• WSJ (paid subscription required), Tuesday, April 4, 2006 11:45 AM

Coca-Cola Co. is putting some serious marketing muscle behind next week's launch of its new coffee-flavored soda Blak. Plans call for TV commercials to run in prime time and for distribution of 1 million free samples at film festivals and food and wine shows. Blak, which has about twice the caffeine of Coca-Cola Classic but fewer than half the calories, is being targeted to sophisticated adults. Coke is hoping Blak will be a hit, as its big soda brands are struggling in the U.S. and rival PepsiCo Inc. is moving ahead in sports drinks, coffees and teas. Overall, the entire soft drink market is on a downward slide, and U.S. soft-drink sales fell last year for the first time in 20 years. Coca-Cola Classic sales volume in the U.S. declined 2 percent, and Diet Coke and Sprite were flat. Pepsi-Cola wasn't immune either; its sales dropped 3 percent. Under Chairman and Chief Executive Neville Isdell, Coke has accelerated its innovation efforts and is rolling out a flurry of new drinks, including a Tab energy drink aimed at women, Odwalla soy milk and a black tea called Gold Peak.

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