Coca-Cola Announces A TikTok-Exclusive Flavor As Its Spiced Lineup Hits Shelves

A new flavor of Coca-Cola has become a pretty regular occurrence, so it's exciting to see the company doing something a little extra to celebrate a release. Coca-Cola Spiced, a new spiced raspberry flavor, will be the first new permanent addition to Coke's lineup in three years and is set to debut this February. But launching only a few days before will be a special limited-edition flavor available exclusively on TikTok. 

This new flavor is the work of Coca-Cola Creations, the force behind social-media-driven, enigmatically named flavors like Y3000 and Coca-Cola Dreamworld. And its newest creation, called Coca-Cola Happy Tears Zero Sugar, is more online than ever. The Happy Tears flavor will be available for sale on TikTok starting February 17, which is known as Random Acts of Kindness Day, according to a press release sent to Tasting Table. 

The new Coca-Cola flavor will be sold exclusively as part of a "hype kit" that includes two cans of the soda and an assortment of items, including "Happy Tears" stickers, "kindness-themed" apparel, and custom tissues. Oana Vlad, the Senior Director of Global Strategy at Coca-Cola, said that Happy Tears "is our newest Creation that embraces the power of kindness," adding, "We can't wait to see the small acts of kindness our new drop inspires in the world." The limited-time creation will be available only as long as supplies last, although Coca-Cola has not yet revealed the price of the kit.

As for the actual flavor of Coca-Cola Happy Tears Zero Sugar? Well, it's more straightforward than some other recent creations like the "Metaverse-inspired" Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Byte. The company said that the taste is based on Classic Coke, "coupled with a splash of salty minerals, to evoke the happy tears which come with magical moments of kindness." The design of the can is also pretty striking in its own right, dropping the normally colorful Coca-Cola Creations palettes for a stark metallic silver with an embossed, iridescent "drop of joy."

With this being a TikTok and social-media-focused campaign, the hype kit and new flavor are just part of the experience. Coca-Cola is also encouraging fans to share "drops of joy" experiences online with the use of a new TikTok effect created for Happy Tears Zero Sugar. The soft drink company said these could be even "the smallest acts of kindness, such as sending a positive text to a friend, paying for a stranger's coffee, leaving a compliment on a post, or sharing a Coca-Cola."

However much the social media campaign takes off, a new flavor of Coke is always an interesting proposition, and the idea of a slightly salty and sweet cola is pretty intriguing in its simplicity. This might only be a limited-time TikTok release, but maybe Coca-Cola Happy Tears Zero Sugar will inspire something a little more permanent down the line.