Jeffrey Salazar
Tab was Coca-Cola's first diet drink, launched in 1963. It was originally intended for diabetics but became popular among dieters seeking a low-calorie, low-sugar alternative to traditional sodas. Tab's popularity began to decline in 1982 with the introduction of Diet Coke, and in 2020, Coca-Cola discontinued the brand. Despite this, Tab retained a cult following, with three million cases produced in 2011.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | TaB |
| Manufacturer | Coca-Cola |
| Type | Diet drink |
| Year launched | 1963 |
| Year discontinued | 2020 |
| Years active | 57 |
| Popularity | Best-selling diet soda in 1982 |
| Flavors | Root Beer, Lemon-Lime, Ginger Ale, Black Cherry, Strawberry, and Orange |
| Caffeine-free version | Introduced in 1983 |
| Nutrasweet introduction | May 1984 |
| Sales in 2008 | 3 million cases |
| Sales in 2011 | 3 million cases |
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What You'll Learn
Tab was Coca-Cola's first diet drink, launched in 1963
Tab was not branded as a Coca-Cola product until 1982, when Diet Coke was introduced. This was the first new brand since Coca-Cola's creation in 1886 to use the Coca-Cola trademark. Diet Coke quickly overtook Tab in sales, and Tab's market share dwindled over the years. By 2019, its sales made up only about 1% of the Coca-Cola portfolio.
In 2006, a Tab-branded energy drink was released, although it used a different formula from the standard cola. Coca-Cola continued to produce Tab in the United States, but in considerably smaller quantities than its more popular mainstay beverages. In 2011, the company reported that it had produced approximately 3 million cases of Tab that year, compared to 885 million cases of Diet Coke.
Tab retained a cult following, and when Coca-Cola announced it was discontinuing the drink in 2020, fans scrambled to purchase their last cans. Tab's decline in popularity began in 1982 with the introduction of Diet Coke, and was further impacted by the launch of Coca-Cola Zero in 2005. The company also introduced a Splenda-formulated Diet Coke in 2005, which was distributed by most retailers until 2009.
In the 1970s, Coca-Cola introduced six variety flavors of Tab, all of which were also sugar-free: Root Beer, Lemon-Lime, Ginger Ale, Black Cherry, Strawberry, and Orange. A caffeine-free version of the original Tab flavor was introduced in 1983, alongside caffeine-free versions of Coca-Cola and Diet Coke.
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Tab was originally intended for diabetics
Tab was Coca-Cola's first diet drink, introduced in 1963. It was originally intended for diabetics, but it became popular among dieters seeking a low-calorie, low-sugar alternative to traditional sodas.
Tab was the first successful diet soda drink in the United States. It was Coca-Cola's response to Pepsi's Patio Diet Cola, which was later renamed Diet Pepsi. Tab's popularity grew, and in the 1970s, Coca-Cola introduced six variety flavors of Tab, all of which were also sugar-free: Root Beer, Lemon-Lime, Ginger Ale, Black Cherry, Strawberry, and Orange.
Despite its initial success, Tab's popularity began to decline in 1982 with the introduction of Diet Coke. Diet Coke was the first new brand since Coca-Cola's creation in 1886 to use the Coca-Cola trademark, and it quickly overtook Tab in sales. Tab's market share continued to dwindle over the years, and by 2019, its sales made up only about 1% of the Coca-Cola portfolio.
Despite its declining sales, Tab retained a cult following in the United States, with customers purchasing about 3 million cases in 2008 and 2011. However, Coca-Cola eventually discontinued Tab in 2020, along with other slower-selling drinks, ending its 57-year run on the market.
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Coca-Cola introduced a range of Tab flavours in the 1970s
Tab was Coca-Cola's first diet drink, introduced in 1963. It was the company's first low-calorie cola beverage, and its crisp citrus taste attracted many customers. In the 1970s, Tab was a popular alternative to Coca-Cola, and the company introduced several variations, including a number of fruit-flavoured, root beer, and ginger ale versions.
During the disco era of the 1970s, Coca-Cola introduced six new sugar-free flavours of Tab: Root Beer, Lemon-Lime, Ginger Ale, Black Cherry, Strawberry, and Orange. These flavours never quite took off, and Coca-Cola eventually shifted its focus to Diet Coke, which launched in 1982.
