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Vanilla Coke (also known as Coca-Cola Vanilla, and, for a time in the summer of 2003, V) is the soft drink Coca-Cola made to a recipe with extra vanilla. It was available as early as the 1950s at many soda fountains and restaurants, which added the flavoring themselves. Mass production began for the United States market on May 15, 2002, as part of competitive plans against rival Pepsi and other soft drink producers. By 2004, the company had marketed Vanilla Coke in over 30 countries around the globe. The introduction of the vanilla flavor was hailed by the Coca-Cola Company as "the greatest innovation since Diet Coke in 1983" . It was announced in late 2005 that the company would be phasing out the product in the United States and United Kingdom markets.
History Ordinary Coca-Cola already contains small amounts of vanilla. The Coca-Cola Company first tested a Coca-Cola blend with extra vanilla flavoring at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee. After the introduction of Cherry Coke and the failure of New Coke the company was hesitant to introduce anything radically new. It was not until early April of 2002 that rumors began to circulate that the Coca-Cola 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 a London-based newspaper, "We've always got a number of things in development," leaving open speculation for what was to develop. The company began mass-producing Vanilla Coke (also known as Coca-Cola Vanilla) for the United States market on May 15, 2002, as part of competition plans against arch-rival Pepsi and other soft drink producers. As of 2003, Vanilla Coke was marketed in European countries as well as Australia and New Zealand (in mid-to-late-2002). By 2004, the company had marketed Vanilla Coke in over 30 countries around the globe. Marketing campaign The marketing campaign for Vanilla Coke aimed to appeal across all generations. Yolanda Ball, brand manager for Coca-Cola Classic, commented that "We had to learn how to balance the newness of vanilla with the established qualities of Coca-Cola". Vanilla Coke debuted at the Vanilla Bean Café, locally known as "the Bean," in the scenic town of Pomfret, Connecticut. The diet variety would be directed primarily at middle-aged women. Product information Nutritional
Packaging 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 said Vanilla Coke, were changed simply to V. Afterwards, the original labeling was resumed, though the "V"-Labelling is still used occasionally. Varieties In late 2002, a sugar free version of the soft drink, Diet Vanilla Coke, arrived on supermarket shelves. In some countries, including Australia and New Zealand, a similar drink is marketed as "Diet Coke with Vanilla." In 2005, the sugar-free product in the United States and Canada became "Diet Coke Vanilla," with more emphasis on the Diet Coke label. All varieties were discontinued in 2006 in the United States and the United Kingdom. Both varieties are still available in Australia. Reception Its inaugural year in 2002 was unsurprisingly its best. It is estimated that the product was purchased by about 29% of all United States households that year. It has been speculated some of the reason that Vanilla Coke was not received as well as Coca-Cola had hoped was because while many enjoyed the Vanilla flavor, it was frequently associated as tasting like Cream Soda mixed with Coke. Discontinuation Doubt was cast over the future of Vanilla Coke and its splinter beverages as it was revealed that 2004 sales amounted to 35 million unit cases in North America, compared to 90 million in its inaugural year. Vanilla Diet Coke dropped by almost half since debuting in 2003 with 23 million unit cases sold, it fell to just 13. On November 3, 2005, the Cola-Cola Company announced that Vanilla Coke and its diet counterpart would be discontinued in the United Kingdom by early 2006. A day later it was announced that it would be phased out in North America by the end of 2005. Coca-Cola introduced Black Cherry Vanilla Coke and Diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke in North America in January 2006. The company said Vanilla Coke and Diet Vanilla Coke may 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." Coke ditches three flavours in US BBC News. November 4, 2005. Retrieved January 11 2006. Vanilla Coke beverages are still produced in markets like Australia. Notes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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