Jack Daniel’s® and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar: The drink of the times

In 2011, rapper Drake made YOLO (you only live once) a thing, and it was formally entered into the Oxford English Dictionary as a word in 2016. This reminds us of #BornReady, the hashtag of the Jack Daniel's® and Coca-Cola ARTD (alcoholic ready to drink) that was released in 2023.

The pre-mixed, canned cocktail made huge waves among Jack Daniel's® and Coca-Cola fans alike that a clamor for a Coke Zero version was expected and inevitable. After all, even those watching their calories and sugar deserve to enjoy the awesome cocktail combination as well: it is, after all, the coming together of two beverage giants.

On May 2, Jack Daniel's® and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar ARTD (alcoholic ready to drink) was formally launched in the Philippines in a packed, influencer- and media-filled rock n’ roll party at Baked Studios in Makati. It was edgy, sexy, wonderful to see and even more wonderful to experience—much like the drink it was launching.

The hashtag? #BornReadyForMore—and, boy, did Coca-Cola give it their all.

Combination of titans

PhilSTAR L!fe sat down with Mark Jason Dee, Coca-Cola Philippines Senior Director for Frontline Marketing for an easy and chill tête-à-tête right before the program began. The quick chat gave us the chance to ask Mark all the questions we had about their new product that promises to enrich how we decompress and party, especially this summer.

“Whenever we do a new product or innovation, we run consumer studies here as well as globally to find the missing opportunities,” Mark began, when asked about data that told them the market was ready for Jack Daniel's® and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar ARTD. “In the Philippines, if you look at our portfolio, we have a sizeable zero-sugar segment, based on our core product. And we know that what we call the alcohol ready-to-drink is a category that is growing fast.”

But why Jack Daniel's® when there are so many classic and popular alcoholic brands in the country? “Jack Daniel's® is from Brown-Forman and Coca-Cola is from the Coca-Cola Company. Both are iconic American brands that have been in the market for more than 100 years,” Mark said.

Fact: the Jack-and-Coke drink is the top barcall in the Philippines as well as the world, so it is, actually, a natural pairing.

“The smokiness of the Jack Daniel's® partnered with the great taste of Coca-Cola is a timeless classic,” Mark continued. “That’s why when we launched it last year, we called it #BornReady, especially for the latest generation. It is ready-to-drink, and it has always been ready to satisfy the market.”

Grounded in responsibility

The Coca-Cola Company takes great pride in the way they strictly adhere to the Responsible Alcohol Marketing Policy (RAMP) with all of their alcohol brands. The Company’s approach is always grounded in responsibility, which means the new innovation will only be targeted towards adult consumers above the legal purchasing age who choose to drink.

“The ads that we service, we make sure it’s only targeted to those of legal drinking age,” Mark said. “On the pack, it clearly identifies the drink as alcohol. If you look at our e-commerce site, we check that the customer is indeed eighteen years old.”

“In (physical) stores, it’s displayed in the alcohol aisle, not with the basic beverages or juices. We partnered with our retailers to make sure it is displayed in that area.”

During activations or events when they encourage the public to try their new product, they even go as far as asking for IDs to make sure the drinker is at least eighteen years old.

Comforting pairings

There is a segment of consumers that would open just one can of beer at the end of a stressful day to help them decompress and loosen the pressure they feel in their bodies. There is also a set of consumers that would turn to comfort food with an ice-cold can of Coke.

With Jack Daniel's® and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar ARTD, it’s like hitting two birds with one stone. We had to ask Mark for his suggested food pairings that would perfectly go with their new drink for the market that is #BornReadyForMore.

“Definitely your bar chows or pulutan in Filipino,” he said quickly. “My personal preference—this is me—I love fried chicken. Natural for me to combine with Jack Daniel's® and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar ARTD are chicken wings.”

“My friends would drink Jack and Coke with pizza. The combos you can come up with are unlimited,” Mark shared. “It’s really meant to be a drink to be shared with your friends, your family.”

Time to be ready for more

While the Jack Daniel's® and Coca-Cola ARTD has been around for a year, there might still be a market waiting to be captured and enticed to try this combo for the first time. With Jack Daniel's® and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar ARTD, the weight- and sugar-conscious can also finally partake and enjoy.

“If you are of legal age and you want a refreshing beverage with the smoothness and smokiness of a Jack Daniel's®, this is the perfect drink for you,” said Mark. “You can drink it while chilling with your friends, watching sports events…It’s a drink for what we call the ‘born-ready’ generation.”

And for the fans of Rhum Coke that’s a staple in drinking sessions anywhere in the Philippines: “If you want an alternative drink, this would be a good alternative, especially if you’re into the zero-sugar segment,” Mark said. “We made sure that we formulated it well to be as close to the natural bar drink as possible.”

Mark’s personal tip: try the Jack Daniel's® and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar ARTD on its own without combining it with yet another alcoholic drink. “Experience it firsthand so that you would experience the iconic delicious taste of Coca-Cola with the smoothness and smokiness of Jack Daniel's®.”

Jack Daniel's® and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar ARTD is available in leading supermarkets nationwide. Check out Coca-Cola’s e-commerce page on Lazada and Shopee and have it delivered to your doorstep.

You only live once, so be ready for more.

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Editor's note: BrandedUp is designed to provide you with insightful, inspiring, and educational content created by The Philippine STAR in collaboration with brands like Coca-Cola Philippines.