They Just Wanted to Teach the World to Sing

On April 23, 1985, a day  many in the advertising industry believe will live in marketing infamy, after 99 years, Coca-Cola introduced re-formulated “new Coke,” into the US marketplace.  At that point in its history, Coca-Cola had been steadily losing market share to diet drinks and ‘un-cola’ beverages and hoped the new formulation would rekindle interest in its flagship beverage product.  The return of the original formula Coca-Cola on July 11, 1985, ended 79 days of severe, sometimes hostile, consumer backlash to the change in formula and ABC News interrupted General Hospital to break the story that Coca-Cola Classic was back!