Whether you are someone who drinks soft drinks (soda) or not, you will now of the Cca-Cola Company. It is easily among the most visible and well-recognised brands in the world; an industrial behemoth that has survived all manner of changes and competitions. Today, though, we want to take a look at something a little different from the Coca-Cola brand; Tab. Do you remember Tab?
Tab was the first of the diet soda brands to be developed by the company. However, it is not set for a timely death having finally reached a 55-plus year lifespan. The drink was seen as a game-changer when it first came on the market, but increasing competition means that the days of Tab are about to come to an end. Indeed, the drink itself was due to be discontinued at the end of 2020; now, if you want a can of Tab, you’ll need to buy a far more expensive collectors item. This is now simply something that you cannot buy anymore – it is gone.
How did Tab come to be?
Tab first hit the market to rather limited success, with the sales nowhere near what was hoped or expected. With people soon realising the downside of drinking full-sugar soda, they wanted an alternative that still tasted good. Tab was supposed to be the solution, but it started off on the wrong foot. The 1960s and 70s were loaded with scepticism around the quality and safety of artificial sweeteners, with more than enough scary stories to put anyone off.
Corporate suits, too, were unhappy with the idea; they were never keen on Tab from the start. It also was hard to find, with many places wanting to stock Tab but unable to get the quantity needed to make it worthwhile. However, despite all this, the predecessor to Diet Coke was the top-selling diet soda in the whole of the United States. However, once Diet Coke hit the shelves, Tab was basically kicked to the side and never really hit the limelight ever again.
What caused Tab to fail?
Really, the main thing that hurt Tab was that it wasn’t original or unique. No-Cal had come along in the early 1950s, and basically offered the same thing. And its discovery itself was actually a bit of an accident, found when an Illinois chemistry student licked some of the substance Cyclamate, and found it to be exceptionally sweet in taste.
No-Cal was very popular with diabetics, but even more popular with people who wanted to lose weight and still enjoy their little treats on the side. Seen as something that offered the best of both worlds, cans of No-Cal were very popular. Tab, then, was already competing with a popular product. When Diet Coke came along and basically offered everything that Tab could, it became the go-to winner.
In fact, many people who used to enjoy Tab might be shocked to even find out that it was still being made in the first place. Now long gone, though, it would be fair to say that Tab was a game-changer – though maybe not for the reasons first intended.