New Coke
Product brand
UnclaimedA reformulated Coca-Cola launched in 1985 and withdrawn after an unusually intense consumer reaction to the disappearance of the original formula.
Last updated August 25, 2026
Overview
New Coke was the informal name for a reformulated version of Coca-Cola introduced by The Coca-Cola Company in the United States on April 23, 1985. The product was created during a period when Coca-Cola was losing cola market share to Pepsi-Cola while consumers were also moving toward diet soft drinks and non-cola beverages. Internal research suggested that a sweeter formula performed better than the existing Coca-Cola recipe in blind taste tests, and senior management concluded that a decisive reformulation was necessary rather than adding another competing variety to the portfolio. The change was one of the most consequential product decisions in modern consumer-marketing history. Coca-Cola discontinued production of the original formula and presented New Coke as a replacement, rather than selling it alongside the existing drink. The company promoted the new taste as smoother, rounder, and more harmonious, while emphasizing that it represented a confident response to competitive pressure. Initial sales and market research were encouraging in several cities, and the company reported that many consumers preferred the new taste in testing and intended to buy it again. The launch nevertheless provoked intense opposition, especially in the American South, where Coca-Cola had strong historical and cultural associations. Consumers objected not only to the flavor but to the withdrawal of a familiar product they regarded as part of their identity and routine. Coca-Cola received tens of thousands of calls and letters, while newspapers, comedians, activists, and PepsiCo publicly mocked the decision. Gay Mullins formed the Old Cola Drinkers of America and pursued a class-action lawsuit, although the case was dismissed. The reaction demonstrated that conventional blind taste tests had not captured the emotional, symbolic, and habitual value of the original brand. On July 11, 1985, less than three months after the launch, Coca-Cola announced the return of the original recipe under the name Coca-Cola Classic. New Coke remained available as a separate product, but the reintroduction of the original formula became the dominant story and produced a notable improvement in Coca-Cola sales. The company maintained that the reversal was a response to consumer demand, while speculation persisted that the entire episode had been engineered to generate publicity for the original drink; Coca-Cola has consistently rejected that interpretation. New Coke was renamed Coke II in 1990 and continued in limited availability until it was discontinued in July 2002. The product was briefly revived in 2019 through a limited promotional collaboration connected with Netflix's Stranger Things, whose third season featured an early-1980s setting. New Coke is now chiefly remembered as a cautionary example of the danger of changing a deeply established brand without accounting for consumer attachment, ritual, heritage, and the meaning of the original product beyond its sensory attributes.
History
New Coke emerged from Coca-Cola's response to a deteriorating competitive position in the early 1980s. Although Coca-Cola had dominated the cola category after the Second World War, its share had fallen substantially by 1983. Pepsi-Cola had become especially strong in supermarkets, while Coca-Cola retained advantages in vending, restaurants, and fast-food outlets. At the same time, diet beverages and non-cola soft drinks were taking a larger share of the overall market. Company leadership believed that younger consumers were responding favorably to Pepsi's sweeter profile and that the existing formula needed a fundamental reassessment. Chief executive Roberto Goizueta encouraged executives to challenge established assumptions. A confidential development effort known as Project Kansas was led by marketing vice president Sergio Zyman and Coca-Cola USA president Brian Dyson. The team developed a sweeter formula and tested it against regular Coca-Cola and Pepsi in blind tastings, surveys, and focus groups. The new beverage generally performed well, but the research also contained warnings: some participants reacted emotionally to the possibility that the original Coca-Cola would disappear. Those reactions were treated as secondary to the positive taste-test results. Management decided against offering the new recipe as a separate extension. Coca-Cola's bottlers were already dealing with portfolio complexity after Diet Coke and Cherry Coke, and executives feared that two principal Coca-Cola formulas would divide sales and make it easier for consumers to move to Pepsi. Goizueta therefore supported a complete replacement. The product was launched on April 23, 1985, during the period surrounding Coca-Cola's centenary. Production of the original formula ended later that week. The launch initially appeared successful. Awareness spread rapidly, and sales in some early markets were above the comparable period a year earlier. The company presented the flavor as bolder and smoother and distributed samples in prominent locations. PepsiCo immediately turned the change into a competitive advertising opportunity, portraying Coca-Cola's decision as an admission that Pepsi had won the so-called Cola Wars. The decisive problem was not simply taste. Many loyal drinkers regarded the original Coca-Cola as a cultural institution and objected to its removal. Opposition was particularly strong in the South, where the drink had regional roots, but criticism also came from consumers and commentators throughout the country. Coca-Cola's hotline and correspondence operation received an extraordinary volume of complaints. Activist Gay Mullins organized the Old Cola Drinkers of America, demanded the return of the original recipe, and filed a class-action lawsuit that did not succeed. Coca-Cola executives began discussing a reversal within weeks. On July 11, 1985, the company announced that the original formula would return as Coca-Cola Classic. New Coke was retained as a secondary product, but Coca-Cola Classic quickly became the central offering. The reversal generated strong public attention and improved sales, while the episode reinforced the original product's symbolic value. New Coke was renamed Coke II in 1990 and ultimately discontinued in July 2002. In 2019, it returned temporarily in a nostalgia-oriented Stranger Things promotion. The episode remains a standard case study in brand management because it shows how taste testing can miss loyalty, memory, authenticity, and the consumer meaning attached to an established product.
