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Long before the “Diet” prefix became synonymous with Coke, there was TaB—it was the original diet soda of The Coca-Cola Company before Diet Coke took over the market.
The history of TaB went from a diet soda newcomer to a nostalgic icon that spanned nearly six decades before its discontinuation in 2020.
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In the early 1960s, America was experiencing a cultural revolution; it was also facing new health issues related to obesity and sugar consumption.
There was a burgeoning market for diet drinks with No-Cal (1952), Diet Rite (1958), and Patio Diet Cola (1963).
The Coca-Cola Company seeing the success of these earlier brands decided to create their own diet drink with artificial sugars to tap into the market.
To come up with a name, they used a computer to sift through 185,000 potential names before selecting “TaB,” as it was a fun play on words to “keep tabs” on your weight.
TaB was invented and launched in 1963. The company scientists did their best to hold true to a classic cola taste while getting rid of all the harmful sugar.
It was a success from the start.
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The first recipe of TaB relied on an artificial sweetener called cyclamates until their 1969 U.S. ban. They were forced to switch quickly to saccharin.
The reformulation didn’t last long. In the early 1970s, Tab faced another setback. Studies were linking saccharin to bladder cancer in rats. It forced Coca-Cola to put warning labels on TaB, like a pack of cigarettes.
Luckily, it continued to be the best-selling diet soda in 1982.
Finally, they took saccharin out of TaB. In 1984, Coca-Cola introduced Nutrasweet (aspartame) into its new recipe. Not everyone was happy, but it was better than putting that bladder cancer warning on the label.
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TaB had many savvy marketing campaigns that capitalized on growing health consciousness within the female market.
Here are some of TaB’s most famous slogans:
This slogan linked TaB to being physically attractive in society.
The simple tagline focused on TaB’s low-calorie content, making it a smart choice for consumers.
This campaign helped TaB by introducing a hint of attitude to attract a younger demographic.
Coca-Cola wanted to highlight both taste and low calories—the slogan also tried to show that TaB was good and didn’t lack flavor.
This slogan tapped into the fitness craze of the 1980s, showing that TaB could correlate with keeping your figure.
The tagline sought to maintain TaB’s image for the aesthetically-minded.
This campaign positioned TaB as an enabler of a fabulous lifestyle. The drink was also trying to market to a new young millennial generation.
In the early 1990s, there was a trend of clear beverages hitting the grocery shelves—major players like Coca-Cola and Pepsi followed the trend by making their own clear beverages.
The soda giants created TaB Clear and Crystal Pepsi, respectively. These drinks were apparently the same but without the colored modifiers.
Why? There was a perception that clear drinks were healthier and more natural, leading to a new era of the Cola Wars.
However, the clear soda craze proved short-lived.
TaB Clear and Crystal Pepsi were both discontinued within a few years as sales started to plummet.
The Coca-Cola Company would experiment with other TaB variations and flavors as well.
The company expanded the TaB line in the 1970s with six new flavors:
In 1983, Coca-Cola launched a caffeine-free version of TaB for those sensitive to caffeine.
Seeing the energy market take shape, in 2006, they introduced TaB Energy. It was a more powerful TaB akin to Red Bull.
TaB enjoyed success in the beginning until the launch of Diet Coke in 1982.
People loved Diet Coke’s flavor profile—it was closer to the original Coca-Cola—but without the sugar.
Diet Coke quickly dominated the company’s low-calorie offerings. It was TaB’s parent company that would ultimately give TaB the competition it couldn’t handle.
By 2011, Tab’s production had dwindled to just 3 million cases annually. It was a fraction of Diet Coke’s whopping 885 million cases.
TaB continued to have a loyal following, but it would always be different. Its market position continued to weaken over the years as Coca-Cola focused most of its resources on Diet Coke.
In the following years, they would launch Coca-Cola Zero Sugar—taking even more precious market share from Tab.
It was a slow roll to obscurity.
After a 57-year run, Coca-Cola finally announced the discontinuation of TaB in late 2020. The reason? They said they were trying to streamline its portfolio during the COVID-19 pandemic.
TaB enjoyed immense popularity in the 1970s and 80s before facing declining sales after the launch of Diet Coke.
Despite Coca-Cola’s reduced focus, TaB maintained a fiercely loyal following for decades, inspiring a 2008 documentary and showcasing fans’ dedication to obtaining their favorite drink.
Currently, loyal fans have created efforts like the “Save TaB Soda” campaign to convince the company to reverse its decision.
Are the doors closed shut for TaB forever?
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