Coca-Cola rebrand draws ‘fridge cigarette’ comparisons online
Coca-Cola’s new visual system sparked online comparisons to Marlboro after Diet Coke’s “fridge cigarette” meme took off with Gen Z.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
The Coca-Cola rebrand is getting attention for a reason the company did not highlight: some social media users say its new typography reminds them of Marlboro. The reaction landed as Diet Coke has become tied to Gen Z’s “fridge cigarette” joke, a nickname for a cold afternoon soda ritual.
Coca-Cola said this week that the update is meant to create a single visual identity for the brand across more than 200 markets. The company described the work as a refresh of its packaging and type system, not as a nod to online slang.
Arnab Roy, president of Coca-Cola Global Category, said in a company statement Monday that the refresh is intended to make the brand “clearer and more consistent” wherever people encounter it. Roy said Coca-Cola is “building on the things people already know and love” while keeping the brand recognizable.
Why are people comparing Coca-Cola to Marlboro?
After Coca-Cola showed the updated typography, users on X and Threads pointed out that the lettering resembled the look associated with Marlboro. One X user wrote that “Coke and Marlboro had a baby—and it’s a font,” while another person on Threads asked whether Coca-Cola had changed its branding because people had started calling Diet Cokes “fridge cigarettes.”
The comparison spread because the design discussion arrived after the meme had already become widely familiar online. In that context, some consumers read the new typography through an existing joke about Diet Coke, even though Coca-Cola has not said the redesign was connected to the meme.
What is the “fridge cigarette” joke?
The phrase “fridge cigarette” refers to a cold Diet Coke as a quick personal break or afternoon pick-me-up. Fortune reported that the nickname traces back to summer 2025, when TikTok creator Rachel Reno called her cold Diet Coke a “crispy ciggy.”
The joke spread across TikTok and other social platforms, sometimes alongside videos of people pairing Diet Coke with a shot of espresso. Craig Heyne, vice president of performance marketing at Bloom Nutrition, told Fortune that the ritual is similar to the “sweet treat” trend online: a small, owned moment during the day.
Heyne said remote and hybrid work have made those kinds of breaks easier to fit into daily routines. That helped make the Diet Coke ritual more relatable to people posting and watching the trend, according to Fortune.
How brand experts read the reaction
Allen Adamson, co-founder of the brand strategy firm Metaforce, told Fortune that arguments over a redesign come with managing a brand people recognize. Adamson previously worked at Landor, the design firm involved in Coca-Cola’s global redesign in the late 1980s, including the identity system that introduced the brand’s Dynamic Ribbon.
Adamson said brands have to keep their visual identities current because consumers can sense when a brand feels dated, even if they do not focus on a specific design detail. He also told Fortune that “a font isn’t a brand,” saying consumers may react to one element while the full identity depends on a wider set of visual cues and associations.
For Coca-Cola, the online response shows how a global brand refresh can collide with meme culture. The company presented the change as a consistency play across packaging and digital experiences; many online viewers saw it through the already-running “fridge cigarette” joke.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.