The Life and Death of New Coke
In response to declining sales, Coca-Cola launched the trade secret “New Coke” formula on April 23rd, 1985. The new recipe was considered an epic failure. Loyal fans of the company had negative and even harsh reactions to “New Coke.” The backlash was so bad that within three months, Coca-Cola went back to the familiar taste and the recipe that captured the world’s taste buds in the first place.
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When the original formula returned, it came with the new branding of the Coca-Cola Classic. New Coke was still on the shelves, but no one really liked it. In 1992, the company attempted to rebrand it as Coke II, but that didn’t work either. It was eventually discontinued in 2002.