Coca-Cola Creations

Coca-Cola famously won't tell you the recipe for Coke. And they certainly won’t tell you what’s in their new limited-time flavors, either. 

Over the past couple of months, Coca-Cola have rolled out a number of curious products: Coca-Cola Starlight, Byte and Dreamworld. 

For each of the limited-time flavors, the beverage company offered high-concept descriptions of an experience, rather than specific flavors. For Coke, the mystery is the point. 

"We're engaging with people", said Selman Careaga, global category president of Coca-Cola Trademark, which includes Coke drinks but not other Coca-Cola products like Fanta, Sprite or others. "They're interacting with us, and they're trying to guess what's in it". 

Getting people talking is an important marketing strategy for Coke, especially if it can spark interest among young consumers. 

I note that conversations around product flavors put brands front-of-mind for consumers. Coca-Cola want people who engage in these discussions, or see them online, to think about Coke when they walk into a store. It’s all about creating chatter around their marquee brand, which remains their top priority. 

Plus, these products aren't just out-there Coke flavors. Each comes with a dedicated online experience. Together, they're said to have been designed to capture the attention of a coveted demographic: Gen Z. 

Instead of a traditional flavor like "vanilla" or "cherry", Coca-Cola provided each product with its own vague description, and let fans fill in the blanks. 

The company described Starlight as having "notes reminiscent of stargazing around a campfire, as well as a cooling sensation that evokes the feeling of a cold journey to space". Byte "invites you to explore what pixels might taste like", and Dreamworld is somehow even more conceptual, promising consumers that they will "experience the familiar Coca-Cola taste now with a surprising and unexpected flavor from a dream world". 

YouTubers reviewing the product groaned over the cheesy advertising, but still tried to puzzle out the taste, encouraging commenters to weigh in. 

Guesses were all over the map: Some thought that Starlight tastes like cotton candy, funnel cake or S'mores. After trying Byte, some guessed blueberry or grapefruit. People said that Dreamworld tasted of mango, peach or orange. Or maybe cough syrup. 

These new-fangled beverages were developed to fit into the broader themes of space, computing and dreams, respectively. Meaning, the flavors themselves were not that important. 

"It's really not so much about the taste of the product, but really around the experiences that we create", Careaga said. Those experiences are often virtual, intending to capture a younger audience that spends lots of time online. 

Each of the limited-time flavors was launched among a slew of digital experiences. To name a few: Starlight's can featured a QR code that granted customers access to a holographic Ava Max concert. Byte was launched in Fortnite, and Dreamworld customers could buy virtual merchandise for their online avatars. 

What is important, however, is that every Coke product tastes like a Coke.