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Coca-Cola review: New coke zero sugar 23

R
Author of the review
11:48 am EDT
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Your marketing department clearly has no respect for your customer base. Once again your company has taken a well-established product with a loyal customer base and "improved " it.

I for one bought a lifetime supply of the new product from a vending machine. Flat, too sweet, and a chemical aftertaste. I will change back to my pre-Coke Zero Diet Pepsi for as long as it takes for you to realize and admit to another stupid move.

The former New Coke events are a cornerstone case study in business schools as a marketing disaster. One would think the new generation in your marketing and R&D departments would want to avoid a repeat. But here we are.

You may attract a few new customers but you will lose other loyal ones. If you wanted to bring a new product to market, do it and have both the new and old customer bases.

And do you really think your customers are so stupid as to not realize that Coke Zero was zero calorie/sugar. Your customers aren't stupid. However, your marketing executives appear to be.

23 comments
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Ditch Allen
US
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Sep 13, 2017 1:34 am EDT

i have been drinking Coke Zero since it's first release, , , , , the only diet type cola that has ever actually tasted like the original product. now, , , you have once again ruined a good thing and lost a very long time customer. i drank regular Cokes for many, many years till diabetes forced me to give them up, , , , , , , , but then ya'll came out with Coke Zero, , , closest thing to regular Coke ever. this new crap is just that, , , crap. glad i bought only one. and i can assure you idiots that i am done with Coke products forever!

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Vann Doyle
US
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Sep 28, 2017 7:18 pm EDT

There is no sense in this, Coke replaced a great soft drink with one
That is awful. In my area Coke Zero sold really well, why would they remove a good selling product? They got lucky with this once but this isn't the same customer base as it was in the 80's. Foolish

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RJSophia
Chagrin Falls, Ohio, US
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Sep 01, 2021 11:54 am EDT
Replying to comment of Vann Doyle

I bought a case of cans not knowing that the formula was different and I tried one can and had to return the rest of the case. And I got my money back. I am hoping that the local distributors will let Coca-Cola know that they messed up. I am not buying nor will I be drinking the new Coke zero sugar red label.

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Gary Willis
US
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Mar 01, 2018 9:38 pm EST

Coke Zero Sugar does not compare in quality and taste with Coke Zero. I have been a Coca Cola drinker for approximately 60 years. Coke Zero provide a tasty alternative to Diet Coke. Zero was an "acquired" taste and that taste provided a "bite" ... with no sugar that soon became my primary soft drink purchase. However, the change to Zero Sugar was worth a try. More than once have I purchased a 6-pack of Zero Sugar to find bottles that tasted like "colored water" and did not satisfy as Zero did. Such a product by Coca Cola makes one believe that Diet Pepsi is a better alternative.

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lost coke fan
US
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Feb 15, 2019 5:23 pm EST

I never thought something would make me buy Pepsi products after 70 years of being a coke fanatic?
Your new Coca-Cola ZERO sugar has done it. Why would you take a perfectly good product & ruin it?

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Becky AndKam Claflin
US
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Jul 25, 2021 3:43 pm EDT

You ruined my absolute favorite drink ~ the only good thing about you ruining the flavor is that I may actually drink more water. I’m devastated by this flavor change. Hate it!

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RJSophia
Chagrin Falls, Ohio, US
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Sep 01, 2021 11:52 am EDT

Me too! New Coke Zero is disgusting!

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Nancy Kerschner
Indianapolis, US
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Aug 15, 2021 5:09 pm EDT
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Not sure whose brilliant idea it was, to change Coke Zero...but I hope you fire them! I'm 73, and have drank Coke products for as long as I can remember! The "new flavor" is ridiculously bad! Tastes flat...with a horrible after taste! Please tell the fool who dreamed up this concoction... "Don't fix it, if it isn't broke!" I won't be buying it anymore! Guess I'm a Pepsi gal, from now on! Sooooo disappointed! Yuck!

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Nancy Kerschner
Indianapolis, US
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Aug 15, 2021 5:15 pm EDT
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Nasty! Flat...horrible aftertaste! Hope you fire the idiots that came up with this ridiculous concoction! I would have thought somebody there would have nixed this formula! If it isn't broke, don't fix it! I'm 73, I've drank Coke products for as long as I can remember! No more! Guess I'm a Pepsi gal from now on! It's disgusting!

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Dan Ludwig
US
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Sep 01, 2021 1:26 am EDT

You had a wonderful drink with your last version of coke zero sugar...then just like back in the mid 80s you had to mess with perfection...How did that work out for you last time. where you trying to flatten the taste? did you want it to taste more like diet Pepsi. do us all a favor bring back the old Coke zero sugar from the black label days... and leave perfection alone. Coke is built on tradition, haven't you guys figured that out yet?

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RJSophia
Chagrin Falls, Ohio, US
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Sep 01, 2021 11:51 am EDT
Replying to comment of Dan Ludwig

I agree. PLEASE bring back old Coke Zero. The “now more delicious” version tastes like someone spilled mens cologne into it. Disgusting and gross! I bought a bunch of the old version in the last month and when that is gone, that’s it. I won’t be buying the new Coke Zero No Sugar (red label) version.

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Jerry Williams
US
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Sep 02, 2021 8:06 pm EDT

I agree with all the comments made by these folks. This Coke zero sugar red taste like a mixture of three-quarters diet coke and one-quarter regular coke zero. I can't think of a better word to describe the taste than "GROSS". I made the mistake of trusting Coca Cola about the taste of their new drink, and bought several cases. I will never do that again. I am returning this "witches brew" to the store where I purchased it. A couple of swallows of this foul tasting mix is all it took to make this decision. 09/02/2021 Diet Pepsi from now own!

