Coca-Cola is reviving New Coke thanks to Stranger Things

Variety

Coca-Cola will briefly bring back New Coke, which had a disastrous launch in 1985, as a tie-in for Season 3 of the Netflix series. “This is uncharted territory for us,” says Geoff Cottrill, senior vice president of strategic marketing for Coca-Cola North America. “We want to look for ways to work with Netflix, but only in ways that don’t interrupt consumers, and don’t get in the way of the entertainment. If we can find ways to integrate authentically and add value to the experience, then we want to be a part of it.” Coca-Cola is one of about 75 companies partnering with Stranger Things, including Levi's Baskin-Robbins. "New Coke was always going to play a role this season,” the Duffer Brothers said via email to The New York Times. “It was one of the first ideas in our Season 3 brainstorm. It was the summer of ’85, and when you talk about pop culture moments, New Coke was a really big deal. It would have been more bizarre to not include it.”