Coke Zero packaging effuses all the signals of premium branding, but the product itself matches none of the attributes we associate with “high end.”

This isn’t a celebrity-backed mens fragrance or a Justin Timberlake album. This is caffeine-free Diet Coke.

All of the design decisions for Coke Zero packaging were set by previous soft drink design conventions. In the saturated category of soft drinks, black has come to mean zero calories, not the normal attributes of black, which might be sleek or mysterious or high fashion. In soft-drink land, gold means caffeine-free not decadence, high-end, scarcity or luxury. If you look at Coke Zero packaging based on the attributes of its visual parts, it might seem like a celebrity-backed mens fragrance or a Justin Timberlake album. But, not so. This is caffeine free Diet Coke.

So, will consumers feel like they’ve earned the reward of a premium indulgence? Maybe. Ironically, if it’s luxury consumers are after, it will be delivered in a, fake sugar, non-caffeinated way.

Ask yourself: What engrained brand conventions is your category forcing onto your brand that don’t make any sense?