The story of New Coke is an oft - recite parable in the selling world . frightened by Pepsi ’s advance and the success of the " Pepsi Challenge , " Coca - Cola retool their formula and insert a newer , sweeter beverage in 1985 call " New Coke . " " Old " Coke was all removed from the market , and consumer aired their outrage at this walloping to the melodic phrase of400,000 phone calls and letterssent to the flabby drink maker .
Less than three months after New Coke ’s unveiling , old Coke was reinstated as " Coca - Cola Classic " and all was right in the domain . Americans returned in droves to the supermarket and pick up the old recipe they forgot they sleep together so much . devote the massive participation and fleet result , the efforts to get honest-to-god Coke back can be debate one of the most successful protestation movements in U.S. history , a fact that is equal office depressing and perfect .
Some say this was all a artifice by Coca - Cola to whip the public into a fury and generate new requirement for an previous product . This is unconvincing , considering the company ’s commitment to New Coke . CEO Roberto Goizueta was still attach to the potable and , when announce the previous recipe ’s replication , stated that bottlers would have entree to concentrates for New Coke and Coca - Cola Classic — the amount each was give rise would be at their discretion . Coca - Cola Classic immediately outsell New Coke ten to one , and few bottlers ever re - regularize the New Coke digest again .
The company still harbor hope for the new recipe and they securities industry tested it again as " Coke II " and officially re - release it in 1992 as part of the Cartesian product crinkle . But why were they so matrimonial to this total failure of a product ? While never officially admitting it , New Coke ( and Coke II ) was supposedly cheaper to produce . According toThe Real Thing : Truth and Power at the Coca - Cola Company , shortly after New Coke was released in targeted markets , Pepsi had their chemists analyse the formula . They found that it take fewer flavored oils and vanilla and that " the new formula would save Coke about $ 50 million a year because it cut back on some of the most dearly-won ingredients . "
The different name did n’t help , and Coke II was produced by fewer and fewer bottlers until it was stamp out off for near in 2002 . once in a while , unopened bottles will pop up on eBay , but do n’t bother bribe one for a gustation test . Coke II tasted just like New Coke : honeyed and a small flat .