- 2019
Limited promotional revival
[2]New Coke was produced in limited quantities for a Stranger Things promotional campaign.
- 2002
Discontinued
[1]Coke II was discontinued in July 2002.
- 1990
Renamed Coke II
[1]New Coke was renamed Coke II while the original formula remained the principal Coca-Cola product.
- 1985
New Coke launches in the United States
[1]The reformulated cola was introduced on April 23, and the original Coca-Cola formula was removed from production.
- 1985
Coca-Cola Classic returns
[1]The company restored the original formula under the Coca-Cola Classic name on July 11, following widespread consumer opposition.
- 1983
Competitive pressure intensifies
[1]Coca-Cola's cola-market position had declined substantially as Pepsi gained supermarket strength and diet and non-cola drinks expanded.
- 1980
Goizueta becomes chief executive
[1]Roberto Goizueta became Coca-Cola's chief executive and promoted a willingness to reconsider long-standing business assumptions.
Products and positioning
A sweeter, reformulated cola intended to strengthen Coca-Cola's competitive position against Pepsi-Cola and appeal to changing consumer tastes.
Carbonated cola soft drink · 1985
New Coke
The 1985 reformulation of Coca-Cola used a sweeter flavor profile developed through taste testing against the original Coca-Cola and Pepsi. It was introduced as a replacement for the original formula rather than as a permanent line extension. Although many testers and some early-market consumers responded favorably, the product became associated with the removal of the familiar Coca-Cola recipe and was quickly overshadowed by the return of Coca-Cola Classic.
Carbonated cola soft drink · 1990
Coke II
Coke II was the name assigned to New Coke in 1990. It represented an attempt to maintain the reformulated beverage as a distinct product after Coca-Cola Classic had reclaimed the central position in the brand portfolio. Coke II had limited consumer relevance and was discontinued in July 2002.
Marketing campaigns
- 2019Stranger Things New Coke revival
United States
Coca-Cola recreated New Coke in limited quantities as a nostalgia-focused promotional tie-in with Netflix's Stranger Things, a series set partly in the 1980s.
Outcome. The discontinued product was repositioned as a pop-culture and nostalgia item rather than relaunched as a regular beverage.
- 1985New Coke launch campaign
United States
Coca-Cola introduced the reformulated drink through a high-profile national marketing effort emphasizing its sweeter, smoother taste. Sampling and promotional activity took place in cities including New York, Washington, Miami, and Detroit.
Outcome. Initial sales and awareness were strong, but the campaign was overwhelmed by backlash against the withdrawal of the original formula.
Brand decisions
1990
Rename New Coke as Coke IIStrategyBackground
The original recipe had returned as Coca-Cola Classic, leaving the reformulated drink with a secondary role.
Action taken
The company changed the product name to Coke II.
Aftermath
The renamed product remained marginal and was eventually discontinued in 2002.
1985
Replace the original Coca-Cola formulaGeneration changeBackground
Coca-Cola was under pressure from Pepsi, diet beverages, and non-cola drinks. Blind tests indicated that a sweeter recipe could compete more effectively.
Action taken
The company launched New Coke and stopped producing the original formula instead of selling the reformulation as a separate variety.
Aftermath
The decision triggered widespread opposition and became one of the best-known examples of a failed brand repositioning.
- PepsiCo — PepsiCo ran advertising portraying the change as evidence that Coca-Cola had conceded the Cola Wars and declared an internal celebratory holiday.
1985
Restore the original formula as Coca-Cola ClassicGeneration changeBackground
Consumer calls, letters, public criticism, and organized activism showed that the original formula had emotional and cultural value that the taste tests had not captured.
Action taken
Coca-Cola reintroduced the original recipe under the Coca-Cola Classic name while continuing to sell New Coke as a separate product.
Aftermath
Coca-Cola Classic became the dominant product, and the reversal strengthened the original brand's sales and cultural status.
- PepsiCo — PepsiCo had already used the reformulation as a competitive advertising theme and continued benefiting from the publicity surrounding Coca-Cola's reversal.
Recent events
- 2019
New Coke returns in Stranger Things promotion[2]
Campaign · Product launch
Coca-Cola produced limited quantities of New Coke as a promotional tie-in for Netflix's Stranger Things.
- 2002
Coke II is discontinued[1]
Other
The remaining Coke II product was withdrawn from the market in July.
- 1990
New Coke is renamed Coke II[1]
Product generation
The reformulated drink received the name Coke II as Coca-Cola continued selling it alongside Coca-Cola Classic.
- 1985
Coca-Cola launches New Coke[1]
Product launch · Product generation
The Coca-Cola Company introduced a reformulated cola in the United States and stopped producing the original formula.
- 1985
Consumer backlash forces return of Coca-Cola Classic[1]
Product generation · Other
After widespread criticism and calls for the original drink, Coca-Cola restored the original formula as Coca-Cola Classic less than three months after the launch.
- 1985
Old Cola Drinkers of America files class-action lawsuit[1]
Lawsuit
Consumer activist Gay Mullins organized opposition to New Coke and brought a class-action case that was dismissed.
Sources5 sources
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