As one of the nation's most popular soft drinks, it might seem like Diet Coke has been around forever. But, it might surprise soft drink enthusiasts to learn that the drink - first offered in 1982 - is less than 50 years old. The Diet Coke story is a fascinating blend of marketing ingenuity, cultural trends, and evolving consumer preferences. From its star-studded launch to its modern-day campaigns, Diet Coke's advertising history reflects a dynamic interplay between brand identity and societal values.
The Birth of a Diet Icon: The Early Years
In the summer of 1980, a Coca-Cola planning manager named Jack Carew was tapped to lead a project that had been percolating within the company for two decades but never came to fruition - to introduce a “diet” version of Coca-Cola. Until that point, extending the Coca-Cola Trademark to another brand had been a no-no. But times had changed. The company was struggling following years of inflation and rising costs, resulting in inefficiencies. Diet Coke was pegged a top priority. The project was strictly top secret; only a handful of senior executives knew about it, and team members had to agree to the assignment before getting the details. “It was an entrepreneurial, cloak-and-dagger operation in the purest sense,” said Jerry Bell, who worked with Carew in the Planning Department.
A Royal Inspiration
The story goes that Coca-Cola executives heard about Prince William's birth and used it as inspiration to push the idea that Diet Coke could be the heir to Coca-Cola. The commercial had all the glitz and glamour of an awards show, showing an enthusiastic crowd enjoying Diet Coke as the Rockettes danced onstage and singers proclaimed that fans of Diet Coke were going to "drink it just for the taste of it." As the first brand to use the Coca-Cola name since the introduction of the original drink in 1886, a lot was riding on the introduction of Diet Coke. While Prince William may have served as the inspiration for Diet Coke's first commercial, the Prince of Wales reportedly follows a strict diet that doesn't involve soft drinks. However, some members of the royal family - including William's brother Prince Harry - are said to favor Coca-Cola. Regardless of Diet Coke's very loose ties to royalty, the heir apparent to Coca-Cola has become arguably as iconic as Coca-Cola itself. Despite its status as one of the most highly caffeinated soft drinks, we would gladly accept an ice-cold Diet Coke if offered one.
Overcoming Internal Hesitations
No Risk, No Reward Goizueta green-lighted the Diet Coke project, which shifted quickly from planning to implementation. “This was a difficult decision because there were two big risks,” Carew said. “TaB was the moneymaker at the time, so if Diet Coke turned out to be a disappointment, the company would seriously complicate its future. Second, if senior leadership said no to Diet Coke, then we likely would have lost cola position.” Despite concern that Diet Coke would cannibalize TaB - which was the No. back then, but diets were growing three times faster than the rest of the category. Diet Coke was seen as the right product for the right time.
The Naming Dilemma
The team debated over whether to adopt the “diet” prefix - the label Nielsen had given to the relatively new category because the term was used in the names of two of its top three brands. “Sugar Free” was one alternative, but many saw it as a slur on Coca-Cola’s main ingredient. And “Light” was already taken by a competitor brand. Diet Coke was the most straightforward articulation of the promise of the brand. “It just seemed like the logical answer,” said John Farrell, who joined the team from Corporate Finance. “The equity of the Coca-Cola name promised the delivery of taste, and ‘diet’ told you it didn’t have sugar or calories.” For many years, the brand name was written and marketed as diet Coke - with a lowercase “d” - to reinforce the positioning of the product. Coke’s trademark lawyers wouldn’t allow the uppercase “D.” Their reasoning: Diet with an uppercase “D” was a noun, and the use of a noun changed the name of the trademark. Use of the lowercase “d” was an adjective and, therefore, did not alter the legal basis of the trademark.
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Financial Acumen and Marketing Confidence
As the positioning began to come together, Farrell built a financial model to demonstrate the link between the brand’s marketing activities and bottler revenue. The plan motivated the system and turned bottlers into full-fledged Diet Coke enthusiasts. “John’s model made us highly credible,” Carew said. The financial model gave Coca-Cola USA the confidence to invest in marketing the brand.
The Initial Slogan: "Just For the Taste of It"
In 1982, Coca-Cola’s marketing team came up with their first Diet Coke slogan “Just for the taste of it,” recruiting stars like Candice Bergen to promote the new diet drink. This slogan emphasized that Diet Coke was a great-tasting soft drink that happens to have one calorie, rather than as a diet drink that tastes great.
Targeting the Female Demographic: The 1980s and 1990s
A year after its launch, the first numbers came in. And Diet Coke was the most popular diet soft drink in the United States, and the most popular soft drink amongst women. As any good company would do, their marketing department decided to lean heavily into their key audience: women. The first few commercials in the 80s only leaned a little bit more into women as their target audience. It’s like they were testing the waters more than anything.
