# Coke Zero!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [September 13, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488 "2005-09-13T21:14:53Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@cardsfan1975](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardsfan1975)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/1 "2005-09-13T21:14:53Z")
Here at work, on the soda machine in the breakroom, somebody taped the following note:
“Please add Coke Zero to the selection of sodas in this vending machine”
Now, my question is:
Should I write on said note “Coke Zero is already an available selection in this vending machine. It’s called Diet Coke”?
Or should I let this person feel like they’re getting a different product, when really all they’re doing is being duped by a marketing gimmick?
cf’75
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### Author:  [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2005, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/2 "2005-09-13T21:21:59Z")
Umm… Coke Zero definitely has a taste that is light years away from Diet Coke. In fact, I much prefer it to Diet Coke.
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### Author:  [@cardsfan1975](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardsfan1975)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/3 "2005-09-13T21:23:52Z")
I guess when I say it’s already available as Diet Coke, I’m looking at nutrition information.
I don’t know. They just seemed like the same thing to me.
cf’75
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### Author:  [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/4 "2005-09-13T21:31:13Z")
They taste totally different. Coke Zero tastes ALOT like regular Coke. Diet Coke does and always will taste exactly like Diet Coke.
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/5 "2005-09-13T21:32:24Z")
Posting such a note would make you look pretty dumb, frankly.
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### Author:  [@THespos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/THespos)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/6 "2005-09-13T21:33:51Z")
Taste it. It’s kinda cool.
It tastes like regular Coke until the aftertaste kicks in.
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### Author:  [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2005, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/7 "2005-09-13T21:39:49Z")
It’s a different product, and no doubt is every bit as different in taste as any two colas are. That is, not all that much, but enough that some people have definite preferences. I don’t see why you have a problem with that.
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### Author:  [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2005, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/8 "2005-09-13T22:00:19Z")
Man, I love that Coke Zero.
Let’s not be too hard on [c]cardsfan\*\*, though. The Coca-Cola Company has done such a horrendous job marketing C0 that it’s no surprise someone has no idea what’s in that can. Too bad, too, because it’s already starting to dissapear from shelves, even though it is much, much better tasting than that Diet Coke swill.
FYI, **cardsfan** , Coke Zero is an artifically sweetened drink with the same “taste profile” as regular Coke. (That means they taste largely the same, although not identical.) Diet Coke is a much sweeter drink that has the same taste profile as the failed mid-'80’s New Coke. Diet Coke is flavored with aspartame (NutraSweet) these days, mostly, although Wikipedia says some fountains still use saccharin and the smoother-tasting Diet Coke with Splenda (sucralose) is making inroads. Coke Zero is sweetened with a mix of acesulfame potassium and aspartame. The two sweeteners have competing aftertastes which tend to cancel each other out, making (IMO) Coke Zero taste substantially less “chemically” than Diet Coke does.
Coke Zero has been sold for years in Europe and elsewhere as Coke Light.
–Cliffy
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### Author:  [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/9 "2005-09-13T22:05:38Z")
I don’t care for Coke Zero much and I do happen to think that it tastes like Diet Coke. Then again, I think a lot of Diet Colas taste alike. Coke C2 however, is great. It tastes extremely similar to regular Coke and it’s all I drink these days.
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### Author:  [@cardsfan1975](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardsfan1975)
#### Post date: [September 13, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/10 "2005-09-13T22:24:06Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Posting such a note would make you look pretty dumb, frankly.
That wouldn’t be the first time. :smack:
> [@](#):
>
> It’s a different product, and no doubt is every bit as different in taste as any two colas are. That is, not all that much, but enough that some people have definite preferences. I don’t see why you have a problem with that.
I don’t have a problem with it. I thought they were the same product, just named differently.
cf’75
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### Author:  [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2005, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/11 "2005-09-14T02:01:01Z")
> [@cardsfan1975](#):
>
> I thought they were the same product, just named differently.
Why on earth would they use two different names for the same product? That makes no sense; it’s hard enough to get consumers to associate a name with their (hopefully (to the producers) awesome) product, so it would make even less sense to confuse people by having two names for the same thing.
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### Author:  [@cardsfan1975](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardsfan1975)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2005, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/12 "2005-09-14T02:34:50Z")
> [@zweisamkeit](#):
>
> Why on earth would they use two different names for the same product? That makes no sense; it’s hard enough to get consumers to associate a name with their (hopefully (to the producers) awesome) product, so it would make even less sense to confuse people by having two names for the same thing.
I don’t know. Don’t ask me why.
