Where Brands Get Their Edge

Coke Zero used to be easy to spot: red can, black text. Coca-Cola's new one-brand packaging system takes that away, and the problem isn't aesthetic — it's navigational.

Borzou is a brand-unity guy on the record. Cohesiveness, one system, one direction — he wants all of it. But packaging isn't a mood board. Its first job is helping someone in a grocery aisle grab the right can in under a second, and Coca-Cola spent a decade training everyone that black text means Zero. Now the only reliable difference is small type in the bottom corner.

Amanda's verdict: they should sue themselves for trademark infringement, because this is confusing.

There's history worth knowing here. Coke Zero exists because Diet Coke tastes chemically, and it was originally meant to replace Diet Coke — Americans just liked Diet Coke too much to let it go. Go to Europe and it's essentially all Coke Zero. That three-way split gave Coca-Cola a color system that worked: gray for Diet, white text for regular, black text for Zero. The new system flattens it.

Then the episode goes fully off the rails, in the best way.

THEY COVER:

  • Why packaging is navigation first and identity second
  • The difference between consistency and sameness, and why only one is a strategy
  • Coke Zero's origin story, and why Diet Coke survived in the US but not Europe
  • What it costs to un-teach a visual cue you spent years teaching
  • Whether a small wordmark in the corner can carry the whole distinction (it can't)
  • Borzou's theory that elevators without buttons say something about the institution
  • Amanda's safety drink, an aspartame confession, and a warning to Diet Coke loyalists

CHAPTERS:

00:00 Did Coke Make Coke Zero Look Too Much Like Coke? 00:14 The Color System Coke Spent a Decade Teaching Us 00:45 Why Coke Zero Exists, and Why Europe Dropped Diet 01:16 Packaging Is Navigation, Not a Mood Board 01:37 They Should Sue Themselves for Trademark Infringement 02:01 Consistency Turning Into Sameness 02:38 Fine Print, Sugar, and Which One's Actually Worse 03:18 The Elevator Button Theory 04:01 Amanda's Safety Drink 05:42 A Warning to Diet Coke Loyalists 06:26 Where Do You Land?

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON? Let us know — are the cans distinct enough, or are you squinting at fine print in the grocery aisle?

CONNECT WITH US:

Borzou on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bronxzou/
Borzou on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/borzou/
Amanda on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akfischer/
Show page: https://www.nickelbronx.com/where-brands-get-their-edge

This episode is brought to you by NickelBronx.

Thanks for tuning in to Where Brands Get Their Edge, brought to you by NickelBronx. If you enjoyed today's episode, follow or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform, and leave us a review — it helps other brand builders like you discover the show.

Want more insights? Visit https://www.nickelbronx.com/ for brand strategy tips and tools to help your business stand out.

Creators and Guests

Host
Amanda Fischer
Host
Borzou Azabdaftari
Alabama-born, Virginia-raised, and Iranian-made, Borzou isn't just another CEO; he's a college dropout turned serial entrepreneur, speaker, and the brains behind the award-winning digital agency NickelBronx. Known for his prowess in branding and digital marketing, Borzou's work has garnered Hermes Creative, Clutch, and Marcom Awards. Beyond the boardroom, he's a connoisseur of design and anything aesthetically driven, embodying style with substance. Borzou's philosophy? Embrace what makes you unique; that's how you find your tribe.  When priorities with his family, health, business, and community are satisfied - you can find Borzou chasing once-in-a-lifetime experiences. His favorite things are amazing people and making memories, and he’s always adding to his collection of both.

What is Where Brands Get Their Edge?

Cutting-edge marketing news and advice for (and from) brands, founders, and marketing executives.

Borzou amanda random shoots (00:01.454)
Hey everybody, welcome to where brands get their edge. Amanda, did Coke make Coke Zero look too much like regular Coke?

Amanda (00:09.894)
I mean, in my opinion, I I think so. It was the right amount of distinction before.

Borzou amanda random shoots (00:14.68)
So for everyone who's not caught up, this is what Coke Zero used to slash normally looks like. And you can tell because the text is black that it's Coke Zero. And if we want to go back like 10 steps further, they made Coke Zero because Diet Coke tastes like super chemically, and they were originally gonna replace Diet Coke with Coke Zero. But Americans liked Diet Coke too much. So like if you go to Europe, it's pretty much just Coke Zero now. but this has been the distinction. Diet Coke had the

gray label, Coca-Cola had red with the white text and Coke Zero had red with black text. And now they're updating everything to go with their like one brand umbrella thing because they think what you really want is the Coca-Cola. You don't care about the sugar. Or it's like not as important a distinction. And you know me, I love brand like Unity and cohesiveness and

Amanda (01:04.731)
Disagree.

Borzou amanda random shoots (01:16.136)
direction in general. but when it comes to a product like this, it's not just, you know, it's for navigation. It's to help you find the thing that you're looking for. And and again, I I didn't I didn't have this because we were shooting the episode. There's always a co-zero near me. And I agree. This seems silly.

Amanda (01:32.644)
Yeah.

Amanda (01:37.54)
Yeah. I mean they should sue themselves for trademark infringement because this shit is confusing. I mean, like like really, like d don't you want people to very quickly be able to choose what they want to of your these are all their products. They're all their

Borzou amanda random shoots (01:46.402)
Yeah.

