Coke Zero Is Being Renamed in the U.K. Because People Don't Know It's Sugar-Free The new marketing push will cost more than $14 million.
By Matthew Nitch Smith •
This story originally appeared on Business Insider
Coke Zero will be renamed "Coca-Cola Zero Sugar" after research suggested that five in ten people did not know the drink contained no sugar.
Coca-Cola will also give the label a new recipe and branding in order to make the sugar-free contents of bottles and cans more obvious.
The new marketing push will cost £10 million ($14.4 million).
It comes as UK Chancellor George Osborne announced a tax on sugary drinks in the last Budget.
Sugar will be taxed in two different bands. The first will be all drinks with more than five grams of sugar per 100ml, and the second, which will be higher, for drinks with more than eight grams per 100ml.
Osborne said he expects the the sugar tax to raise £520 million in its first year, which will be used to help fund sport in schools.
Jon Woods, Coca-Cola Great Britain General Manager, said the company wanted the new Coke Zero to be more in line with the classic brand:
"We know that millions of people love the taste of Coca-Cola and have been working to refine the recipe of Coca-Cola Zero to match the taste of the original, but without sugar. It's the biggest investment we've made in a new product launch for a decade and will give people the great taste of Coca-Cola Classic but without the sugar."
Coke Life and Coke Diet products make up 43 percent of the company's UK sales, according to The Guardian.
The company is already trying to combat the growing public concern over sugar intake by offering smaller portion sizes over all its labels.
It says that 250ml cans of Coca-Cola are already available in more than 13,000 stores nationwide, with distribution increasing.