The introduction of Diet Coke marked the beginning of Tab's decline in popularity. However, Tab retained a cult following in the United States, with customers purchasing about 3 million cases in 2008. Even as rumours of its discontinuation circulated, Tab managed to maintain a devoted fan base.
In 2006, Coca-Cola introduced Tab Energy, which had a different formula from the standard Tab cola. It was sweetened with sucralose and had a sour, tart flavour. Despite reformulations and changes to its flavour profile over the years, Tab was ultimately discontinued in 2020.
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Tab's popularity declined with the introduction of Diet Coke in 1982
Tab was Coca-Cola's first diet drink, launched in 1963. It was the first drink of its type to become very popular across the US. Tab was originally intended for diabetics, but it took off among dieters seeking a low-calorie, low-sugar alternative to traditional sodas. In the 1970s, Coca-Cola introduced six variety flavours of Tab, all of which were sugar-free. However, Tab's popularity began to decline in 1982 with the introduction of Diet Coke.
Diet Coke was unveiled on July 8, 1982, and introduced in the United States one month later. It was the first new brand since Coca-Cola's creation in 1886 to use the Coca-Cola trademark. Diet Coke quickly overtook Tab in sales by a wide margin, although Tab remained on the market for decades until it was discontinued in 2020.
The main victim of Diet Coke was not regular Coke, but Tab. Over the years, Tab's market share dwindled; by 2019, its sales made up only about 1% of the Coca-Cola portfolio. Coca-Cola continued to produce Tab in the United States, but in considerably smaller quantities than its more popular mainstay beverages. In 2011, the company reported that it produced approximately 3 million cases of Tab that year, compared to 885 million cases of Diet Coke.
Despite Tab's declining popularity, the drink managed to retain some passionate devotees, even as rumours of its impending doom circulated on and off over the years. In 2006, a Tab-branded energy drink was released, although it used a different formula from the standard cola. In 2008, customers purchased about 3 million cases of Tab.
In May 1984, Coca-Cola introduced Nutrasweet into the Tab formula, which alienated a significant portion of its market and resulted in numerous consumer complaints regarding a perceived change in flavour. Eventually, Coca-Cola discontinued Tab after 57 years on the market.
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Coca-Cola discontinued Tab in 2020
Tab, Coca-Cola's first diet drink, was discontinued in 2020 after 57 years on the market. The drink was popular among some people throughout the 1960s and 1970s as an alternative to Coca-Cola. However, its popularity began to decline in 1982 with the introduction of Diet Coke, and by 2019, its sales made up only about 1% of the Coca-Cola portfolio.
Tab was created in 1963 by Coca-Cola after the successful sales and marketing of Diet Rite Cola, owned by the Royal Crown Company. Tab was marketed to consumers who wanted to "keep tabs" on their weight. Coca-Cola's marketing research department used its IBM 1401 computer to generate a list of over 185,000 four-letter words with one vowel, adding names suggested by the company's own staff.
In the 1970s, Coca-Cola introduced six variety flavors of Tab (all of which were also sugar-free): Root Beer, Lemon-Lime, Ginger Ale, Black Cherry, Strawberry, and Orange. A caffeine-free version of the original Tab flavor was introduced in 1983, alongside caffeine-free versions of Coca-Cola and Diet Coke. Tab Clear, a caramel color-free version of Tab, was released in the United States in 1992, and subsequently in the United Kingdom and Japan. However, Tab Clear was discontinued in 1994.
In 2006, Coca-Cola introduced Tab Energy, which shared the Tab branding but had a different formula. It was sweetened with sucralose and had a sour, tart flavor. Despite its cult following, Tab was eventually discontinued by Coca-Cola in 2020. The company announced that it was discontinuing the drink, along with several other under-performing brands, as part of its efforts to scale back during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Tab was Coca-Cola's first diet drink, launched in 1963.
Tab was originally intended for diabetics but became popular among dieters seeking a low-calorie, low-sugar alternative to traditional sodas.
Tab's popularity began to decline in 1982 with the introduction of Diet Coke. Tab retained a cult following, but by 2019, its sales made up only about 1% of the Coca-Cola portfolio.
Coca-Cola discontinued Tab in 2020 after 57 years on the market.
