Coca-Cola is this week launching a new sugar-free Coke product – Coca-Cola No Sugar – which the company describes as its biggest product launch in a decade.
The soft drink giant says it undertook years of research to create what it describes as best tasting sugar-free Coke ever, and Australians will be amongst the first in the world to taste the new recipe, which will go on sale nationwide from 16 June.
The product was developed at the company’s US headquarters and has been designed to taste as similar to the original Coca-Cola Classic as possible, and it joins other sugar-reduced or sugar-free offerings in the range: Diet Coke, which was launched in 1982, Coke Zero, which was launched in 2006, and Coca-Cola with Stevia, a newly released product that has replaced Coke Life. Likewise, Coca-Cola No Sugar is expected to replace Coke Zero.
Roberto Mercadé, president of Coca-Cola in Australia said the company is committed to offering more sugar-free options, and that latest launch is the closest yet to the classic taste of Coca-Cola.
“We wanted the experience of drinking Coca-Cola No Sugar to be as close as possible to ‘The Real Thing’," he said.
“Faced with this challenge, our team of taste experts spent five years mixing different flavours and conducting 18 separate consumer trials before finally cracking it."
The Australian and New Zealand launch follows the debut of Coca-Cola No Sugar in Mexico last year where the consumer response was overwhelmingly positive, according to Coca Cola. It will continue to rollout in other markets from later this year.
“People are looking for a better balance in their diet and lifestyle, which is why we are changing the way we do things here at Coca-Cola,” Mercadé said.
“This is about The Coca-Cola Company making the leap from simply offering people more choice to actively encouraging people to consider a ‘no sugar’ option.”
To promote the new product, the company is giving away more than two million free samples - Coca-Cola’s biggest giveaway to date in Australia.
Consumers will be able to get free samples in lots of different places including by downloading vouchers on their mobiles, via Shazam during TV ads and at voice-activated outdoor advertising panels.
“We’ve never tried anything this ambitious in terms of giving Australians the chance to try our latest drink for free. We want Coca-Cola No Sugar to be within an arm’s reach of wherever you are, whenever you desire,” Mercadé said.