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Sharon McAliley
Auburn, Alabama, US
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Sep 03, 2021 5:09 pm EDT
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I absolutely loved the black can Coke Zero sugar! I drank 2 ten pack cans a week! I’m diabetic and this was my go to drink! I hate Diet Coke and all other diet drinks! Please bring back the black canned Coke Zero sugar! The new red canned one is horrible! It taste watered down and flat! It doesn’t have a sweet taste either! It leaves a bad after taste in your mouth! You have lost this Coke Zero drinker for life!

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Madintamoa
Tampa, US
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Dec 06, 2021 1:48 pm EST
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I agree. The new Coke Zero absolutely sucks! I loved the old Coke Zero and I still have 2 six packs of 16oz bottles in my fridge outside I am drinking sparingly. After they’re gone I guess I’m going to try, sadly, Pepsi Zero. I’ve been a Coke fan all my life. Coke always manages to screw up good things. Quit over thinking things. If it’s working leave it the hell aline.

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Ron Herrmann
US
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Sep 07, 2021 6:16 pm EDT

The new red can is absolutely garbage! I was probably Coke Zero’s most loyal customer but no more! This new version is tasteless, watered down and completely flat, no matter how cold it is…How could someone be this stupid to change it this dramatically?

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Eldeetee
US
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Sep 27, 2021 2:47 pm EDT

I've been drinking Coke Zero for years. It has a clean, refreshing taste, just a tad or two better than Diet Coke.

I just bought a case of the new Zero -- I thought it was just the can that had changed. Nope. This new version is awful. Too sweet. No refreshing zing.

I have 34 more cans of it that I'm not going to drink. If you still make Diet Coke, I'll go back to that.

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Irritated at new coke zero
Portland, US
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Oct 03, 2021 7:23 pm EDT
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Ditto ditto and ditto from the comments above...the new Coke Zero tastes flat. Why do you have to keep doing this? Just feeling frustrated and disappointed.

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BoJo7153
Batavia, Ohio, US
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Oct 12, 2021 5:30 am EDT

I loved Coke Zero and have been drinking it since it’s inception. Sorry but a hard “No” for me. It tastes like it was opened and left out for two days-flat! It is too sweet. If I drink anything it may be Diet Coke although it’s not great and has a brassy aftertaste. I don’t follow your reasoning for changing something that no one asked you to, that I know of.

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- Laurel -
US
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Oct 18, 2021 9:43 pm EDT

I'm so upset about no longer being able to buy the original Coke Zero. I was a loyal customer. It was a uniquely wonderful beverage with amazing ZING. The new product tastes FLAT and WATERED DOWN and too sweet. I tried Pepsi Zero, and it's gross, too. The ORIGINAL COKE ZERO was the only beverage I drank other than plain water... and I drank it every day. It sure seemed super popular at the stores I shop at. I just don't understand.

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Rtc2
Houston, Texas, US
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Oct 23, 2021 12:09 am EDT

I have been buying coke zero for my husband for years. I do not drink cokes so only noticed that the branding had changed. Tonight I was informed to give or throw away all of the new cokes.
He said they suck in taste and do not mix well in a drink. I have over 60 cans plus 3 2ltr bottles of this crap he will not drink. Not sure what i should do with them.
Why screw with a good thing?
Does anyone have a suggestion for a product which is comparable to the.old formula?

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Mark Wyne Crotinger
Cedar Rapids, US
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Dec 27, 2021 10:29 am EST
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I loved original Coke Zero and bought a lot of it. I recommended it to Diet Coke, Pepsi and other diets drinks drinkers. I loved it. What is this new Coke Zero? As others have said, tastes flat, overall taste is not good, at the fountain, this new Coke Zero has a disgusting after taste, and I do mean disgusting. It does not taste anything like Coca-Cola. I am a diabetic. I always carry Coca Cola in the small cans and have it in my home as well. When my blood sugar gets low, I could take the glucose products, or a refreshing real Coke! Which, by the way, is not the coke we used to have. Corn syrup replaced sugar with the whole New Coke/Coke Classic fiasco/scheme. Why do you all keep metaphorically keep shooting yourself in the foot? And, there is the Pibb Zero deal. Pibb Zero is an absolutely delightful diet drink. When it hit the shelves in eastern Iowa I was delighted. But I never saw any advertising in an form about it. Soon the cans were were gone, and now one can get it in a about 10 stores in 20 oz. bottles, which makes it too expensive. No grocery stores, mind you, just small outlets like smoke shops and a mall vending machine. I tried your competitor's zero drink and it pales to Zero. I used to bottle, sell, and transport Coca-Cola in my younger days and have been loyal. Trouble is, your competition has not come near the taste and quality of these 2 products. Why, oh Why do you all at Coca-Cola keep messing with awesome drinks and making them worse. I see a pattern here. Please give us Old Coke Zero and Pibb Zero. Why keep metaphorically shooting yourself in the foot?

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Coke Zero (black can) fan
US
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Jan 02, 2022 7:55 pm EST

New Coke Zero Sugar (red can) is bad. Horrible aftertaste compared to a perfect blend of spices in Coke Zero (black can)- the only soft drink I bought since it came out. I will not be buying the new Coke Zero Sugar.

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Chickenlady7
M, US
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Oct 12, 2024 2:35 am EDT
Verified customer This complaint was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

What were you thinking? My husband and I have very few vices and when Coke Zero came out we knew we had found the best soda ever. We never thought you would remove the heart of the Coke Zero, that first sip, that first taste out of that can. Our taste buds were never so happy enjoying the fizz and flavor of this drink. Now that first sip is blah, flavorless leaving an aftertaste. I do hope your customers follow the path of a beer we have heard of. Different reason but unhappy consumers.

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