Coca-Cola Vanilla

Coca-Cola Vanilla

1.25 litre bottle of Coca-Cola Vanilla
Type	Vanilla-flavoredcola
Manufacturer	The Coca-Cola Company
Country of origin	United States
Introduced	2002(2002)(first run) 2007(2007)(second run)
Discontinued	2005(2005)(first run)
Variants	Diet Vanilla Coke, Coke Vanilla Zero
Related products	Coca-Cola Diet Coke Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla Coca-Cola Cherry Coca-Cola with Lime
Website	cocacola.com/vanilla

Coca-Cola Vanilla(commonly referred to asVanilla Coke) is avanilla-flavored version ofCoca-Cola,introduced in 2002 but subsequently discontinued inNorth Americaand theUnited Kingdomin 2005, though it remained available at certain fountain outlets. It was relaunched in the US in 2007, in Denmark in 2012, the UK in 2013 and Canada in 2016. Vanilla Coke has been available in Australia since its initial introduction in 2002, being produced byCoca-Cola Europacific Partners.Originally announced as a limited edition in the UK, it became permanent for several years; however, Vanilla Coke was again discontinued in the UK in Summer 2018, though Diet Vanilla Coke and Coke Vanilla Zero remain available.

In 2003,Pepsiintroduced Pepsi Vanilla to compete with Vanilla Coke. In 2002,Virginreleasedtheir ownvanilla cola in the UK, prior to the appearance of Vanilla Coke.

Development

Original Coca-Cola already contains small amounts of vanilla. The history of adding additional vanilla flavoring to Coca-Cola, at least in the US, dates back at least to the 1940s when local soda fountain workers (soda jerks) would upon request add a "shot" (roughly two tablespoons) of vanilla syrup to a (12-16 oz) Coca-Cola fountain soda. For decades, this remained common practice in ice cream shops where vanilla syrup and Coca-Cola were both available. The Coca-Cola Company first tested a Coca-Cola blend with extra vanilla flavoring at the 1982World's FairinKnoxville, Tennessee,along withCherry Coke.After the introduction of Cherry Coke and the failure ofNew Cokein 1985, the company was hesitant to introduce anything radically new. It was not until April, 2002 that rumors began to circulate that the company was planning a new variation to their classic soft drink. The Coca-Cola Company was tight-lipped regarding the details of the new beverage, commenting to aLondonbased newspaper, "We've always got a number of things in development," leaving open speculation for what was to develop.It was later revealed that testing for a vanilla flavor had been completed and that the new beverage would be available in months. However, in late April, 2002, the company announced that Vanilla Coke would begin production as early as May.

Marketing campaign

The marketing campaign for Vanilla Coke aimed to appeal across all generations. Yolanda Ball, brand manager for Coca-Cola Classic, said, "We had to learn how to balance the newness of vanilla with the established qualities of Coca-Cola".Vanilla Coke debuted at theVanilla Bean Café,locally known as "the Bean," in Pomfret, Connecticut. The diet variety would be directed primarily at women. The first public tasting of Vanilla Coke took place in theBuckheaddistrict ofAtlantaat the Three Dollar Cafe with Atlanta radio stationQ100and their morning hosts fromThe Bert Show.

One of the first notable advertisements was atelevisionad created byThe Martin Agencywhich was based upon the product's original campaign line of "Reward Your Curiosity". The ad featured actorChazz Palminteri,in which he and another man pull a teenager (played by a youngAaron Paul) into an alley after catching him peering into a hole. Palminteri gives the boy a Vanilla Coke, as a reward for hiscuriosity.Their former website rewardyourcuriosity.com went along with the campaign and drew a large interest at the time. (In thePhilippineversion of the ad, Palminteri's role was taken by actorJohnny Delgado.) Ms. Ball described the ad: "We were trying to create something new and intriguing. Half of it was about new, different and change of pace, and the rest of it was about how people love and trust Coca-Cola. But we didn't have to sayNew from Coca-Cola.We didn't have to hit them over the head with it. "

