Say goodbye to silver Diet Coke cans

The familiar silver cans that have long differentiated Diet Coke from its sugary counterpart will soon be no more.

Coca-Cola is redesigning the cans of each variation on its soft drink -- Diet Coke, Coke Zero and stevia-infused Coca-Cola Life -- around a prominent red disc meant to create a more unified look across the board, the soda giant announced this week.

In each case, the end result looks like the old design was melded with the classic red can that has come to be associated with the sugary version of the drink.

Coke will be debuting the revamped cans in Mexico next month and then rolling them out across other markets over the course of the next two years. 

A Coca-Cola spokesperson told Mashable that there would not be any changes to the Diet Coke can in the United States this year and it is still considering "how it will integrate Diet Coke into the 'One Brand' strategy" in the country.

"These new packaging designs signal a shift in our visual language in which the classic Red Disc is more prominent than other elements associated with the brand," James Somerville, the brand's VP of global design, said in a blog post about the changes.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The move comes after Diet Coke sales slipped by about 6% last year. Meanwhile, the company grew sales for original Coke by about 1% worldwide amid an overall shrinking market for sugary soft drinks.

Earlier this year, Coke decided to rope in marketing of the diet sodas under the umbrella of a big new advertising campaign with the tagline, "Taste the feeling" to replace its longtime slogan, "Open happiness." The overhaul was meant to be the start of a new "one-brand" strategy for the company.

Since the age-old Coca-Cola formula is rarely tweaked, the soda giant mostly counts on big marketing efforts to drive sales. The company's "Share a Coke" personalized can campaign was credited with adding a new fizz to sales two years ago.

How Coke presents its soda is especially important for the company as health-conscious Americans increasingly spurn sugar-filled drinks for more nutritious options.  

The company will offer more up-to-date sales numbers on Wednesday when it's set to announce earnings for the first quarter of this year.

Updated Tues. April 19, 3:00 pm PST to include a statement from Coca-Cola North America. 

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