If the name New Coke rings a disconcerting bell in your head, you'll likely be perplexed by what Netflix is doing with the upcoming third season of Stranger Things. And according to statements on the partnership, that's kind of the point.
Despite its highly troubled rollout back in 1985, Coca-Cola is reintroducing a limited run of the alternate formula in honor of the Netflix sci-fi period piece.
"Maybe a while ago we wouldn't have done this," Coca-Cola North America's senior VP of marketing, Stuart Kronauge, told CNN Tuesday. "But we're changing and trying to innovate in ways that are beyond traditional new products. This is a cultural innovation."
As for how to procure some New Coke, there are a number of options. You can get one "as a gift" when buying limited-edition Stranger Things-themed Coke and Coke Zero Sugar bottles online starting this Thursday. Additionally, they will be available in highly limited quantities at pop-up vending machines in several cities this summer.
The brand is also hosting a giveaway connected to tickets for the World of Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta. The total number of Stranger Things-inspired 12-ounce New Coke cans in production, per CNN, will remain at less than 500,000. A separate report on the partnership from Deadline clarifies that Coca-Cola did not pay Netflix for the modern ad approach, nor will there be Coke ads sprinkled into the new season. New Coke, however, has been confirmed as one "element" central to the new story.
Above, catch a reworked New Coke ad from the Duffer Brothers.
The announcement follows the release of a Stranger Things clip titled "Summer in Hawkins," a mullet-starring sequence in which several cans of New Coke can indeed be spotted:
Stranger Things returns July 4.
