DIET COKE takes a stand against unfairly labeling people

Diet Coke’s new campaign is designed to spark a national conversation about labels.

Basically, Coke would like to teach the world to sing the praises of self-labeling while refraining from labeling others. So the brand recently launched a campaign called “Unlabeled.” It’s pretty cool, actually.

One key element of “Unlabeled” is a series of short films about people with attributes or characteristics that make them targets of unfair suspicion, ridicule, bullying, fear, or outright open hatred. They talk about how society has used labels to oppress them but also how they liberated themselves by seizing control of the label-making machinery.

Consumers will be reminded of these stories when they go to purchase a Diet Coke and find the words “Diet Coke” missing from the can’s label.

Yep, that’s right. Coca Cola is producing a limited number of cans “unlabeled.” The only indication that the cans contain Diet Coke will be the brand’s distinctive background color scheme.

Another key element of the campaign is the creation of online safe-spaces where everyone else can share their own stories of how labeling has negatively—and positively—impacted them.

Diet Coke considers the campaign a work-in-progress, meaning it plans to have boots on the ground at events like Pride, Essence Fest, and Girlboss Rally to gather insights for making the campaign even better.