'You're On' Coke Ads Dropped

Coca-Cola has dropped its "You're on" slogan for Diet Coke after being widely mocked for ads that appeared to say "You're on coke," thanks to the positioning of the logo. The ads, some of which portrayed the drink as a quick pick-me-up, looked like a pretty unsubtle cocaine reference to some bloggers and the lampooned campaign was ditched after just three months, reports the New York Times. The slogan has been replaced by "Just for the taste of it," returning for at least the third time since it was used to launch Diet Coke in 1983.

"It's not likely that the reference was intentional," especially since the company's products used to actually contain cocaine, according to CBS, but David Gianatasio at AdWeek disagrees. "The campaign's wording is so obvious, I'd bet client and agency went this route on purpose," he writes. "The ads are certainly getting extra attention, and it's not so offensive as to cause the brand harm. Plus, there's plausible deniability." Coca-Cola says it "in no way endorses or supports the use of any illegal substance," and the slogan change was simply meant to provide "a different way to talk about the brand." (The company also recently agreed to remove a flame retardant from its Powerade drinks.)