Tab was an iconic brand long before Ms. Silverman, Ms. Kueneman and others of their generation discovered it. It was introduced in 1963 as Coca-Cola’s first diet soda, highlighted in a television ad as classy enough for candlelight and crystal glasses. It was mostly marketed to women with the message that it would help keep them trim. In the 1970s, there was an extended line of Tab drinks, including caffeine-free and clear versions.
Around that time, studies on laboratory rats showed that the artificial sweetener in Tab, saccharin, could lead to an increased risk of bladder cancer. Those studies did little to hurt Tab sales and were ultimately deemed inconclusive. It still contains saccharin.
By the early 1980s, Tab had reached its cultural zenith. Commercials featured happy couples and women in bikinis on the beach being ogled by men, along with a catchy jingle that Tab was “for beautiful people.”
But in 1982, the Coca-Cola Company introduced Diet Coke, which dampened Tab sales. There were rumors then that the company wanted to phase out the once-popular drink. By 2011, only three million cases of Tab were made, compared with 885 million cases of Diet Coke, according to news reports. About half that is sold now.
Tab lovers refused to give up, building networks of friends and colleagues who advised them where to buy it. Ms. Kueneman said she could not find Tab in San Francisco when she lived there. So she sometimes hired a courier to drive 90 miles north to Sacramento and pick up several cases for her.
Mr. Boyd of Charlotte has a group of friends who alert each other when store shipments come in. He said he occasionally buys Tab online, although it is costly. “With shipping, I once paid nearly $40 for a case,” he said.
Tracy Bowen, a bookkeeper from Fredericksburg, Va., has been drinking Tab since she was 15. “Sometimes I get a cinnamon hit,” she said of the taste. “It’s the closest thing to a real cola taste without the sugar.”
Source : Nytimes
