsi Generation”—was the reason for its declining market share.

What was different about New Coke?

New Coke was born of a taste test of Coke’s own. Nearly 200,000 consumers who tried the new formula liked it better than the old, Coke said. It’s been described as a smoother, sweeter version of the original. Still, the new product was met with immediate outrage.

What did Coke change in 1985?

The fabled secret formula for Coca-Cola was changed, adopting a formula preferred in taste tests of nearly 200,000 consumers. By June 1985, The Coca-Cola Company was getting 1,500 calls a day on its consumer hotline, compared with 400 a day before the taste change.

Why is Coke healthier than Pepsi?

Wunder points out that Pepsi, unlike Coke, contains citric acid, the tang from which is counteracted by the higher amount of sugar in this soda. Pepsi’s and Coke’s ingredient lists back this up, as Pepsi has 41 grams of sugar per 12-ounce serving while Coke has a mere 39 grams.

What was Coca-Cola’s biggest mistake?

After conducting very careful taste tests among 200,000 consumers, Coca-Cola was convinced they had a superior recipe — better than Pepsi’s, better than Pemberton’s. Just to be clear, the idea wasn’t to launch a new flavor. Rather, it was to change the original flavor forever starting April 23, 1985.