Coke who only just caught on to what made Pepsi Max sell well to men, have created and launched a new Diet Soda, without the word "diet" on it. Coke Zer0, or Coke Zero if you prefer, is a 0-calorie soda pop sweetened with a blend of aspartame and acesulfame potassium (ace-k). Pepsi Max is sweetened with aspartame and acesulfame K, and it too never mentions the word "diet". That coupled with it's Mt. Dew style advertising in Europe (in fact they simply were those "been there, done that, doing it tomorrow" Mt. Dew ads with new cans) the Max is very popular among young lads.
The New York Post reports:
Coke Zero is targeted to the all-important young male consumer who has been slower than women to embrace diet cola.The marketing of Coke Zero, made with a blend of Aspartame and a sweetener called Ace K, will emphasize taste. The black-and-white packaging and "zero" logo — without the word "diet" — are also suggestive of a brawnier drink.