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In the early 2000s, coffee chains like Starbucks were rapidly expanding across urban centers.
Traditional soda companies watched and wept as their market share eroded away to coffee.
The success of coffee with the rising popularity of energy drinks like Red Bull led Coca-Cola to launch Coca-Cola BlāK.
Coca-Cola BlāK was invented in the early 2000s in the Coca-Cola Labs of Atlanta, Georgia.
The food scientists were able to combine two popular beverages, coffee and cola, into one product.
The Coca-Cola Company chose France as a test market for Coca-Cola BlāK, the thinking being that if it could gain success in a country renowned for culinary sophistication, it would validate the product on the global stage.
It was launched in 2006.
This was also a time when consumers were actively seeking novel flavor experiences and cross-cultural products.
Coca-Cola BlāK attempted to appeal to traditional Coca-Cola fans while capturing the growing coffee market.
To do this, they came up with the name “BlāK”, which was deliberately styled to convey sophistication and a trend toward minimalism.
Coca-Cola used a packaging design that featured a distinctive black bottle that maintained Coca-Cola’s signature contour shape.
It was a groundbreaking move for conventional bottle aesthetics.
Critics were largely unimpressed with Coca-Cola BlāK.
Many described it as a flat Coke combined with stale coffee.
Consumers didn’t like its artificial aftertaste, primarily from the aspartame used as its sweetener.
One reviewer noted that “the cola flavor overpowered the coffee essence” and said, “It’s as if they’ve taken the heart out of both coffee and cola!”
Coca-Cola BlāK’s marketing targeted a sophisticated adult pallet that was health-conscious and novel-seeking.
Coca-Cola positioned it as a premium cola/coffee brand.
PR nightmare: They chose the slogan, “The taste of the black experience,” for their marketing campaigns.
The slogan gained controversy as it sparked criticism for oversimplifying complex cultural identities.
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Hazy marketing: It also suffered from unclear positioning and a muddled marketing narrative.
At the time of the launch, energy drinks and herbal teas were gaining popularity among young people.
Brands like Red Bull and Rockstar were the cool kids in town.
There was also market saturation in the coffee market.
Coffee chains in urban areas led to consumer fatigue in coffee—nobody was looking for a new coffee product.
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Coca-Cola BlāK was discontinued in 2008.
It was an early unsuccessful attempt at combining coffee and cola flavors.
While it failed commercially, it provided valuable market insights, and there were dedicated fans.
Over a decade later, Coca-Cola launched “Coca-Cola with Coffee” as a refined version of the concept.
They learned the lessons learned from BlāK’s experience and adapted to modern consumer preferences.
You can still find Coca-Cola with Coffee on the shelves today, though it’s more of a niche product in a very saturated market.
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