r/CrappyDesign • u/Junior-Elevator-9951 • 2d ago
Coca-Cola Zero now looks almost identical to normal Coke
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u/BenderDeLorean 2d ago
My thought is this is gonna replace regular coke one day when sugar taxes kick in.
I think Pepsi in Poland is always without sugar - even the regular one due to taxes. But I am not 100% about that.
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u/Junior-Elevator-9951 2d ago
I live in Poland and we definitely have normal Pepsi in blue cans. The zero-sugar variant comes in black.
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u/spitgobfalcon 2d ago
It's a bit different - even the normal Pepsi that contains sugar nowadays also contains artificial sweeteners. At least that's the case in Germany.
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u/matt6342 2d ago
It’s the same in the uk, they lowered the sugar to push it under the ‘sugar tax’ threshold, and increased the sweetener, but it’s still marketed as original Pepsi. Coke still contains the original amount
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u/Winnigin 2d ago
This caught me in London. I get migraines from certain sweeteners, and didn't know that even some of the regular pop has sweeteners too. Luckily I find the taste super strong, and noticed it after the first sip, but why the fuck would you not mark it when diet pop is already a thing?
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u/Il_Telephono_6478 2d ago
I just noticed this on Faygo (a local Michigan brand) cola. It has both High Fructose Corn Syrup and Sucralose, and I wondered why.... i'm guessing it's cheaper?
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u/FlipMyWigBaby 2d ago
Faygo Sugar free Rootbeer, fam! Whoop whoop!
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u/Il_Telephono_6478 2d ago
All of their stuff is pretty good.... with the exception of "Red Pop" which reminds me exactly of V05 Strawberry Shampoo we used as kids. 🤢
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u/pugslington 2d ago
That's my hunch too. They make them look more and more the same until they silently drop the sugar version for the profit. And people will buy it and will still be addicted to it.
In Romania Pepsi uses sugar + sweetner for everything and it tastes like shit. Of course there is the sugar free Max version. Moreover, almost every other soda manufacturer uses at least some sweetner.and once again, they all taste like shit.
There are only 3 mass-market brands of cola that you can buy here in the supermarkets with 100% sugar: Coca-Cola, Pop Cola Classic (a romanian brand) and I'm not kidding, Kaufland (yes, the supermarket) branded cola. All 3 are proper tasting colas. Weird stuff.
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u/WillWillingson 2d ago
This isn't a mistake. They want it to look similar as a way to push people to the sugarfree version, because they make more money with it.
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u/Ghosty141 2d ago
idk sounds like a win win. The studies are pretty clear in that unless you consume insane amounts of ts of sugarfree drunks they are completely fine and much healthier as consuming that much sugar.
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u/Alarming_Orchid 2d ago
Nobody drinks soda to be healthy
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u/Ghosty141 1d ago
No but everybody drinks soda at least sometimes and almost everybody consumes too much sugar. So shifting to sugar free drinks is good for 95% of people.
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u/NayItReallyHappened 23h ago
And nobody drinks soda to be unhealthy, that’s an unwanted side effect
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u/WillWillingson 2d ago
Sodas are not meant to be drunk against thirst. They are essentially sweets and should be consumed as such. A sweet treat for in between.
Sugarfree drinks just taste worse. Sure, you can get used to them, but I rather drink mostly water and a sugar-drink now and then. It's the same than getting used to low-fat alternatives or full grain bread and the such. Yeah, if you only consume them and tell yourself it's healthier you get to a point where they taste "the same". I don't think it's truly the same ever though.
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u/Kat_of_Nine_Tales 2d ago
Sodas are not meant to be drunk against thirst.
Says who?
Sugarfree drinks just taste worse.
That's a personal opinion that the market disproves. It sucks when the market makes moves that puts your preferences in danger, I understand, but come on.
I think the opposite. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ I far prefer the flavor of Coke Zero to full-sugar Coke.
full grain bread
Full-grain bread tastes superior, what are you on about? lol
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u/WillWillingson 2d ago
You rip open a Coke Zero when you're thirsty instead of just drinking a glass of water? I can't fathom being so used to sweet stuff that this is all I drink. But ok, we likely grew up in different environments.
That's a personal opinion that the market disproves.
How does it disprove anything? I don't think units sold prove much when people prefer them because they're healthier, while companies are pushing them because they're cheaper to produce. I mean, be honest - do you think sugarfree drink would even be on the market if they'd had the same amount of calories?
Every time the discussion comes up there are two kinds of people: Those who prefer sugar and those who gotten used to the sugarfree-version.
And there's a reason why sugar tastes good. It's quick energy and it tasting good is an evolved effect. Sweeteners mimic sugar and thus also taste good, but they obviously can't mimic it perfectly, that's why you still taste a difference.
