Things are gonna get dark when “Stranger Things” returns with its third season on July 4 — and we’re not even talking about what’s happening in Hawkins, Indiana.
In was announced Tuesday that Coca-Cola is partnering with Netflix to journey back to one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history: the birth of New Coke.
The infamous soda sparked outcry when Coca-Cola changed its formula for Coke in the summer of 1985 in what is now considered the biggest marketing mistakes of all time, according to the AP. New Coke lasted just 79 days before the original recipe returned.
Per Coca-Cola: “In a first-of-its-kind partnership for Netflix, the ‘Stranger Things’ team collaborated with Coca-Cola to immerse viewers in 1980s nostalgia. Executives from Netflix visited the Coca-Cola archives in Atlanta last year to study New Coke packaging, memorabilia, advertising and more to ensure the script accurately reflected historical events and that all props and visuals stayed true to the time period. New Coke will appear in several episodes. And (spoiler alert!) New Coke will be available this summer via a (very) limited promotional run to bring to life one of 1985’s biggest cultural moments – both on and off screen.”
Everyone: I don’t think Stranger Things can get any more 80’s.
Stranger Things: Hold my New Coke… #StrangerThings3 #Enjoy pic.twitter.com/xnCGY1dkrQ— Coca-Cola (@CocaCola) May 21, 2019
“One thing that makes ‘Stranger Things’ so special is its commitment to authentically portraying the decade in which the show takes place,” Stuart Kronauge, president, sparkling business unit, Coca-Cola North America, said. “When we heard that Season 3 would be set in the summer of 1985 and they wanted to integrate New Coke, we knew we had an opportunity to revisit that time period in a fun and unexpected way that would also allow us to be part of one of this year’s most anticipated pop culture moments.”
Coca-Cola will release a limited number of cans of New Coke starting this Thursday. An “upside-down”-inspired vending machine will also pop up in select cities this summer to dispense free cans for a limited time.
“Stranger Things 3” launches July 4 on Netflix.
https://twitter.com/CocaCola/status/1130820764813471744