Diet Coke Celebrates a Quarter Century!

Company News

New Delhi, July 9

Twenty-five years ago, Diet Coke burst onto the

scene and forever changed the beverage landscape. Today, the global brand is the #1 diet

sparkling beverage in the world, and its launch is viewed as one of the most successful in

beverage history.

"When Diet Coke debuted in 1982, the brand struck a chord by inviting people

to drink it'Just for the Taste of It.' Offering the authenticity of the Coca-Cola name

with no calories,Diet Coke was exactly what people wanted," said Katie Bayne, chief marketing

officer,Coca-Cola North America. "A quarter-century later, Diet Coke remains the

world's favorite no-calorie sparkling beverage and continues to refresh people every day with

the one-of-a-kind taste they love."

A Style All Its Own

From the beginning, Diet Coke has had a confident, sophisticated voice that

epitomizes adult style and a life well lived. A host of celebrities - including

chart-topping singers, athletes, actors and actresses and fashion models - have embraced Diet Coke as their

own. Many appeared in print, television and radio ads for Diet Coke marketing

campaigns over time. Diet Coke has been a sponsor of the Academy Awards®,

the biggest entertainment program on television, and the brand's current marketing campaign premiered

with three new commercials during this year's Oscars® telecast. The campaign, which carries

the tagline,"Yours, Diet Coke," shows how people feel about Diet Coke when they drink

it, and as importantly, how they feel when it's not there. The ads depict scenarios

that reinforce how Diet Coke is there for people who love the brand.

"Since its launch, Diet Coke has been synonymous with stylish

sophistication," said Bayne. "Through the years, Diet Coke marketing and advertising has reflected

and embraced pop culture, and the brand has become a global icon that embodies great cola

taste with an undeniable sense of style."

A Breakthrough Product and Positioning

Diet Coke helped define the low-calorie segment of the beverage industry at

a time when sales of "diet" beverages were a fraction of what they are today.

"For almost 100 years, until the introduction of Diet Coke, the flagship

Coca-Cola name had never been extended to another brand," said Philip

Mooney, Director, Archives, The Coca-Cola Company. "The launch of Diet Coke

pioneered groundbreaking product innovations in the beverage industry and

helped to accelerate the success of a Company that now offers more than 400

different beverage brands around the world."

Diet Coke has been an innovation leader for the past 25 years. Since the

launch of Caffeine-free Diet Coke®, the first extension of the Diet Coke brand, in

1983, Diet Coke has kept pace with its fans' changing desires for variety with new product offerings.

This tradition continues today with the introduction of Diet Coke Plus®, which provides a

great, refreshing taste and a good source of essential vitamins and minerals.

An Unconditional Loyalty for Their Brand

Much of Diet Coke's success can be attributed to the millions of Diet Coke

drinkers who profess unconditional loyalty and love for their favorite beverage. Many

people, like Samantha Dumond, of Roswell, Ga., jump-start their day with a Diet Coke and consider

the brand a trusted ally and an inextricable part of their lives.

"I've been drinking Diet Coke since I was a senior in high school, and every

morning I have one with breakfast," said Dumond, 34, a mother of two. "There is

nothing more refreshing than a cold Diet Coke to get my day started. I love my Diet Coke -just as

much as I love my husband ... almost."

Diet Coke fans also voice their dedication to the brand by joining fan

groups, such as "I Love Diet Coke" and "All Girls Love Diet Coke" on popular social networking

Web sites. Recently Diet Coke became part of a global phenomenon when countless videos

that showed people creating enormous "geysers" by combining Diet Coke and popular candy,

Mentos, were posted all over the Internet. Today, thousands of videos of the Diet Coke

and Mentos experiment are posted on YouTube alone.

A Global Phenomenon

Over the past 25 years, Diet Coke has become an international household

name,refreshing people around the world.

1982: Diet Coke is introduced on July 29 in a gala celebration from

the stage at Radio City Music Hall in New York. By 1983, Diet Coke becomes the #1 diet

sparkling beverage in the United States. Just six months after the U.S. launch, Diet

Coke - called Coca-Cola Light in some markets - debuts in Australia, Costa Rica, Great

Britain,Norway, South Africa and many other countries.

1984: Diet Coke becomes the #3 sparkling beverage in the United

States, a title it has held for more than 23 years. By 1986, Diet Coke becomes the #1 low-calorie

sparkling beverage in the world. Today the brand, including both Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Light, is

available in 173 countries and has a 40 percent share of the global diet sparkling beverage

segment.

A Celebration for Everyone

To celebrate the brand's quarter-century, limited edition vintage Diet Coke

T-shirts, 25th anniversary contour bottles and other commemorative items will be available

through My Coke Rewards(tm). Diet Coke fans can also enter to win several 25th

anniversary sweepstakes and contests in popular magazines, such as Condé Nast Traveler,

In Style and People.Special 25th anniversary Diet Coke silver sleek cans will be available

exclusively in the Atlanta area, Diet Coke's birthplace. Also, Diet Coke rolled out the red

carpet to celebrate its silver anniversary as part of the city's 4th of July celebration at the new

World of Coca-Cola and Centennial Olympic Park, which featured live jazz music and entertaining

dance performances.

"This 25th anniversary celebrates the long love affair between Diet Coke and

the loyal fans who have made it a global icon," said Bayne. "Millions of people around

the world have made Diet Coke part of their well-balanced lifestyle, and for decades to

come, we'll continue to refresh them with the great cola taste and style that they know and love."

For more information, please contact:

Reena Varghese

9910234004

Perfect Relations