Coca-Cola would remove the "classic" name from its flagship brand, writing the final chapter in one of the greatest marketing blunders in US business history, the world's biggest soft-drink maker said on Friday.
The word "classic" appeared on Coca-Cola bottles and cans only in the US. It was removed from the small bottles in limited test markets and would come off all products by mid-year to make the company's packaging consistent worldwide, said spokesperson Scott Williamson.
In April 1985, Coca-Cola introduced New Coke, changing the secret formula that was first introduced in 1886, when John Stith Pemberton made the syrup and sold it to a pharmacy.
"To hear some tell it, April 23, 1985, was a day that will live in marketing infamy," the company says on its website.
"That's the day the Coca-Cola Company that it was changing the formula for the world's most popular soft drink, and spawning consumer angst the likes of which no business has ever seen."
Backlash over the switch led Coca-Cola to put the Classic version on the market alongside New Coke within three months, the company said. New Coke was eventually withdrawn in the US.
"The reason for 'classic' as a descriptor has all but disappeared," said Williamson. - Bloomberg