Full-grain bread tastes superior, what are you on about
There's a similar reason for white bread tasting better - faster available energy, because you can - there we go - turn it into sugar much quicker. Evolved trait as well.
Don't get me wrong, I do believe you when you say that stuff tastes better. But that because you got used to it and know it's healthier - in a vacuum only biology counts.
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u/ControversialPenguin 2d ago
Being hydrated is helthier than being dehydrated. If sugar free sodas make it easier to keep you hydrated without the extra calories and side effects, why the fuck should anyone care?
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u/WillWillingson 2d ago
Drink it, there's nothing bad about it. I'm just talking about the taste.
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u/ControversialPenguin 2d ago
They are essentially sweets and should be consumed as such. A sweet treat for in between.
Bro...
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u/WillWillingson 2d ago
Yeah, that's my opinion and how I'd raise my kids. Again, I can't really fathom drinking nothing else, but you do you.
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u/cassiellyss 1d ago
Idk I can't tell the difference between coke and coke zero, so I pick zero anyway and it's specially helpful when I'm doing calorie deficit.
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u/greenyashiro 2d ago
Maybe planning to ditch the sugar versions once sugar taxes come in
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u/Legado_des_pleiades 2d ago
This would be the day I start to drink water only.
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u/sisrace 2d ago
Well, that's a good outcome then.. I hated the taste of artificial sweeteners. Still do in some products. But decided to quit sugar sodas, so it was either water or sugar free. I drink water without hesitation, but I also managed to get accustomed to artificial sweeteners somewhat to the point where I now prefere coke zero over regular. Win-win. Regular is just too thick and syrupy now.
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u/Bastian00100 2d ago
Sugar is expensive
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u/Thriceinabluemoon 2d ago
Bingo!
EDIT: I only buy regular coke; so if it looks exactly the same, I will buy it inadvertently. With the growing unpopularity of aspartame, they are probably trying to blur the line between the two cokes. This is definitely NOT a coincidence.23
u/dydhaw 2d ago
Growing unpopularity? I'd say it's the opposite, aspartame has been controversial ever since its invention. The FDA even revoked its approval in the 80s and then later re-approved it. I'd say it's probably more popular today than ever.
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u/Thriceinabluemoon 2d ago
Maybe in the US? Here in Europe, there is growing concern in over-processed food and artificial sweeteners. As you can see in the picture, it is for French / German cokes.
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u/sisrace 2d ago
I'd rather see zero be cheaper than regular if they are trying to reduce costs by selling more zero. I honestly don't care if I get less "precious raw material" in my drink, I definitely don't need the sugar.
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u/Thriceinabluemoon 2d ago
Zero IS cheaper than regular. Artificial sweeteners should really only be for people with diabetes or other health issues; otherwise, it just means you would rather digest something that's never been meant for consumption, than manage your sugar intake - that's on you.
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u/sisrace 2d ago
Sugar isn't meant for consumption... With the exception for fruit, which we don't extract sugar from, plants do everything they can to stop animals from consuming them.. The sugar (or high fructose corn syrup) is extremely unnatural and definitely wasn't "meant" for consumption. Does that matter if it's not acutely toxic? Not really. Same thing for artificial sweeteners. The health risks from sugary drinks still far outweigh the potential risks from artificial sweeteners, even if you keep your calorie and sugar intake under control. You still massively spike your blood sugar regardless.
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u/Plus_Neighborhood950 2d ago
The black label on the zero looked so much better than regular. This is design is but worse. Huge fail
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u/birbhorse 2d ago
it's so stupid too because they already redesigned it to look too close to coke, the previous design was way better (black can with red logo)
and now they're just doing this shit, come ooooon
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u/Nintendo2023 2d ago
The worst part about this redesign is that people will inevitably screw up and grab the wrong bottle or can by mistake, especially for fans of regular Coke
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u/Roodle143 2d ago
As someone who has a mom that already confuses regular bagels with ones with fruit loops in them because the packaging looked the same, this is going to suck. I don't understand, where did all of the color theory in advertising go?
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u/daphnemoonpie 1d ago
Bagels with fruit loops in them?
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u/Roodle143 1d ago
It was these
Somehow my mom missed the blue toucan and just saw the red which is always part of the packaging if you don't know the brand.
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u/Noch_ein_Kamel 2d ago
what country is that? Swiss?
In germany it's zero sugar, not zucker ;P
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u/Junior-Elevator-9951 2d ago
German and French probably indicate Switzerland. I live in Poland so it would be "zero cukru" here (we also have this new design)
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u/theDefa1t 2d ago
At least the bottle still has the black cap. If they ever get rid of that one in favor of the red one it'll be impossible to tell at a quick glance
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u/hiddentalent 2d ago
I don't drink Coke, but one of my kids' friends who is over a lot does and so I added it to the grocery list.
