Tab Clear facts for kids

Tab Clear was a special kind of Tab soda. It was Coca-Cola's try at making a "clear cola" in the early 1990s. This was a time when many companies were making sodas without color. Tab Clear first came out in the United States on December 14, 1992. It then launched in the United Kingdom a month later and in Japan in March 1993. Even though it started well, Tab Clear was stopped in 1994, only a short time after it began. Unlike most other clear sodas, Tab Clear had caffeine. Coca-Cola said it tasted like a regular cola.

Why Did Coca-Cola Make Tab Clear?

The Clear Cola Trend

In the early 1990s, a new trend started: clear sodas. PepsiCo launched its own clear cola called Crystal Pepsi in mid-1992. Coca-Cola decided to join this trend. They released Tab Clear at the end of that year.

In December 1992, Doug Ivester, who was the president of Coca-Cola, spoke to reporters. He said that Tab Clear was meant to be a normal diet soda. He did not want it to be seen as a "new-age beverage." He explained that people wanted a new soda with lots of flavor. He felt that calling it "new-age" would make it fail. He also said it was not just to compete with Crystal Pepsi.

Tab Clear Goes Global

Launching in the UK and Japan

Tab Clear quickly went to other countries. Just two weeks after its US launch, it arrived in London. This happened on January 18, 1993. The company said this clear cola had "a mouthful of flavor." It became available to people in Britain in early February. It cost 23 pence and came in 330 ml cans. Later, bigger 1.5 and 2 liter plastic bottles were sold. Coca-Cola was the first big US soda company to launch a clear cola in Europe.

In early February 1993, Coca-Cola also planned to bring Tab Clear to Japan. It was set to launch there in mid-March. Japan became the third country to get Tab Clear.

Advertising Campaigns

In the US and UK, Coca-Cola made many ads for Tab Clear. These ads linked Tab Clear to strange historical events. The slogan was "Suddenly everything is clear." They also made radio ads. One ad said Tab Clear was an "eternal paradox." Another ad claimed "Drink TaB Clear" could be heard when a song was played backward. Japan had different ads. These ads often featured a Japanese spokesman. Coca-Cola played Tab Clear commercials very often. Sometimes they were shown twice in a short break. This shows how much Coca-Cola wanted people to notice the drink quickly.

Early Success and a Small Problem

Good Start in the Market

Tab Clear had a good start. People liked it in its first 10 markets. So, on February 17, 1993, Coca-Cola announced more plans. They would bring Tab Clear to 20 more American markets in March. This meant 35 percent of Americans could buy the drink. An article in the Los Angeles Times said Coca-Cola hoped Tab Clear would be sold all over the country by the end of the year.

Despite these good results, an article in March pointed out something odd. It said, "one oddity about the new Tab Clear: it is only sold in cans." The article noted that this took away one of its main selling points: its clearness. You could not see the clear drink if it was in a can.

Why Tab Clear Disappeared

The "Born to Die" Strategy

Tab Clear did not last long. In July 2004, a BBC Business News article mentioned that "colorless versions" of Coke "have not been hugely successful." Some people even said Tab Clear's marketing was like a "born to die" plan. This means it was made to fail.

In his 2011 book, Killing Giants, Stephen Denny shared an interview. He spoke with Sergio Zyman, a former marketing chief at Coca-Cola. Zyman said that Tab Clear was made to fail on purpose. The goal was to make Crystal Pepsi look bad. People did not fully understand Crystal Pepsi, which Pepsi had advertised a lot. Tab Clear was sold as a diet drink. Diet drinks were less popular than regular colas. Also, the Tab brand was often seen as not as good as main brands like Coca-Cola or Pepsi.

By putting Tab Clear so close to Crystal Pepsi, Coca-Cola hoped to hurt the image of both brands. Zyman called this a "kamikaze" strategy. This means a plan that might harm your own product to damage a competitor's. Zyman explained, "This is like a cola, but it doesn't have any color. It has all this great taste." He said they told people, "No, Crystal Pepsi is actually a diet drink." Even though it was not. Tab was seen as a diet drink, which was its weakness. It was thought of as a "medicinal drink." Within a few months, Tab Clear was gone. And so was Crystal Pepsi.