Paint the town red: Coca-Cola revamps original and zero-sugar packaging with “unifying” design
22 Aug 2018 --- Coca-Cola Britain has revealed revamped packaging for its Coca-Cola original taste and Coca-Cola zero sugar. Both the original and sugar-free drinks will feature the iconic Coca-Cola color – red – in a bid to unify both of the variants and encourage more people to try Coca-Cola zero sugar. The move is supported by a US$6.4 million marketing campaign that the company hopes will raise awareness of choice within the Coca-Cola range and drive no-sugar sales.
The new packs will be available from 20 August 2018 onwards. By September 2018, all Coca-Cola drinks will be in full-red packaging with a distinctive, colored band across the top of the label on the bottle or can, as well as the bottle cap, so the two flavors can be told apart.

a black band to denote the zero-sugar products.
Since launching in 2016, Coca-Cola zero sugar is the fastest-growing cola brand in the UK and more than half of the Coca-Cola sold contains no sugar, the company reports.
“For more than 130 years, the color red has been associated with the great taste and experience of enjoying a Coca-Cola,” says Alec Mellor, Coca-Cola Marketing Manager. “We want to make it even clearer that you can have that taste and experience with or without sugar.”
“Sales of Coca-Cola zero sugar have almost doubled in the last two years and is now the fastest-growing cola in UK retail. We believe this latest change will help us grow the brand even further and encourage more people to give it a try.”
The packaging changes are the latest move in the company’s commercial strategy to drive sales of its no sugar drinks, including Coca-Cola zero sugar, it explains. This builds on the launch of the new Coca-Cola zero sugar in 2016 when it was given a new recipe and look. Today, 58 percent of the Coca-Cola sold in retail in the UK is the no sugar variant, the company reports.
All Coca-Cola packaging will continue to be 100 percent recyclable, the company added, and the Coca-Cola system is committed to increasing the recycled plastic in bottles from 25 to 50 percent by 2020.
In recent news, Coca-Cola Great Britain provided an exciting recycling incentive to UK thrill-seekers: “reverse vending” machines at selected theme park sites which offer 50 percent off admission with the donation of one plastic bottle. Read the full story here.