Coke Zero

I couldn't help but notice today that there was only one kind of soft drink being consumed at lunch--Coke Zero (three of the eight diners at our table were drinking it). I had seen it before, but hadn't given it much thought. But today I wondered--out loud--what is the difference between Coke Zero and Diet Coke. Opinions ranged from "Coke Zero is less carbonated" to "No difference whatever, it's a marketing thing" to "Coke Zero tastes more like original Coke".

The consensus opinion from various web-sites that I visited seems to be that the only chemical difference between Coke Zero and Diet Coke is in the sweeteners: Coke Zero has about half the aspartame (Nutrasweet) but has more acesulfame potassium (ace-k) . Some commentators also claimed that Coke Zero uses the original Coke syrup formula, whereas Diet Coke uses a different formula.

But the more interesting response that emerged from the lunch-time conversation was a marketing angle: Diet Coke is aimed at women, but Coke Zero is aimed at men (who, I suppose, don't want to be seen as publicly dieting--something about our fragile masculine egos, I suppose). Coke Zero is marketed as being "calorie free" rather than "diet".

Final note: apparently there are something around 20 flavours of Coke these days, including "Diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke"--sounds yucky.