Starlight, Star Bright: Coca-Cola offers a first-of-its-kind flavor, inspired by space

Estimated reading time: 3-4 minutes

Atlanta – The new Coca-Cola flavor is out of this world.

At least, that’s the idea behind Coca-Cola Starlight, a new limited-edition classic soda that comes with both plain and sugar-free.

Having decided to discontinue half of its portfolio a few years ago, and ditch outdated but beloved drinks including Tab and Odwalla, the soft drink giant has focused on promoting its core product, Coke. Starlight is the first drink from Coca-Cola Creations, a new innovation platform.

Unlike ‘cherry’ or ‘vanilla’, it’s not immediately clear how ‘starlight’ is supposed to taste. And therefore Redditors who have discovered photos of the new product online A few months ago we shared some theories about the flavor of the new drink. Some say they spotted the mysterious new product on retailers’ websites ahead of the official launch scheduled for next week.

Someone guessed raspberries, because “a quick Google search says space tastes like raspberries.” (Astronomers believe that the center of the galaxy tastes like raspberries and smells like rum, According to an article published in the Guardian in 2009. Tasty! And it’s not a bad idea for Coca-Cola, which releases high-speed versions of its drinks left and right). YouTuber who tried the product Noted yet tastes “chocolate (and) graham cracker”. This led another Redditor to guess that the flavor is “s’mores.”

On Thursday, Coca-Cola finally cracked the mystery. Somewhat. The company’s explanation is… Well, see for yourself: The “space-inspired” Starlight has “reminiscent of star-like notes around a campfire, as well as a cooling sensation that evokes the feeling of a cold trip into space,” the company said in a statement.

So yeah, maybe s’mores?

Coca-Cola Starlight combines the great taste of Coca-Cola with a dash of the unexpected, including a red hue.

-Coca Cola

Also, it is red. Or as the company puts it, “The Coca-Cola Starlight combines the great taste of Coca-Cola with a dash of the unexpected, including a reddish hue.”

For this reporter, after tasting a sample of the company’s sugar-free version, the last sentence sums it up. The drinks didn’t taste like space travel or sitting around a campfire. However, it did taste like a sweeter version of Coca-Cola. It is definitely red.

Starlight is getting the full promotional treatment for Coca-Cola Creations, which includes a digital marketing campaign featuring pop singer Ava Max.

Coca-Cola’s New Marketing Strategy

Last year, Coca-Cola launched a new brand platform called “Real Magic”. The idea is to take a slightly different approach to marketing cola – one that tries to reach new consumers by focusing on games and music, among other things. Coca-Cola Creations, which will offer “new, time-limited products and experiences across the physical and digital worlds,” is part of that platform.

“When we launched Real Magic, we wanted to connect and celebrate experiences that bring joy to young people today, and that took us into an exciting new territory,” said Oana Vlad, Senior Director of Global Brand Strategy at Coca. – Cola said in a statement Thursday.

For Coca-Cola, reaching young consumers is essential because interest in soft drinks has been declining for years. Exciting new campaigns and obscure products can be a way to attract potential new customers to the attention.

So what does that mean? In the case of Starlight, it means a 3D concert by Ava Max, who has also given a show on the Roblox gaming platform. The concert can be accessed via the QR code on the Starlight label. In addition to the bright packaging and this reddish color.

But not everything about Starlight is new. It’s also a reference to the time of Coca-Cola in fact Send a can of Coca-Cola to space in the eighties. But it tasted like Coca-Cola.

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