Stuck in a time warp

Coca-Cola Truck, Vancouver, BC

Coca-Cola Truck, Vancouver, BC (Detail)

The 1985 introduction of "New Coke" was either a recognition of failure in the face of a loss of market share to Pepsi, or a brilliant strategy to reinvigorate a brand that had grown old and stale.

From the introduction in 1985, until its final demise in 2002, "New Coke" was never a brand that got much love from the public. Consumers were overjoyed with the reintroduction of "Coke Classic" and it took until 2009 for the word "classic" to final be removed from Coke's packaging in North America.

So why does the Coca-Cola van still bear the "Coca-Cola Classic" brand on the side?