Fitness, Fashion, and Femininity
In 1984, America had a fitness obsession marked by aerobics and Jane Fonda workout videos. Coca-Cola positioned Diet Coke as a guilt-free refreshment with its “Less Than 1 Calorie!” tagline. The one calorie-focused messaging helped Diet Coke dominate the diet soda market and become linked to fitness culture. Where the 80s were all about women being fit with healthy curves, the 90s were about Heroin Chic. Not only that, but the late 80s and then 90s were the time of the Power Suit. A time of strong women defying traditional gender norms and being the boss.
The Iconic "Diet Coke Break" Campaign
And because of that, Coca-Cola did the most iconic thing: They created the Diet Coke Break Hunk Commercial, which became the staple of all Diet Coke commercials moving forward. To me, that is the moment Coca-Cola became the Queen (or King) of advertising and marketing. This commercial defined the brand of Diet Coke forever. The first hunk commercial aired in 1996, and Coca-Cola quickly followed with two more in ‘97 and ‘98. The Diet Coke Break advertising campaign is a series of six television advertisements that ran from 1994 to 2013, used to promote the soft drink Diet Coke. Each advert centers around a group of women ogling an attractive man while he works, soundtracked to a version of "I Just Want to Make Love to You". The first commercial premiered on US television in 1994, and starred American actor Lucky Vanous as a handsome construction worker who removes his shirt while taking his "Diet Coke break". The advert was a huge success, catching The Coca-Cola Company by surprise. The success of the "Diet Coke Break" campaign was reflected in impressive sales figures.
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The 2000s: Humor, Change, and the Rise of Coke Zero
In the 2000s they gave us another Diet Coke Hunk, Francois Xavier, saving women from the lift in 2007. But they created some other commercials over the years that didn’t lean as heavily on gender stereotypes as they used to. Times were changing I guess. What they did do is add a lot of humor and fun to their commercials, while still keeping women front and center.
The Introduction of Coke Zero
The 2000s however are also a decade of change for Diet Coke: In 2005 Coca-Cola launched Coke Zero. I vividly remember this moment. I was confused as to why they were launching Coke Zero, a product so similar to a legacy one that everyone loves. And I remember that many people said back then “Oh, it's Diet Coke for men”. This made me even more confused: Why the hell do men need a special Diet Coke? The short answer: Diet Coke was heavily advertised to women. Too heavily. Coke Zero offers a sugar-free alternative for men who wouldn’t want to be caught drinking a Diet Coke as it would look too feminine. The introduction of Coke Zero changed the game forever. Commercials stopped being as iconic as they used to be.
The 2010s: Celebrity Endorsements and Declining Sales
Working my way through this history makes me realize why this drink was so incredibly popular amongst women. It certainly explains why it seems like every woman in my life loved to drink Diet Coke. And when they did, it was a moment of relaxation. was the one with Taylor Swift (which didn’t air in Europe I believe). But they also gave us another Hunk commercial in 2013, for Diet Coke’s 30th anniversary. A gardener, played by Andrew Cooper. This one passed me by. Never saw it.
A Shift in Consumer Preferences
Another thing that happened in the 2010s is bad numbers. were the lowest they’ve ever been since 1995. In 2016, Diet Coke alone lost 4.2% in sales volume. One can never be 100% sure, the controversy around artificial sweeteners at the time could be the reason.
The 2020s: Nostalgia, Inclusivity, and Health Concerns
We’ve reached current times. We are only four years into this decade and Diet Coke still exists, as do commercials for it. One I’d like to point out here is the “Love what you love” commercial with Kate Moss. A clear indicator that 90s skinny chic is back… But what else is back is the Diet Coke Break, without the Hunk, but with Gen Z and Millennials. You can say what you want about these two generations, but if there is any generation that can perform successful CPR on a brand, it is Millennials and Gen Z.
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Embracing a New Generation
Even Coca-Cola itself is leaning into this resurgence with the “Diet Coke Breaks, inspired by you” campaign. Recent headlines suggest that one of the ingredients (Aspartame) is possibly linked to cancer. While experts do not fully agree on these cancer claims, it still lead Coca-Cola to publish an entire F.A.Q. page answering all possible questions about said ingredient.
Notable Advertising Campaigns and Slogans
Diet Coke has employed a variety of advertising campaigns and slogans throughout its history, each reflecting the cultural trends and marketing strategies of the time.
- Just for the Taste of It (1982): This campaign emphasized the great taste of Diet Coke.
- Less Than 1 Calorie! (1984): This tagline highlighted the low-calorie content.
- The Time Is Right for Diet Coke (1990s): This campaign targeted young people with upbeat commercials.
- Stay Extraordinary (2010): This campaign celebrated self-expression.
- Love What You Love (2017): This campaign moved away from traditional diet culture messaging.
- A 12 Oz Fashion Statement (2021): This campaign positioned the Diet Coke can as a fashion accessory.
- Just Because (2022): This campaign featured playful commercials showing people enjoying the beverage.
tags: #diet #coke #advertising #history