What’s the coke zero rebrand all about then?

By Ben Walker on 04 September 2018

One of the biggest-selling soft drinks on the block has recently had a brand revamp – but what exactly is Coca-Cola up to?

One of the biggest selling soft drinks on the block has recently had a brand revamp – but what exactly is Coca-Cola up to?

You may have noticed, the previously black Coke Zero bottle has morphed into Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and the label now sports the distinctive and traditional red and white Coca-Cola look. So, there’s a name change and a new look, yet no change in ingredients. Add to this the fact that Coke Zero already has a loyal following, and you may be asking – why the re-brand?

Well, rather than completely reinventing the brand, it would seem Coca-Cola are simply trying to re-align the brand to the current market. The newly designed packaging looks strikingly similar to the non-sugar-free range of Coca-Cola, except with a black band across the top of cans and bottles stating it’s zero sugar content.

The new packaging hints strongly to the drink’s continuing sugar-free status. It’s a smart move by one of the world’s biggest soft drinks brands, as consumers are becoming more aware of their sugar intake.

“The negative publicity around sugar’s link to obesity has emerged as a major threat to soda makers in recent years, which has only intensified as more local governments enact taxes on sugary drinks,” commented E.J. Schultz from AdAge.

Interestingly, Coca-Cola’s main competitors, PepsiCo, made a similar change last year in rebranding its Pepsi Max product as Pepsi Zero Sugar.

Marketing experts have tied the revamped branding to Coca-Cola’s mission to unify their brands – an intention the company set out back in 2015. The red and white Coca-Cola design has been a mainstay of the fizzy drinks brand for more than 130 years.

In fact, the red and white branding is so well known that Santa Claus’ red and white outfit is often attributed to how the jolly old chap was depicted in Coca-Cola ads during the 1930s.