   new coke was the reformulation of coca-cola introduced in 1985 by the coca-cola company to replace the original formula of its flagship soft drink, coca-cola (also called coke). new coke originally had no separate name of its own, but was simply known as "the new taste of coca-cola" until 1992 when it was renamed coca-cola ii. the american public's reaction to the change was negative and the new cola was a major marketing failure. the subsequent reintroduction of coke's original formula, re-branded as "coca-cola classic", resulted in a significant gain in sales. this led to speculation that the introduction of the new coke formula was just a marketing ploy; however the company has always claimed it was merely an attempt to replace the original product. ==history== ===background=== just after world war ii, the market share for the coca-cola company's flagship beverage was 60%. by 1983, it had declined to under 24%, largely because of competition from pepsi-cola. pepsi had begun to outsell coke in supermarkets; coke maintained its edge only through soda vending machines and fast food restaurants. market analysts believed baby boomers were more likely to purchase diet drinks as they aged and remained health- and weight-conscious. therefore, any future growth in the full-calorie segment had to come from younger drinkers, who at that time favored pepsi and its sweetness by even more overwhelming margins than the market as a whole.;ibid., 40 when roberto goizueta took over as ceo in 1980, he pointedly told employees there would be no sacred cows in how the company did its business, including how it formulated its drinks.newsweek, july 22, 1985: 39. ===market research=== thumb|right|250px|one of coke's ads to promote the flavor change. coca-cola's most senior executives commissioned a secret effort named "project kansas" â headed by marketing vice president sergio zyman and brian dyson, president of coca-cola usa â to test and perfect the new flavor for coke itself. it took its name from a famous photo of that state's renowned journalist william allen white drinking a coke; the imagephoto of kansas journalist william allen white drinking a coke had been used extensively in its advertising and hung on several executives' walls.hays, constance; the real thing:truth and power at the
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