New Coke Can Honors Its Roots

ATLANTA -- Coca-Cola has rolled out a newly-designed Coca-Cola Classic can that hearkens back to early 1985. The new can that's showing up this summer on store shelves has a cleaner, redder design with a single white ribbon.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the new design is far different from the can of the past five years, with its yellow, silver and black-dotted ribbon, its fizzy bubble graphics and its darker red hipster graphics.

Katie Bayne, chief marketing officer for Coca-Cola North America, said the new can is less about nostalgia than about getting the attention of time-pressed consumers. "What you see is companies really getting rid of clutter and getting rid of confusion," Bayne told the newspaper, noting that the design came after lots of study.

The Coke Classic can that's being phased out dates back to 2002. It was designed to appeal to teens and took two years of study, according to the report.

Bayne said the new can taps into the company's "roots" and the "timeless elements" of the Coke brand to "take what people love about it and present it in a fresh way."

Coke redesigns its basic cans every few years, and it uses special designs for seasonal or event promotions.

However, while Coke has redesigned with simplicity in mind, competitor Pepsi-Cola has lately taken a different approach. The No. 2 soda maker behind Coke has been pumping out a series of artsy new can designs tailored to young consumers.

Coke said it already has gotten calls from folks wondering whether the new can is a limited edition, but the beverage giant says it's here to stay --- until the next redesign.

The company also tweaked the design for its Diet Coke cans.

Diet Coke is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, limited-edition vintage Diet Coke T-shirts, 25th anniversary contour bottles and other commemorative items are available through My Coke Rewards. Diet Coke fans also can enter to win several 25th anniversary sweepstakes and contests in popular magazines, such as Condé Nast Traveler, In Style and People.

Special 25th anniversary Diet Coke silver sleek cans will be available exclusively in the Atlanta area, Diet Coke's birthplace. Also, Diet Coke rolled out the red carpet to celebrate its silver anniversary as part of the city's July Fourth celebration at the new World of Coca-Cola and Centennial Olympic Park, the company said.

"This 25th anniversary celebrates the long love affair between Diet Coke and the loyal fans who have made it a global icon," Bayne said. "Millions of people around the world have made Diet Coke part of their well-balanced lifestyle, and for decades to come, we'll continue to refresh them with the great cola taste and style that they know and love."
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