This post is part of our Hottest Products of 2007 feature. Also check out our other Hottest Products of 2007 posts and let us know which product you think is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Amidst the blizzard of new, reformulated, ginseng-and-caffeine-enhanced, electrolyte-balanced, energy-providing drinks flooding the grocery store shelves is one new hit product that thrives for one simple reason -- it tastes better than its competitors. For Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Coke Zero, meant to emulate the taste of original Coke instead of the flavor of Diet Coke, has been a home run.
First launched in 2005, the brand did not catch fire until the company recast the brand this year with an edgier image. The ad campaign by Caren Pasquale Seckler Crispin Porter Bogusky, in which supposed Coke executives tried to sue Coke Zero for "taste infringement" appealed to a younger demographic. Other keys to the brand were the introduction of its black can and the removal of the word "diet," a term that young males do not respond to.
While core Coke brands are losing market share (Coke Classic, for example, was down 0.3% in 2006), Zero's sales are up 34% from the same time last year. Overall, the drink has already grabbed 1.3% of the U.S. carbonated drink market. Zero's quick acceptance has helped buoy the company's prospects, making it a worthy selection as one the Hottest (and coolest) Products of 2007.
If you've had some experience with this product, let us know about it. Or if you know of something else that you think is one of the Hottest Products of 2007, feel free to tell us about that as well.











Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
11-22-2007 @ 4:20AM
Richard Fabre said...
I am a borderline diabetic and coke Zero fits perfectly into my sugar free diet. I am a social drinker and Zero goes perfect with Vodka or Rum. The only time I drink diet coke is when I cannot get Coke Zero.
11-27-2007 @ 11:08AM
Britt said...
Delta now has Coke Zero on all flights. It is the best diet soda I have ever tasted. I won't even drink a Diet Coke anymore.
12-14-2007 @ 8:22AM
Katy3363 said...
I agree with Richard. This is really great for diabetics.There is only one problem--stores do not stock enough Cherry Coke Zero. I have been in the stores when they are restocking shelves and only put up 4 cases. Make more, stock more, and I will definitely buy more.
11-22-2007 @ 6:17AM
Mike said...
Coke Zero is very good in a bottle or can. But from the fountain, it tasted awful, which was surprising.
11-23-2007 @ 2:34PM
Mike said...
It doesn't surpise me at all, that Cke Zero is a hit. When I first tasted it, I knew the drink was a winner.
11-23-2007 @ 6:03PM
Roger W Bean said...
Coke Zero has been a very pleasant surprise to us. The taste is so much like original Coke and so little like Diet Coke which I never really liked. It's nice to have a pleasant surprise such as this.
11-24-2007 @ 12:12AM
lily said...
Of course it's a hot product it's massively addictive. I had to stop drinking it because it was all I thought about from the minute I got up in the morning until I went to bed. I've actually seen store shelves emptied of it more than once. It's got something in it that makes people need it. I wonder how hot it will be when that little something is exposed to the public. I'm not an addictive personality type AT ALL and this stuff had me addicted after one bottle. I've read plenty of comments that say the same thing
11-27-2007 @ 10:12AM
Lane said...
I've been a Pepsi drinker all of my life, but when I tried Coke Zero early thid year, I was hooked and it's all I buy. The taste is SOOO much better than Pepsi One and diet Coke
11-27-2007 @ 10:15AM
Melissa said...
I absolutely love love Coke Zero!! I have not touched a regular Coke in almost two years. I was a die hard Coke drinker (since child hood, I prob drank coke out of my bottle, no just kidding)and despised the taste of Diet Coke. I found the Coke Zero 2 years ago and have never turned back. I just wish it was available everywhere, only certain stores carry it and half the time the stores are out of it. I do have to agree that it does not taste good from the fountain at Wendy's.
11-27-2007 @ 10:43AM
Nancy Ferraro said...
I was a died-in-the-wool COKE CLASSIC fan. No diet products for me. BY ACCIDENT I picked up a pack of COKE ZERO. My son asked me if I had gone over to the other side. I had no idea what he was talking about until he said "you bought a DIET soda." No I didn't!!! I was adamant. Well he was correct of course. I now ONLY BUY COKE ZERO. Tastes like the "classic" and that is all I care about it. WAY TO GO COKE PEEPS!!!!!
11-27-2007 @ 10:55AM
Maureen said...
I have always been a coke drinker...drank it all the time. I tried all the other diet cokes but never found one that I really enjoyed until I found coke zero. I just wish they would make caffine free zero. I do drink a lot of them and I dont need all that caffine.
11-27-2007 @ 11:09AM
Donna said...
I thought Zero had some sugar in it, does it?
Donna
11-27-2007 @ 11:16AM
EIPHNH said...
Coke zero seems too good to be true it tastes just like Coke Classic, if not better! But I have to admit and agree with many others that it is EXTREMELY addictive.....(I dare you to take just one sip!)
11-27-2007 @ 11:20AM
Danielle said...
I love Cherry Coke Zero! I think it's the BEST thing they have come out with in a long time! I hate diet anything and Cherry Coke has always been my favorite so now I can still have it without all the calories!
11-27-2007 @ 11:36AM
Tara said...
I don't know what planet everyone else is on, but this does taste like a diet soda to me!
Granted, I do like diet soda.
However there's NO way it tastes "just like" regular Coke. No way.
I do like a regular Coke once in a while and I do like Diet Coke as well... Coke Zero is good too but PLEASE people it's not the same as Coke.
Its got Splenda instead of Nutrasweet, and I suppose people like Splenda better. To me the taste is very similar to Diet, but I'm not complaining.
IT STILL DOESNT TASTE THE SAME!
As for addictive... All fake sugar products are just as, if not more, addictive than regular sugar. And the caffeine level is of course addictive.
11-27-2007 @ 11:58AM
J said...
It did take a little getting used to for me, but by the third day I was fine with Coke Zero. It's way better than diet soda. I too have seen holes on the shelves at stores where people have bought it up. I just wish they served it when you go out to eat. The only plca ei know that has it is Chipotle. My boyfriend has lost a little weight since switching to Coke Zero. I'm hoping it does stick.
11-27-2007 @ 12:28PM
Meg said...
This product tastes just like the Coke did in 1959.
I really can't tell it is diet but then in 59 nothing had to be as sweet as it does today.
I do not like diet drinks but can really say this is the best thing Coke has put out.
Thank you.
11-27-2007 @ 1:01PM
VICKI said...
I have a hard time believing all these positive comments about Coke Zero. I love both Diet Coke and especially Classic Coke, but Coke Zero is just gross. It doesn't taste "exactly like Classic Coke" at all. It's just nasty. Bleeck!
11-27-2007 @ 1:20PM
Defmall said...
Coke is an awesome company, and Coke Zero is going to shake up the market moving forward! I write about Coke and their products often on my www.SodaIsGood.blogspot blog, and even created a website dedicated to the "Cola Wars" here: www.Squidoo.com/CokevsPepsi
11-27-2007 @ 1:30PM
Sarah said...
There is a major diffrerence in taste between
Coke Classic and Coke Zero. I hate Coke Zero.