How Diet Cherry Coke Relaunched Exclusively at Kroger
What’s new: Coca-Cola Co. discontinued Diet Cherry Coke in 2020 but brought the flavor back at Kroger over the summer as part of the retailer’s increased push for exclusive beverages.
What we saw: A lobby spectacular stocking the soft drink in 12-packs with a retro design leveraged pole toppers that touted the flavor as a "limited edition blast from the past." The display incorporated floorstands stocking bottles with a "retro cherry back for a limited time" message. The 12-packs were also stocked on an endcap with signs offering a "buy 2, get 1 free" deal.
Additional support: Kroger plugged the launch on Instagram with a post showing the flavor highlighted on RFK Racing’s No. 17 Ford driven by Chris Buescher at the July 27 Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis. Kroger regularly activates its NASCAR sponsorship with paint schemes featuring brand partners. It highlighted Bimbo Bakeries’ Thomas’ high protein bagels in October for the YellaWood 500 race in Lincoln, Alabama, and General Mills’ Old El Paso at the March race at the Martinsville Speedway in Ridgeway, Virginia.
More context: Kroger has recently ramped up its focus on securing exclusive SKUs from major beverage brands. Keurig Dr Pepper gave Kroger an exclusive 7Up Endless Summer flavor this summer, a follow-up to the Tropical flavor it launched at the retailer in 2023. Prebiotic soda brand Poppi partnered with Post Malone to launch a limited-edition package of its wild berry flavor in 2024.
- About Field Reports
P2PI editors and staff regularly look for interesting and relevant digital and in-store marketing, monitoring the merchandising and marketing activity at various leading retailers in the U.S. and Canada. Our exclusive field reports highlight what's new and notable for commerce marketers.
