Coca-Cola was one of the first to come out with a diet cola when they debuted TaB in 1963. That one calorie soda was in a pink can and the advertising said that women would have “a shape he can’t forget.” The jingle even reminded everyone that it was for “beautiful people” and the dream of becoming one of them was as easy as sipping on the low-calorie drink.
Fast-forward about 20 years to 1982, and Diet Coke was launched. At that point, TaB began to lose popularity but there were still plenty of people who were devoted to drinking it. Even today, there is a website, ilovetab.com, to help people find where the beverage is being sold and if any celebrities were spotted with a can in their hand.
If you happen to be a fan of that diet soda, Coca-Cola has some disappointing news for you. Even though the beverage is almost at its 60th anniversary, they decided to pull the plug for good. There are also a number of other beverages being retired by Coca-Cola, including ZICO coconut water, Odwalla juices, Diet Coke Feisty Cherry, and Coca-Cola Life.
The coronavirus pandemic has caused a lot of turmoil in many industries. According to Coca-Cola, the pandemic has nothing to do with their decision to remove those beverages from production. It seems as if they were planning on doing so before COVID-19 but “the ongoing COVID-19 supply chain challenges and shifting shopping behaviors prompted the company to fast-track its plan,” according to a press release.
The New York Times reports that there were about 3 million cases of TaB circulated in 2011. That wasn’t even 0.5% of the number of Diet Coke cases that were produced that year. Even though it may not have been a great asset to the company, it was still a classic that was enjoyed by many people.
In fact, Diet Coke’s group director for North America, Kerri Kopp, had the following to say in a press release: “We’re forever grateful to TaB for paving the way for the diets and lights category, and to the legion of TaB lovers who have embraced the brand for nearly six decades. If not for TaB, we wouldn’t have Diet Coke or Coke Zero Sugar. TaB did its job.”