Coke Shakes Up Sodas

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Your local supermarket's soda aisle may soon display an even more dizzying variety of colors and potential flavors. Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) plans to revamp its Fresca line of diet drinks. (Remember that brand? I was surprised to learn that it's 39 years old -- older than I am.) Meanwhile, you might have already noticed that Diet Coke with Splenda is floating around as well (although we knew it was on its way to the shelves back in February).

If you're unaware of its charms, Fresca is a clear diet soda with a distinctive citrus flavor. The company plans to launch two brand-new flavors, Sparkling Peach Citrus Fresca (peach citrus?) and Sparkling Black Cherry Fresca. Coke will modernize Fresca's packaging as part of the brand's relaunch.

I can appreciate that, among other challenges, the soft-drink industry has gone a bit flat, and needs a little shake-up to wake it up again, jump-start soda consumption, and woo thirsty customers from rivals. The diet segment is particularly important, given the recent emphasis on expanding waistlines. Coke's rival Pepsi (NYSE: PEP) recently announced plans to make Diet Pepsi its flagship brand.

While I can appreciate the need for innovations, at the same time I wonder whether all the changes in the soft drink aisle might result in some consumer fatigue (something I personally tend to experience when standing in the toothpaste aisle, given all the flavors, functions, and brands). In the press release that launched Diet Coke with Splenda, Coke pointed out that this is the seventh extension of that product line -- yep, you have Diet Coke, Caffeine Free Diet Coke, Diet Coke with Lime, Diet Coke with Lemon, Diet Cherry Coke, and Diet Vanilla Coke. Zowie.

That's not even counting all the recent new Sprites, C2, or new products from Pepsi and another soft-drink rival, Cadbury Schweppes (NYSE: CSG), which makes the irrepressible Dr Pepper and 7-Up.

Of course, if all goes according to plan, Coke will be able to jumpstart consumption of its sodas and capitalize on the current trend in low-sugar soft drinks -- and we all know this Motley Fool Inside Value pick has a fine brand with many loyal fans. For now, though, we'll see whether this experiment in blanketing the market with fizzy flavor options will keep within the confines of old-fashioned good taste.

Refresh yourself with more Foolish Coke-related content:

• Coca-Cola, cash cow.
• Shareholders get a raise.
• A sour note for Coke?

Motley Fool Inside Value guru Philip Durell picked Coke as one of his choices for value. What other stocks does he think is a good deal right now? Try a free trial and find out. Or you can talk Coke on our own Coca-Cola discussion board.

Alyce Lomax does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned. As a true Diet Coke aficionado, she found her taste test of Diet Coke with Splenda unpleasant.