Coca-Cola Ireland has launched Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and its bottlers division is rolling out its Deep RiverRock flavoured waters sugar-free, with no calories. The move is made ahead of the Budget and the Finance Minister Michael Noonan’s plan to introduce a sugar tax. The new recipe is said to bring Coca-Cola Zero Sugar closer to the taste of original Coca-Cola Classic, but without sugar. The launch is being supported by a strong marketing campaign.
New out of home ads across Ireland from October 10 will feature the new packaging design and use similar emotive images and language to drive home the message that Coca-Cola Zero Sugar “Tastes more like Coke, looks more like Coke”. The ads will also feature in cinemas nationwide. In response to consumer feedback, Deep RiverRock Forest Fruits and Lemon and Lime have a new recipe, the strawberry flavour – but sugar free and with no calories to appease the more health conscious consumer.
Introduced to the market last year, Deep RiverRock Strawberry is the newest variant of the flavoured range but the first to be introduced with no sugar. Oonagh Gildea, marketing manager, Deep RiverRock, said in recent years the brand has invested in innovation to expand the range. Over 40 per cent of Coca-Cola carbonated drinks sold in Ireland are now lower in sugar or are sugar free. The strategy is to increase the figure to over 50 per cent by 2020.
