It’s difficult for me to admit that I used to have a problem. I wasn’t in denial; I knew what I was doing was really bad for me but I did it anyway.
Coke had a hold over me. I never imagined I would be able to live without it. Then they came out with Coke Zero. Three letters: w-o-w. It tastes way better than regular Coke.
Coke Zero doesn’t contain sugar so it has no calories. It’s not as sweet as the real thing, which is what I like about it. I’ve been on Coke Zero for over a year, and now whenever I have regular Coke I don’t like it.
The Coke Zero brand is marketed to males ages 18 to 35. The visual appearance of the brand is a modern black, red and silver color scheme using a fat-to-skinny font for the word “Zero.” They’ve teamed up with the NFL this year as an official sponsor. Celebrities like Brad Pitt and Paris Hilton have been spotted with Coke Zero in hand. There have even been paid Coke Zero endorsements in video games.
The smartest thing Coca-Cola did with the Coke Zero brand was not label it a “diet” soda. The word “diet” does not appear anywhere on the can. It is simply called a “zero calorie cola.” For men, diet sodas have a certain stigma attached to them, mostly because they don’t want to be thought of as on a diet. Calling it something else, even when it is what it is, has turned out to be a wise marketing decision.
When I set out to acquire a case of Coke Zero, I notice that the stores are often short on supply. On more than one occasion I have walked out of the market with the last case. Once, I left empty handed and was forced to drive three miles to another store to get my fix.
Other Coke Zero fans have commented about my choice of soda when I drink it in public. There’s an old guy who works at my local In-N-Out restaurant who always comes up to me to express his love of Coke Zero when I bring one with me when I eat there. I have also confined myself to seeing movies at a theater in El Dorado Hills where Coke Zero is served on tap.
In recent years, the sugarless trend has produced some great tasting products. Likely due to the sharp rise in diabetes cases, sugarless products are everywhere. Chocolates, candies, ice cream and cookies can be made without sugar thanks to Splenda, a no-calorie sweetener that is inexplicably made from sugar and tastes like sugar.
It’s not all about the soda, though. I drink a lot of beverages. I love milk and fruit juice too, and I drink a lot of water. But when I am in the mood for soda, I turn to Coke Zero. Or Cherry Coke Zero.
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3 comments:
I totally thougt you were confessing about coke the drug...I was thinking "wow he's getting personal." I'm a Diet pepsi drinker myself. It's 0 calories too, but it's not very good for you. Haha! What's the difference between Diet Coke and Coke Zero? Informative for us soda drinkers out there...even though I hate to admit it.
So... all I can say is -- you are super rad! Funny column!
The writer got me big time with the headline and with the first paragraph.
Very nicely done.
The columnist does a good job of explaining what the Coke Zero product is and especially about why it is not called a diet soda.
Several opportunities were missed though, one of which would be to throw what one of the original ingredients of Coke was and how addicting it was for people.
Still, nice column. Think I'll celebrate, but with a Coca-Cola Classic.
I'm a traditionalist.
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