Distribution

The Coca-Cola Company announced in 2002 that Vanilla Coke would be introduced initially in the United States with distribution starting May 15, followed by a rollout in Canada. The introduction of vanilla flavor was hailed by The Coca-Cola Company as "the greatest innovation since Diet Coke in 1983".It also marked the 116th anniversary of the Coca-Cola Company.Later that year, it was introduced to theNorwegian,Swedish,andIcelandicmarkets of Europe. This was the first Coca-Cola variety introduced inNorwaysinceCoca-Colaitself in 1937 andCoca-Cola Lightin 1983.As of 2003,Vanilla Coke was marketed in several European countries as well as Australia and New Zealand (in mid-to-late-2002). By late 2003, the company had marketed Vanilla Coke in over 30 countries around the globe. During the2016 Summer Olympicsthe vanilla and cherry version was presented to selected markets in Brazil.Today, It can easily be distributed using aCoca-Cola Freestyle machine,which injects vanilla syrup into Coca-Cola

Reception and discontinuation

Its inaugural year in 2002 saw its best sales. It is estimated that the product was purchased by about 29% of all United States households that year. It still remains popular along with its flavored partner, Cherry Coca-Cola.Doubt was cast over the future of Vanilla Coke and its splinter beverages when the company announced the 2004 sales figures: 35 million unit cases inNorth Americacompared to 90 million in 2002; Vanilla Diet Coke dropped from 23 million unit cases in its inaugural year (2003) to 13 million in 2004.

Vanilla Coke as sold inMalaysia(January 2019)

In November 2005, after slumping sales, The Coca-Cola Company announced that Vanilla Coke would be discontinued inNorth AmericaandGreat Britainby the end of the year.Coca-Cola introducedBlack Cherry Vanilla Cokeand Diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke in North America in January 2006. At the time, the company said Vanilla Coke and Diet Vanilla Coke would possibly be made available again in the future:"We are exploring ways to bring them back at another time, but right now Diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke and Black Cherry Vanilla Coke are what consumers are telling us they want."Vanilla Coke beverages were never discontinued in some markets, such as Australia, France, Russia, Malaysia, and Germany.

From February 19, 2007, Vanilla Coke was re-introduced into New Zealand.The official re-introduction of Vanilla Coke in the US began May 25, 2007 at theWorld of Coca-ColaMuseum inAtlanta, Georgia.The Coca-Cola Company announced a partnership withEdy's Ice Creamto co-advertise with Coke on the launch, and featured a 10-ton Vanilla Coke float, which was certified by theGuinness World Recordsas the largestice cream floatin the world.A Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero has also been introduced. The re-released Coca-Cola Vanilla features a new packaging design. The advertising campaign for the revival used an instrumental cover of "Welcome Back".In 2007, Vanilla Coke was also introduced into China. It was also introduced in other countries in Europe and Asia. In June 2010, certain convenience stores in Ontario, Canada have re-introduced it by importing it from the neighbouring United States. Coca-Cola has made Coke Vanilla available in their Freestyle beverage machine in Canada; however, bottled and canned versions were not available until 2016.

Advert celebrating the re-launch of Coca-Cola Vanilla on the side of a double-decker bus in London

Coca-Cola initially stated that it had no plans to return Coca-Cola Vanilla to the United Kingdom despite high demand. Several inquiries were made throughout 2011 and 2012. Coca-Cola then thought about returning Vanilla Coca-Cola to the United Kingdom sooner or later. It was reintroduced on March as part of aPapa John'spromotional campaign before becoming available elsewhere.In April 2017, Vanilla Zero Sugar was made available in the UK.In May 2013, Coca-Cola Vanilla appeared in stores inRomania(imported), expanding to more stores through the year due to demand, without an official announcement from Coca-Cola. In July 2013, the drink re-appeared in stores aroundBelgiumand theNetherlandsas well. In October 2013, Coca-Cola Vanilla appeared in stores inCzech RepublicandSlovakia.In February 2015, it appeared in someTescostores inPoland,where it is also available inCarrefourshops. It can also be purchased in many shops inCanada,and is widely available inSweden,and also in some stores inFinland.In July 2018, Coca-Cola Vanilla re-appeared inRussiaas limited edition inMagnitsupermarkets,but due to high sales, it became available in all retail chains as a permanent product.In 2018, Coca-Cola confirmed the product's discontinuation in the UK in favour of Vanilla Zero Sugar.