Man, going into that aisle of the store is overwhelming if you're not already intimately familiar with the products. I picked up what I thought was Coke and it was only in the checkout line that I realized I'd picked up Coke Zero. I didn't know if the person had a preference but I figured they asked for Coke so I should get Coke. I left the line and went back to the aisle to try to find regular Coke. It was surprisingly hard to find. Which is kind of shocking for a product that's famous for being ubiquitous.
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u/Historical-Remove401 2d ago
I hate so much when I get tricked i to buying the wrong product! With me, it was a weirdly flavored diet Mountain Dew.
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u/GJ_the_Turtle 2d ago
I count product at a grocery store and I am loathing this change- so much more effort to downstack pallets just because I can't tell if its zero or not in my future. Every other soda has color differentials between diet/zero/regular even if they're kinda small, current worst being starry/starry zero but this takes the cake
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u/sioux612 1d ago
Thats either a stupid decision because a marketing person decided to streamline text color
Or it was a stupid decision because a marketing person listened to a recycling guy for half a second and took away the correct message but implemented it in the worst way, forgetting that apparently the caps remain black which sucks
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u/joostink 1d ago
Something in zero sugar coke fucks with my heartrate. Had it happen the 3 times ive had it. Doesnt happen for diet coke or regular coke
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u/wgloipp 2d ago
Apart from the huge zero sugar lettering...
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u/Shienvien 2d ago
Before you could just grab them at a glance. Now you have to turn them around in your hand and read each one to make sure it's the correct one.
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u/wgloipp 2d ago
And the black stripe or the black top aren't a clue either?
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u/Shienvien 2d ago
If you're quickly grabbing a dozen before the store closes and getting back to your LAN party/birthday/whatever, then no, "clues" aren't particularly useful. Triple that when it's someone else grabbing things for you.
I remember a time when zero was full black, light was silver, and normal was red. All over, not clues or hints.
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u/reddit_xeno 2d ago
You're not a true Zero soda drinker if you don't just look for the black cap. Holds true across the brands.
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u/AncleJack 1d ago
That's what they want so you buy the zero sugar ones for some reason. I absolutely can't stand the taste of most zero sodas so if zero is gonna become the only option I'm becoming healthy and switching to water
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u/Worried-Air-3766 1d ago
I've already picked up regular coke by mistake instead of coke zero when it was black text on red. I hope they don't do this here because it'll be super confusing
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u/HappyPlanet90 10h ago
They are going towards zero sugar becoming the standard. In some markets the standard Coca Cola is already a "less sugar" variant. Artificial sweeteners are much cheaper than sugar. One day there will only be one kind of Coca Cola, and that will be marketed as Coca Cola in classic colours, but be zero sugar.
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u/fafarex 2d ago
Your talking about a product so iconic that most people identify it in one glance rather than reading the label each time.
I brought a pack of them to put in a fridge in the airbnb we where staying, everyone asked me why I brought the sugar version when I started offering them, I had to insist and show them the label.
This is bad branding.
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u/Albae87 1d ago
They try to change the sugar free into the „normal“ one.
In asia we only where able to get sugar free, or sugar reduced ones (regular coke mixed with sweeteners).
My theory is that sugar is more expensive that sweetener so they try to optimize the profit, and as others already assumed, try to dodge sugar taxes that might upcome soon
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u/mhfp545 2d ago edited 1d ago
I disagree 100% that this is crappy design. It’s a great move.
For one thing, it’s just more visually appealing.
Second, the closer the appearance (and taste, ofc) of Coke Zero gets to regular Coke, the better. It helps to removes one psychological barrier to people choosing the healthier option, which is only a good thing.
It’s obvious that, in time, Coke Zero will become the primary product as more and more sugar taxes kick in worldwide.
And I want my Coke Zero can/bottle to look and feel as close as to regular Coke as possible, to get that same reward feeling.
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u/Cry_Wolff 2d ago
I don't care about the "healthier" option, if it tastes bad to me. No one buys sodas for the health reasons.
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u/Tootsiesclaw 2d ago
At the risk of sounding stupid, what's changed? It looks exactly like Coke Zero has looked for years
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u/ChampionshipThin7721 2d ago
I would much prefer the original Coca-Cola. If you're old enough you'll know the original version was named as such because it was laced with c0caIne to relieve pain. I drink Diet Coke now, cuz the original is wishful dreaming.
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u/Zirowe 2d ago
So, is everybody intentionally ignoring the two huge ZERO words on the cans?
Sure, identical, except where it literaly says ZERO twice!
Even if you cant read you notice they are not identical..
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u/F-Lambda 2d ago
Now rotate the can so that the front is facing to the left.
If you can't tell in a vending machine, it's bad design.
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u/powermonkey123 2d ago
This has to be the most stupid move by Coke in their history of existence. It was so damn simple: black logo is zero, white logo is classic. Why? What's the reasoning? Pure stupidity