In 1993, Coca-Cola saw a youth movement in need of a soft drink and launched OK soda. It’s tagline read: “What's the point of OK? Well, what’s the point of anything.” Perhaps that tagline is why the drink never gained popularity. After realizing that “OK” was the only word more universally recognizable than “Coke,” ad-agency Wieden-Kennedy decided the word also perfectly captured Gen X’s listlessness. TV and radio commercials described OK Soda as “citrusy” and “spicy,” though young consumers referred to it as “swamp water.” Whether it was the drink’s “just OK” flavor or the marketing campaign’s over-the-top bleakness, OK never quite caught on. Following disappointing sales, Coca-Cola scrapped the project. In the end, the soda giant wasn’t all that affected by the loss of the strange soda, believing that “things were going to be OK.” Meanwhile, OK soda's original cans, merchandise and advertising material can still be found on eBay, with asking prices in the hundreds of dollars. Well, at least SOMEBODY’S going to be OK.
