Coca-Cola trademark filing hints at potential spicy offering

Companies often file trademark applications to reserve a word, phrase, symbol or design before a public launch, said Josh Gerben, trademark attorney and founder of Washington, D.C.-based Gerben IP. The company must later show the mark is commercially active to finalize the registration, he said.

“Typically, a company that size is not going to make a trademark filing like this unless they have something in the works that’s pretty serious internally,” Gerben said of Coca-Cola’s “Spricy” application. “It seems like there’s a lot of interest in this name from the company.”

Last September, Coca-Cola filed a trademark application for Mr. Pibb under the soft drinks category. Weeks later, the beverage giant said it would bring back the spicy cherry soda after almost 25 years.

Gerben noted the “Spricy” trademark application offers few details. Coca-Cola could be envisioning a new product or even a marketing slogan, he said. The company could also ultimately drop the idea.

“I think it’s very hard to say at this point because it’s so early,” said Duane Stanford, editor and publisher of trade publication Beverage Digest.

Stanford said it’s conceivable that “Spricy” could be a “spicy spin” on Sprite, a lemon-lime soft drink that is one of the top carbonated sodas in the U.S.

“We know that food and beverage companies are really capitalizing on the increased interest in spicy foods, especially from young consumers,” he said. “We’ve got a much more multicultural consumer set now.”

Coca-Cola has already promoted Sprite’s pairing with spicy foods, saying the soda helps amplify fiery flavors instead of extinguish them. The company last year launched the “Hurts Real Good with Sprite” campaign, suggesting people eat spicy foods and drink Sprite to add “fizz to the fire” and “find pleasure in the spicy pain.”

Sprite is partnering with food brands such as Takis spicy chips, Tabasco sauce and McDonald’s spicy chicken nuggets, which “will come to life through social and creator-led content, live experiences and Sprite & Spicy bundle offers,” according to a March announcement.

Coca-Cola has leaned into social media trends featuring Sprite. For example, the company last year launched the limited-release Sprite + Tea because consumers were steeping tea bags in Sprite on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. The product returned this summer as a seasonal release.

Other Sprite flavors include: Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry, which launched in 2019 and is sold for a limited time during the winter holiday season; Sprite Lymonade, a soda with a splash of lemonade; and Sprite Chill, featuring a cooling sensation.

“Sprite, in the last couple of years, their catch has been to do innovative, out-of-the-box thinking when it comes to the flavors of Sprite,” Stanford said. Coca-Cola “very well could be going for some sort of spicy-related mashup with Sprite.”