BITE Insight

An ice-cold can of full-fat Coke is, for many, a guilty pleasure. A treat on a boiling hot day, a nostalgic nod to summer holidays past. But, as our understanding of the effects of sugar has shifted, so too has our perception of fizzy drinks.

The word sugar now carries with it a degree of negativity as its presence in fizzy drinks frequently results in an oft drawn link between the drinks and obesity, especially in children. For Coke, this posed a challenge. How to encourage people to still enjoy it?

MKTG worked with Coca-Cola to conduct the UK’s largest ever wet sampling campaign to introduce Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. The switch in the name from Zero to Zero Sugar more obviously communicates the drink’s lack of sugar to the consumer, an important distinction post the introduction of the sugar tax.

The campaign saw MKTG set up a chilled distribution network, recruiting 1,500 brand ambassadors, hosting over 1,400 activations across the UK as well as recycling nearly five million aluminium cans. They activated at various music festivals over the summer as well as setting up a live web/app reporting platform for campaign metrics.

With this campaign, MKTG championed the unbeatable power of face-to-face communication with real-life, real-time engagement.  They also designed a system to manage the sampling’s effectiveness. The most important and reassuring message behind the campaign is that Zero Sugar still tastes like Coke: “Same great Coke taste, Zero Sugar”.