Tab Clear

Tab Clear was a clear cola introduced by The Coca-Cola Company during the early-1990s competition over transparent soft drinks. It was developed as a response to PepsiCo's Crystal Pepsi, which entered the market in 1992 and helped create a brief clear-cola trend. Rather than launching the drink under the flagship Coca-Cola name, Coca-Cola placed it within the Tab brand family, positioning it as a diet-oriented soft drink with the flavor profile of cola. The product was introduced in the United States on December 14, 1992. Initial consumer response in its first ten markets was described as positive, and Coca-Cola announced in February 1993 that the drink would be expanded to twenty additional American markets. The planned expansion would have made Tab Clear available to approximately 35 percent of the U.S. population, with nationwide distribution anticipated by the end of 1993. At least in the early phase, the company treated the brand as a serious entry in the mainstream diet-soft-drink market rather than as an experimental or "new-age" beverage. Tab Clear was also introduced internationally soon after its U.S. launch. It reached Britain in early February 1993 after a London presentation in January, initially in 330-millilitre cans and later in larger plastic bottles. Japan followed in March 1993, and Australia received the product on April 1 of that year. The Australian launch was supported by a substantial advertising effort, including television commercials fronted by entertainer Bert Newton, but sales were weak: the product reportedly peaked at 1 percent of the market in June and fell to 0.1 percent by October, when Coca-Cola decided to discontinue it there. The drink differed from many other clear soft drinks because it contained caffeine and was promoted as tasting like cola. In the United States it was sold only in cans during the initial period, a packaging choice that limited consumers' ability to see its defining clear appearance. Advertising in the United States and Britain used the slogan "Suddenly everything is clear" and campaigns built around mysterious or conspiratorial explanations for historical events. Japanese advertising used a different creative approach, with separate commercials featuring or voiced by a Japanese spokesman, while Australian advertising relied more heavily on local television promotion. Tab Clear was discontinued after only a short period of marketing, with the wider brand disappearing in 1994. Its commercial failure has subsequently been interpreted in two ways. One explanation emphasizes the limitations of clear cola as a category, the relatively weak status of the Tab name compared with Coca-Cola and Pepsi, the drink's diet association, and consumer confusion about a colorless cola. A later account attributed to former Coca-Cola chief marketing officer Sergio Zyman characterized Tab Clear as a deliberately destructive or "kamikaze" product intended to undermine Crystal Pepsi by placing a less attractive diet product beside it and thereby weakening the broader clear-cola proposition. That interpretation appeared in Stephen Denny's 2011 book, based on an interview with Zyman, but it is a retrospective account rather than a contemporaneous public statement of the launch strategy. Tab Clear remains an example of a rapid, highly publicized product response that failed to establish a durable market.

Tab Clear emerged from the intense soft-drink competition of 1992, when PepsiCo introduced Crystal Pepsi and transparent beverages attracted unusual media and consumer attention. The Coca-Cola Company responded with a clear version of its Tab soft drink rather than extending the flagship Coca-Cola name to the new product. This choice associated Tab Clear with the diet-soft-drink category while allowing Coca-Cola to participate in the clear-cola trend. The U.S. launch took place on December 14, 1992. Early testing in ten markets produced sufficiently positive results for Coca-Cola to plan a broader rollout. In February 1993, the company announced that twenty more American markets would receive the drink in March, bringing prospective distribution to roughly 35 percent of the U.S. population. Contemporary company messaging presented Tab Clear as a flavorful, mainstream diet soft drink and rejected the idea that it should be treated as a niche "new-age" beverage. The drink contained caffeine and was described by the company as having cola flavor, despite its lack of color. International expansion began quickly. Coca-Cola presented Tab Clear in London on January 18, 1993, and made it available to British consumers from early February. It was initially sold in 330-millilitre cans and later in 1.5- and 2-litre plastic bottles. Japan was scheduled to receive the product in mid-March, and Australia launched it on April 1. The rapid international rollout reflected Coca-Cola's attempt to exploit the clear-cola moment before consumer interest faded. The product's packaging and marketing created a tension in its proposition. In the United States, Tab Clear was initially sold only in cans, which made it difficult for shoppers to inspect the drink's transparency. Advertising in the United States and Britain used the slogan "Suddenly everything is clear" and employed deliberately puzzling narratives, including campaigns known as "Chain of Mystery" and "Sinister Connections." Radio spots used similarly unusual concepts, including an "eternal paradox" and a message supposedly revealed by playing a song backward. Australian commercials featured Bert Newton, while Japanese advertisements adopted a separate local creative strategy and often used a Japanese spokesman. Performance varied by market but did not produce a sustainable brand. In Australia, sales reached approximately 1 percent in June 1993 before dropping to 0.1 percent by October, prompting withdrawal there. The overall product was discontinued after only a short period and was gone by 1994. Later commentary cited the limited appeal of clear cola, the lower status of the Tab name relative to Coca-Cola and Pepsi, the association with diet drinks, and the perception that the beverage was medicinal or otherwise unfamiliar. A 2004 BBC Business News discussion used colorless colas as examples of soft drinks that had not achieved lasting success. In 2011, marketing author Stephen Denny published a retrospective account based on an interview with former Coca-Cola chief marketing officer Sergio Zyman. That account portrayed Tab Clear as a deliberate "kamikaze" tactic: because Tab was perceived as a diet and less-premium brand, Coca-Cola could place it next to Crystal Pepsi and encourage consumers to associate clear cola with an unattractive or medicinal product. Under this interpretation, Tab Clear's failure was partly intentional, although the drink's short life and weak sales also fit the broader failure of the clear-cola category. The product is therefore remembered both as a failed beverage and as a frequently cited example of competitive marketing strategy.

