Advertising

Diet Coke Campaign Fizzles After Consumers Mock 'You're On Coke' Snafu

Former Staff Writer

May 7, 2014 2 min read

Flame retardant isn’t the only questionable substance Coca Cola is looking to distance itself from in recent days.

While consumers have long queried whether or not the beloved beverage happens to contain cocaine, Coke has now scrapped an ad campaign perceived by social media and the blogosphere to allude to the drug.

Themed “You’re On,” the ads presented the beverage as an energy driver for consumers in make-or-break situations. One print ad read: “You moved to New York with the clothes on your back, the cash in your pocket and your eyes on the prize. You’re on. Diet Coke.”

Unfortunately for the beverage giant, the placement (and font size) of the word diet had many consumers reading "You're On. Coke."

When all this hoopla began a few months back, Coca Cola told AdWeek that the advertising campaign "celebrates ambitious young achievers from all walks of life and reminds them that Diet Coke is there to support them in the moments when they are at their best.” The company added that there was absolutely no connection with any illegal drugs.

But AdWeek, which suggests that the drug reference was intentional, also noted the name of the New York agency that developed the ads, Droga5, seemingly adds fuel to the fire -- as "drogas" translates to drugs in Spanish.

As a result of all the blowback, Coke will replace the ads beginning today with the same campaign -- entitled “Just for the taste of it” -- that it used to introduce Diet Coke back in 1983. A new print ad reads, “There’s nothing like the refreshing taste of Diet Coke. Except maybe finding a twenty in your pocket. That’s pretty great.”