Is There Hope for Protein Diet Coke?

on the fridge cigarettes and why Coke won the soda wars

Just a few unfiltered thoughts on a Sunday.

As we see the rise of protein sodas, (see brands like Feisty and Vuum) I’ve started to wonder if there might be a future where we see a protein Diet Coke. I’ve got Coca-Cola on the mind recently not just because of the return of Cherry Coke, but this week everyone was talking about Diet Coke as “fridge cigarettes.” I think Coca-Cola is number one soda n ithe US for a reason, without really trying, the company is able to remain a cultural staple in American households, across generations. Even as millennials passed through the better-for-you chasm, they’ve held their Diet Coke’s close, with GenZ seeing it as a literal cigarette break, a necessary vice.

It’s crazy to think how much Liquid Death has had to raise and spend across almost a decade to seemingly be doing less in sales than something like a Poppi, considering they are a basic commodity, water, or maybe that is the issue in itself, wherein brand doesn’t really matter. Initially the moat was around the debauchery of a brand called Liquid Death, and how anti-playbook it was in the space by cosplaying vice. Yet somehow, people attribute a more thrilling sense of vice to something like a Diet Coke, which is something the company eshewds, think of all the corporate red tape.

Similarly in wellness, you see people tout Diet Coke usage in workouts, despite the aspartame issue and last year, social media had people mixing Diet Coke with Core Power, as a protein dirty soda, so it’s not that farfetched to imagine that they would eventually give people what they want? I would love to see how Simply prebiotic sodas are performing, and if you have any details on that I’d love to chat. I feel like Americans would be bullish on a protein Diet Coke, maybe it’s also a way for them to hedge against GLP-1s.

If anyone from Coca-Cola wants to talk more about this, hit me up.