1. 2011Kamikaze-strategy account published

   Killing Giants published a retrospective account from Sergio Zyman presenting Tab Clear as a product intended to weaken Crystal Pepsi.

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2. 1994Brand discontinued

   Tab Clear was discontinued after a short period of commercial availability.

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3. 1993U.S. market expansion announced

   Coca-Cola announced distribution in twenty additional U.S. markets, with planned availability reaching about 35 percent of the American population.

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4. 1993International rollout

   Tab Clear was introduced in Britain, Japan, and Australia during the first four months of 1993.

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5. 1993Australian withdrawal

   After sales fell from a reported June peak of 1 percent to 0.1 percent in October, Tab Clear was discontinued in Australia.

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6. 1992U.S. launch

   The Coca-Cola Company introduced Tab Clear in the United States on December 14 as a clear, caffeinated cola associated with the Tab brand.

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A clear, caffeinated cola positioned within the Tab diet-soft-drink family and presented as a mainstream alternative to emerging clear soft drinks.

• Tab ClearClear cola1992

  Tab Clear was a transparent, caffeinated soft drink formulated to taste like cola. It was sold as part of the Tab diet-soft-drink family and was initially distributed in cans in the United States. In Britain it was also offered in larger plastic bottles. Its defining product feature was the absence of color, allowing Coca-Cola to compete directly in the short-lived clear-cola segment created around the launch of Crystal Pepsi.

• 1993Australian Tab Clear advertising

  Australia

  The Australian launch used television commercials featuring entertainer Bert Newton and was supported by a significant local marketing effort.

  Outcome. Sales peaked at a reported 1 percent in June and declined to 0.1 percent by October, after which the product was withdrawn in Australia.

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• 1993Japanese Tab Clear advertising

  Japan

  Japanese advertising used a localized approach, with separate commercials that were often unrelated to the U.S. and British campaign concepts and featured or used the voice of a Japanese spokesman.

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• 1992Suddenly everything is clear

  United States · United Kingdom

  Coca-Cola promoted Tab Clear with the slogan "Suddenly everything is clear" and advertising built around mysterious explanations for historical events. The associated "Chain of Mystery" and "Sinister Connections" concepts sought to generate rapid attention and make the unusual product memorable.

  Outcome. The campaign created substantial exposure but did not establish lasting demand for Tab Clear.

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• 2011Retrospective disclosure of a possible defensive strategyStrategy

  A later interview with former Coca-Cola chief marketing officer Sergio Zyman was published in Stephen Denny's book Killing Giants.

  What changed. The account characterized Tab Clear as a deliberately weak or self-sacrificial product intended to damage Crystal Pepsi by associating clear cola with Tab's diet and medicinal image.

  Aftermath. The account became a prominent retrospective interpretation of Tab Clear's rapid failure, although it does not replace the contemporaneous explanations involving category weakness and brand positioning.

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• 1993Expand distribution despite an emerging categoryStrategy

  Early U.S. market results were reported as positive, encouraging Coca-Cola to broaden availability.

  What changed. The company announced expansion into twenty additional U.S. markets, with a goal of reaching roughly 35 percent of the population and eventually distributing nationally.

  Aftermath. The planned expansion did not lead to a durable national brand; Tab Clear was discontinued by 1994.

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• 1992Launch a clear cola under the Tab nameProduct launch

  Crystal Pepsi's introduction created a clear-cola trend and increased competitive pressure on Coca-Cola.

  What changed. Coca-Cola introduced Tab Clear as a caffeinated, cola-flavored clear soft drink positioned within the diet-oriented Tab family.

  Aftermath. The product received an international rollout but was discontinued after a short period.

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• 2011Retrospective account describes Tab Clear as a possible Crystal Pepsi countermeasure

  Stephen Denny's book Killing Giants presented a retrospective interview with former Coca-Cola marketing executive Sergio Zyman that described Tab Clear as a deliberately self-sacrificial product intended to damage Crystal Pepsi's market position.

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• 1994Tab Clear is withdrawn after a brief market run

  Tab Clear was discontinued after a short period of marketing. Australia had already withdrawn the drink following a sharp decline in sales.

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• 1993Coca-Cola expands Tab Clear distribution

  Following positive early results, Coca-Cola announced expansion into twenty additional U.S. markets, with availability expected to reach about 35 percent of the American population.

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• 1993Tab Clear enters Britain, Japan, and Australia

  The product was introduced in Britain in February, Japan in March, and Australia in April as Coca-Cola pursued an international clear-cola rollout.

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• 1992Tab Clear launches in the United States

  The Coca-Cola Company introduced Tab Clear in the United States on December 14 as its entry into the emerging clear-cola segment.

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1. Tab Clear