Dear The Coca-Cola Company:
On July 26, your company announced that Coke Zero was to be replaced with a new recipe, resulting in the drink Coke Zero Sugar. The announcement initiated conversation on multiple social media platforms as Coke Zero drinkers anticipated what the changes would mean for them. Since the release of the product the feedback has garnered both positive and negative results.
In accordance to the release, I have monitored and analyzed a sample collection of 150 tweets stemming from Coco-Cola’s hashtag #CokeZeroSugar on Twitter. In order to monitor the feedback, I examined the tweets and replies posted using the hashtag. The sample tweets were collected on September 15. The tweets collected were posted between August 31 and September 10, 2017. The results yielded both negative and positive commentary and allowed for further content analysis through trending keywords.
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The findings, as seen in Graph A, show that there is an overwhelming negative sentiment in regards to your company’s decision to replace Coke Zero with Coke Zero Sugar. The data reveals that 78% of the consumers on Twitter that had tried the new product responded negatively to the change. Of the 150 tweets, 17% yielded positive results, and roughly 5% conveyed neutral tones on the matter.
Upon examination of the tweet samples, it was found that the majority of the keywords fell under the 78% of users that held negative feelings towards the change. Keywords such as “awful” and “bring back” were prevalent throughout the 116 tweets. Hashtags #NewCoke and #CokeZero were used heavily as consumers compared the changing of the recipe to the 1984 recipe that sparked a similar negative outcry. Nearly 40% of the negative responses expressed a desire for Coca-Cola to bring back the original Coke Zero recipe, and 3% unsatisfied consumers compared the product to competitor Pepsi, causing Pepsi and Pepsi products to become keywords in the search.
Based on the research conducted through this study I have been able to devise two recommendations to aid your company in moving forward with the future of this product.
- Consider revising the recipe or bringing back Coke Zero: Your consumer base is asking for the old product to be brought back. If this cannot be done, then consider revising the recipe in order to make it more appealing to your consumers. Many complained of the aftertaste and a “tingling” feeling being left in their mouth after consuming Coke Zero Sugar. This in turn prompted several consumers to turn to Pepsi products for comparison.
- Do not apply to same changes to other Coca-Cola products: Consumers expressed concern about talk that other beloved Coca-Cola products would have the same recipe change applied to them. This sparked conversation in the Twitter threads that Coca-Cola was repeating “New Coke” from 1984 decision that similarly garnered negative feedback.
I look forward to hearing your company’s feedback on my analysis pertaining to Coke Zero Sugar.
Communication Connection 