Borzou amanda random shoots (01:53.58)
Well and do you know how pissed I would be if I came home with Coca Cola instead of Coke Zero?

Amanda (01:57.178)
Well Yeah. And that's gonna happen to a lot of people now.

Borzou amanda random shoots (02:01.579)
Yeah, and and because again, four-brain consistency, but you also need product differentiation, right? That those little words, I think the little words of Coke Zero on the bottom right here, is gonna be the only difference in the can. Like even as it is, I'll do like a double take to make sure I'm grabbing the right thing. And this, I feel like, is turning consistency into sameness, which is not what they want.

Amanda (02:07.599)
Mm-hmm.

Amanda (02:16.366)
Yeah.

Amanda (02:31.801)
Well, I certainly don't think they want people to have to use more brain power to figure out which of their products they want. So Same. Help us help us out.

Borzou amanda random shoots (02:38.281)
I am running low as it is. I don't have extra time to I to I fuck the fine print to see if this has sugar in it or not. and they spent so much time training us this way. So much time training us that the black text is the Coke Zero. And let me just before anyone gets mad at me and says regular Coke's better for you than Coke Zero or Diet Coke. No fucking way.

Amanda (02:52.879)
Mm-hmm.

Borzou amanda random shoots (03:06.987)
Bullshit. There's no way the calories, I don't care what chemicals are in it, there's no way the calories and extra sugar is better for you. Up down, up front, anyway you cut it.

Amanda (03:12.387)
Well aren't there isn't the whole point that Coke Zero has better chemicals than Diet Coke? Slightly, slightly better.

Borzou amanda random shoots (03:18.379)
Slightly. Slightly. Slightly. It's a little bit. It's a little bit better. but I'm a Coke Zero fanatic. I actually get really upset if I go somewhere and they only carry Diet Coke. It's like a signal to me that that's like a outdated institution and they're not keeping up with the times. I feel the same way about buildings where you have to press the floor of the elevator you're going to.

Amanda (03:40.805)
what what?

Borzou amanda random shoots (03:43.053)
Like all the new buildings have it like at the lobby. You hit like I'm going to the fourth floor, they're like go to elevator G and there are no buttons on the inside.

Amanda (03:49.03)
yeah, no, I like hitting the button. Like I mean I see where you're going with this. I don't

Borzou amanda random shoots (03:52.258)
I don't hate it, but it's like I'm in a whole building, you know? Yeah. but yeah, this go ahead.

Amanda (04:01.283)
I don't know. Yeah. I was gonna go off on a little bit of a tangent, which is so I love I I really like both I really like Coke Zero the best. But I do have a little bit of a thing with Diet Coke, which is Diet Coke and vod vodka is my safety drink. Yeah, you know. All my friends know that if I've been like I if I had

Borzou amanda random shoots (04:05.89)
Yeah.

Borzou amanda random shoots (04:23.433)
You know.

Amanda (04:30.381)
If I'm not sure of my like not don't want my stomach to hurt, don't want to be hung over, don't know how many, that's gonna sound like a lush, how many alcohols I've mixed that day or whatever, I can always just go to Diet Coke and vodka and then I will be fine. So, but Coke Zero and vodka serves the same purpose. So it it does. It's not, it's not, it's not my preference, even though I do not like aspartame and do not

Borzou amanda random shoots (04:52.215)
That's it.

Amanda (04:59.905)
in consume it in any other form. And do not drink Diet Coke by itself, only with vodka. Ugh this is a horrible episode. I should have kept this to myself.

Borzou amanda random shoots (05:10.957)
It's my favorite one so far.

Amanda (05:12.933)
But yeah, so I I'm good with either. I'm not gonna get mad if they have just Coke Zero. And also that does mean that they are the way of the future. Like you said, they are not old timey institution that carries Diet Coke. But I do, I do if I want vodka, then I I'd prefer the Diet Coke. So

Borzou amanda random shoots (05:27.745)
Yeah.

Borzou amanda random shoots (05:33.995)
I do feel kind of silly that I've never like I've known this is your thing and I've never really tried it because I love both those things. But

Amanda (05:42.115)
I don't you're gonna love it. I mean, like maybe not at first, but you will. The only people that don't, the the only the that's funny. the only people that don't, I've are people that are die hard Diet Coke drinkers. So they will they cannot have it because it will ruin Diet Coke for them forever. So that's yes.

Borzou amanda random shoots (05:48.513)
Right. A lot of things in my life have started that way.

Borzou amanda random shoots (06:00.237)
Mm-hmm.

Borzou amanda random shoots (06:05.921)
Really? Well, I I don't fall in that category.

Amanda (06:09.759)
I also do I mean obviously, this is the only way I drink it, so it's not that's not gonna happen. But those are the people that I would say if you love Diet Coke, do not try this drink at all. It you cannot try it. Do not try it. But if you don't like Diet Coke, try this drink.

Borzou amanda random shoots (06:26.061)
All right, people, let us know what you think. I think the being able to navigate the product you want and having the differentiation in the cans is totally worth it and was the right move. Do you think that was the way to do it? Or do you like Cokes, all cans look the same? You're not gonna know until you get real close and figure it out. See you next time.