Diet Coke Is High on Its New Slogan

Coca-Cola is going back to its roots. All the way to when its original product, invented by a morphine addict, actually contained cocaine. At least that’s what the company appears to be doing with billboards and signs proclaiming, “You’re on. Diet Coke.”

Coke’s campaign was launched with a commercial that aired during the Sochi Olympic Games. In it, Taylor Swift takes a swig of Diet Coke before being told, “You’re on”—as in, it’s time to go onstage. But the print version of the campaign evokes an entirely different message. One version that appeared on the side of a Manhattan bus stop reads, “You moved to New York with two turntables, a microphone and a really cool DJ name. You’re on. Diet Coke.” Another says: “You moved to New York with a portfolio, a pair of skinny jeans and strong opinions on hemlines. You’re on. Diet Coke.” San Francisco gets its own version: “You moved to San Francisco with an engineering degree, an app idea and an investor named Nana. You’re on. Diet Coke.” Ditch the period and the word “diet,” and you’ll see what the problem is.