But, just because it doesn’t make sense doesn’t mean that [it doesn’t happen.](http://archive.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/history/topic/77129-1.html)
cf’75
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### Author:  [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/13 "2005-09-14T04:31:00Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#):
>
> I don’t care for Coke Zero much and I do happen to think that it tastes like Diet Coke. Then again, I think a lot of Diet Colas taste alike. Coke C2 however, is great. It tastes extremely similar to regular Coke and it’s all I drink these days.
At the risk of being a dittohead (not the Limbaughian type, though!), same here. Coke 2 rocks, and I’m constantly on my local supermarket to stock it. It could definitely use an ad campaign boost, and if any regular Coke drinkers would like to cut their carb calorie intake by 1/2 without sacrificing anything to taste, Coke 2 is the only way to go.
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### Author:  [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2005, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/14 "2005-09-14T04:45:30Z")
> [@cardsfan1975](#):
>
> I don’t know. Don’t ask me why.
>
> But, just because it doesn’t make sense doesn’t mean that [it doesn’t happen.](http://archive.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/history/topic/77129-1.html)
>
> cf’75
I didn’t look all the way through that. But the first example - Hellman’s and Best Foods mayonnaise - well, the two products _aren’t_ exactly the same. They are manufactured by the same company, and for the most part aren’t sold in the same part of the country. But the recipes are slightly different, going back (IIRC) to before that company bought the two brands.
And it’s certainly the case that the same product sold in different countries or regions is often branded differently - but that makes sense, as what appeals to consumers in one area can be different from what appeals to those in another area. The DiGiorno pizza example, for instance, may be because “DiGiorno” sounds too close to something unpleasant in French (though nothing springs to my mind - my French ain’t that great.)
The Diet Coke/Coke Zero example is not like the others; it’s unusual for one product to be sold under two different names in the same market. It happens with generic products, which are often manufactured by the same folks who make the name brands, but they’re sold for different prices in order to permit the company to more efficiently market to different groups of consumers. Since I’m guessing Coke Zero and Diet Coke cost about the same, this wouldn’t be a likely explanation either.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2005, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/15 "2005-09-14T05:27:48Z")
> [@Hello Again](#):
>
> Diet Coke does and always will taste exactly like Diet Coke.
i.e., like the nectar of the gods. 🆒
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### Author:  [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2005, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/16 "2005-09-14T06:08:47Z")
> [@Cliffy](#):
>
> Let’s not be too hard on **cardsfan** , though.
Dude, F’ that! He’s a _ **Cardinals** _ fan.
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### Author:  [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2005, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/17 "2005-09-14T06:39:47Z")
We currently are graced with both _Coke Zero_ and _Sprite Zero_. Coke Zero is closer in taste to Coke, Diet Coke is closer in taste to Tab. Sprite Zero, well, it tastes like Sprite.
We breathlessly await Zero Versions of all things Coke, including Pibb Zero, and just to fuck with you, Diet Coke Zero.
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### Author:  [@cardsfan1975](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cardsfan1975)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/18 "2005-09-14T13:59:02Z")
> [@Omniscient](#):
>
> Dude, F’ that! He’s a _ **Cardinals** _ fan.
You’re right. I don’t need to be cut any slack for that.
If I was a Cubs fan though… 😃
cf’75
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### Author:  [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/19 "2005-09-14T14:18:15Z")
Coke Zero tastes like chemicals to me.
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### Author:  [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2005, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coke-zero/321488/20 "2005-09-14T14:48:24Z")
(Pauses to take a sip of the Coke Zero currently sitting on his desk)
I love the stuff. This is the first time I have actively tried to promote a product that wasn’t a tv show or movie.
I can’t let this stuff fail. It is like a non-diet soda, with zero calories.
Now, I can’t blame the OP for his/her confusion.
As we discussed in another Coke Zero thread (there have been a few), the marketing on this product has been dreadful. Instead of disucssing the philosophical implications of taking a chill, they should just say, it tastes like Coke and not Diet Coke. The can could have also looked a little more distinctive. It kind of looks like a Diet Coke can.
Plus, Sprite Zero seems the product formerly known as Diet Sprite. There is zero (heh) difference in taste. I am not even sure they make a product called Diet Sprite anymore. If they do, they must bottle them from the same tap and slap on different labels.
If that was intentional, it was a poor marketing idea. The “Zero” label should have been for sodas that taste or attempt to taste very similar to the non-diet version. Changing Diet Sprite to Sprite Zero goes against that.
Now everybody chill and have a Coke Zero (DAMN! I’ve been branded!)
[sub]
> [@](#):
>
> … just to fuck with you, Diet Coke Zero.
Man, that blows my mind![/sub]
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