New York (CNN) 鈥� Coca-Cola is launching a new for gamers, a demographic brands.
For this new flavor, called Coca-Cola Ultimate, the soda maker partnered with Riot Games, which publishes the multi-player online battle arena game League of Legends. Ultimate will be available in US and Canadian stores starting June 12 for a limited time, in regular and zero sugar varieties. Globally, it鈥檚 available just in zero sugar and is rolling out this week.
Coca-Cola a few years ago , including Coke. But full-sugar soda has been a , so Coca-Cola has to work to get new people into the mix.
The line of abstract flavors, each paired with a digital experience, is designed to drum up excitement for Coke among younger consumers by focusing on music and online games.
Ultimate is supposed to appeal to gamers in particular. And like most of Coke鈥檚 other limited-edition beverages, the actual flavor .
Mystery flavors
Other wacky flavors from Coca-Cola鈥檚 Creations platform, which started rolling out about a year and a half ago, include Starlight, ; Dreamworld, ; and Byte, which is . Coca-Cola has also partnered with musicians and on limited-edition flavors.
As in most of those cases (Marshmello鈥檚 flavor had notes of strawberry and watermelon) Coca-Cola won鈥檛 share what Ultimate is actually supposed to taste like.
鈥淲e鈥檙e never really going to answer that question鈥� in a 鈥渟traightforward鈥� way, said Oana Vlad, senior director of global strategy at Coca-Cola. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e mystery flavors,鈥� she noted. But they always have to taste like Coke. 鈥淭he flavor profile is always, we say, 85 to 90% Coke. And then that 10 to 15% twist of something unexpected.鈥�
Ultimate is supposed to offer drinkers the taste of 鈥渆xperience points,鈥� which are earned by League of Legends players based on how much time they spend playing the game, according to a company statement announcing the product.
The flavors are not designed to become permanent offerings, noted CEO James Quincey during the Redburn CEO conference in November. Instead, they鈥檙e supposed to help build buzz around the company鈥檚 core product.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e more engaging and more interesting, demonstrably, than a flavor, a Coke with vanilla or something,鈥� he said. 鈥淭esting the boundaries 鈥� that鈥檚 about engagement with consumers.鈥�
Coca-Cola鈥檚 marketing approach seems to be working. In the first quarter, trademark Coca-Cola grew across all geographic regions, according to the company, thanks in part to interest from the coveted Gen Z market.
鈥淚f I were to take the US 鈥� we can see that the growth in the Coke franchise is not just being driven by increased recruitment, but increased engagement and recruitment of Gen Z,鈥� he said.
The flavors are also a way to reach people online, in games and beyond.
Virtual experiments
The limited-time offerings have been paired with virtual experiences. Starlight鈥檚 can featured a QR code that granted customers access to a holographic Ava Max concert. Dreamworld drinkers could buy virtual merchandise for their online avatars.
鈥淭he digital component 鈥� is really at the heart of what Creations is,鈥� said Vlad.
With the platform, Coca-Cola is leaning into music and gaming 鈥� which has long proved fertile ground for beverage companies.
has been active in the esports world for years and PepsiCo
has developed a product, , specifically for gamers. Recently, mainstream have been betting on gaming, as well.
And the relationship between Riot and Coca-Cola is deeper than the limited-edition flavor. The two companies announced a multi-year partnership in March of last year, and had previously partnered from 2014-2016.
With Creations, Coca-Cola is able to market to gamers in more ways.
Byte, the 鈥減ixel-flavored鈥� cola, debuted in Fortnite. Marshmello鈥檚 flavor .
Ultimate, naturally, has ties to League of Legends. Players can earn Ultimate-themed emotes 鈥� kind of like in-game reaction Bitmoji 鈥� when they achieve certain goals in the game. A QR code on the bottle directs people to an Ultimate Instagram filter.
Ultimate is 鈥渢he crown jewel of our ongoing and evolving partnership,鈥� said Eric Krause, global head of marketing for League of Legends Games at Riot Games.
The-CNN-Wire
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