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Once upon a time, the image of diet cola was about calorie counts, breakages, and well-defined abs. Today it is the rocket fuel of Matismo American labor habits.
President Donald Trump is a superfan who drinks up to 12 cans a day, and summons a top-up by setting up a red button in his White House office. His political ally Elon Musk called the inventor of Diet Coke “genius,” and once a post about his “drinking problem,” a table at his bedside, littered with empty soda cans It was accompanied by a photo of. Geddit? His reply guy’s acolite certainly did.
The two, who share a commonality beyond soda habits and nationalist politics, are the courage to punish white-collar crushes. The development of Diet Coke as a café strategy is chimes with Trump’s repeated claims that the president has never worked hard. Musk, meanwhile, likes to boast that his commitment means he pulled 120 hours of weeks when needed, and once missed his birthday. After purchasing Twitter in 2022, he declared a plan to impose a “hardcore” work culture. When an ad was posted looking for engineering applicants, one employee wrote:
The pair’s plan for government overhauls support the same work ethic. Musk writes online that his so-called government efficiency department “works 120 hours a week.” Our bureaucratic enemy works 40 hours a week optimistically. That’s why they lose so quickly. ”
Coca-Cola is grateful for the president’s approval. Last month, Coca-Cola Company CEO and Chair James Quincy presented Trump with a bottle of diet coke to commemorate the inauguration ceremony.
Of course, it has been before the US president who has promoted productivity in Diet Coke. Bob Diamond, a financial operator and former CEO of Barclays, was said to have dedicated his office with a diet cola refrigerator. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates once said: “If you stop drinking, I think you’ll be a little away.”
All of this is quite different from Coca-Cola’s choice of brands. The company traditionally sets the sights on female consumers, recruiting supermodel Kate Moss (who once said “nothing skinny tastes like”) and fictional, unfortunate Bridget Jones We formed an alliance with In the 1990s, TV ads reveal that a series of handsome men taking “diet coke break” from physically tough jobs remove tops and glowing breasts with sweat beads shine It was characterized by:
Of course, in the world of masks, there’s nothing like downtime.
Coca-Cola will not split the sale of diet coke. But Stephanie Matucci, director of Food Science at Mintel, says the company is leading the dietary carbonated soft market, and those who drink it tend to get hooked. “37% of our consumers who drink diet cola, drink diet cola once a day or more than once a day, and 27% drink diet cola drink several times a week.”
Some people think that diet cola is an alternative to alcohol, not just diet drinks, she adds. “These products are usually more affordable than other beverages and alcohol alternatives, as 48% of consumers who drink less alcohol do so to save money. , it’s an important part.”
The tenacity of the drink is still surprising given the amount of health warnings that it attracted and the various alternative options available.
Hungry: Avocado Toast, author of Instagram Influencer, Eve Turow-Paul, is a search for connections and meaning, and concerns about taste changes caused by GLP-1 drugs for ultra-highly processed foods and weight loss, It should make diet cola obsolete.
“Coca-Cola has been trying for many years based on health and wellness trends by injecting cola products with ingredients “for the better you.” It never lands because people know that soda is dull. ”
Perhaps this means that drink fans will accept those dul in exchange for boost. (Or, in some cases, to let them know their evil) “They drink something that offers comfort and a caffeine kick.”
emma.jacobs@ft.com