Coca-Cola Vanilla was introduced in Lithuania by the end of 2015 for a limited time.

Product information

Nutritional

Average quantity	per 12 oz (≈355 mL)	per 100 mL (≈3.4 oz)
Energy	140 calories	44 calories
Protein	0 g	0 g
Fat, total	0 g	0 g
- saturated	5 g	0 g
Carbohydrates	39 g	11.0 g
- sugars	39 g	10.9 g
Sodium	25 mg	10 mg

Packaging

2007 U.S. Vanilla Coke bottles

Vanilla Coke was packaged in standard bottles in accordance with appropriate Coca-Cola packaging. For a brief period of time in mid-2003, the bottles that Vanilla Coke came in, which had before saidVanilla Coke,were changed simply toV(which matchedCherry Coke's new labeling showing a picture of a cherry).

As part of Coca-Cola's ongoing "One Brand" marketing campaign, a new U.S. packaging design for Coca-Cola Vanilla was introduced in January 2019. The new packaging follows the design principles already employed in the United States forCoca-Cola,Coca-Cola Zero Sugar,andCoca-Cola Life.The word "Coca-Cola" is superimposed upon a red disc with a light beige drop (representing a drop of vanilla syrup) below the text. The background color of the can or bottle is light beige in color. The word "Vanilla" is placed above the red disc, similar to the "Original Taste" text currently used on cans and bottles of original Coca-Cola.

Varieties

• Coca-Cola Vanilla (2002–05; 2007–present)
• Coca-Cola Vanilla Zero (2007–2019)
• Diet Coke Vanilla (2002–05)
• Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Vanilla (2017–present) UK, Sweden, New Zealand, US, Australia and Philippines

In late 2002, a sugar-free version,Diet Vanilla Coke,became available. In some countries, including Australia andNew Zealand,a similar drink is marketed as "Diet Coke with Vanilla" and in others is known as Coca-Cola light Vanilla (or Vanilla Coke Light) In 2005, the sugar-free product in the United States andCanadabecame "Diet Coke Vanilla," with more emphasis on the Diet Coke label. All varieties were discontinued in 2005 in the United States, Canada and theUnited Kingdom.Both varieties are still available inAustraliaandHong Kong.Coca-Cola Vanille (translation) is also available in France and Germany. A new Coke Vanilla Zero was introduced in 2007, along with regular Vanilla. Only these two are available in the United States. The company has not announced any plan to resume production of Diet Vanilla Coke. Diet Vanilla Coke is, however, available using aCoca-Cola Freestylemachine. Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Vanilla was made available in the UK in April 2017 in 1.75 L bottles, 330 mL cans, 500 mL bottles and multipack of cans.

Notes

• "Declining sales spell the end of Vanilla Coke". November 6, 2005.New Sunday Times,p. 14.
• Coca-Cola press releaseArchivedMarch 18, 2006, at theWayback MachineCoca-Cola Company.March 12, 2004. Retrieved January 11, 2006.
• Shea, SCoke adds VanillaB and T.October 18, 2002. Retrieved January 11, 2006.
• How about Vanilla Coke?CNN Money.April 1, 2002. Retrieved January 11, 2006.
• Coca-Cola unveils Vanilla CokeCNN Money.April 15, 2002. Retrieved January 11, 2006.
• Howard, TCoke pops top on new colasUSA Today.October 14, 2002. Retrieved January 11, 2006.
• Coca-Cola extracting Vanilla Coke in U.S.MSN.November 4, 2005. Retrieved January 11, 2006.
• Coke ditches three flavours in USBBC News.November 4, 2005. Retrieved January 11, 2006.
• Bhatnagar, PJoy of (Vanilla) Pepsi?CNN Money.November 4, 2005. Retrieved January 11, 2006.

External links

• Media related toCoca-Cola Vanillaat Wikimedia Commons
• Official website