Its a common strategy among many brands to release a different holiday packaging reflecting the spirit. Coke followed suit and released a white can with red Coca Cola lettering. The can also had polar bears and snow flakes on it. The original plan was to keep this on shelves till Feb. But, here’s what happened - 
Why did they do it?
Coke executives wanted a disruptive shift and the white cans were unique enough to Coke’s usual red. They wanted it to be bold and attention-grabbing. Also, it fits in with their effort to raise awareness about global warming being a threat to polar bears. Coke has pledged $3 million toward this cause.
What really happened?
1. Consumers are so ingrained to associate red with Coke that it created a psychological impact on taste. Many people thought it tasted “funny.”
2. Also diet Coke had diet written in black on the cans. Usually, diet Coke comes in a white can. Many people confused the normal Coke for Diet and returned half empty cans to the stores demanding a refund.
It got so disruptive that Coke had to remove the cans in a month from the shelves. Here are some golden words from a victim directly -
“Coke = red.
Diet Coke = gray/silver/white.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Lovely write up. Short & sweet…
This is not the 1st time Coca Cola has committed a blunder. The time when they tried to make Coke sweet because Pepsi had done so was one example. So was the instance when they tried to make Diet coke the standard Coke.
Wonder why CC try to play catch up with competitors when they’re the world’s leading brand! Wonder what the product management & marketing teams do…