(Image source: Inquisitr)

BY JENNIFER LONG

Coca-Cola is ditching the frosty white holiday cans and going back to classic red.

The temporary switch was part of a holiday marketing tradition. The white cans were supposed to be in stores until February to raise money for Coke’s favorite endangered animal-the polar bear.

But the new look fizzled out. WFLD explains why.

“Consumers hate it. They say that those white cans look like the Diet Coke cans. They’re getting confused, they’re buying the wrong ones, they’re returning them and then some people say the coke actually tastes different in a white can.”

Different taste? Well Coke says that’s just crazy. Here’s what a rep told ABC.

“Whenever we change our packaging we nearly always hear form a handful of people that believe the taste is different. Of course it isn’t. Still, consumers are trained to be influenced by color. So perhaps Coke shouldn't be surprised by the complaints.”

But Coke’s marketing executives say they wanted a “disruptive campaign” to grab attention. And a writer for Bang Style says they got what they were looking for.

“Disruptive is definitely what they got.  Screw the polar bears; fans just want their red cans back so they can grab them without having to think.”

And a blogger for the Motley Fool agrees. People know their can colors. Why change them?

“This is just a flat-out boneheaded move by Coca-Cola. Loyalists know the Coca-Cola color scheme. Regular Coke is red. Diet Coke is silver. Caffeine-free Coke is gold. White really is too close a kissing cousin to silver, and it's easy to see why folks grabbing the cans at convenience stores, delis, or perhaps even their own refrigerators may make the honest mistake.”

But even through all of the confusion, the Vending Market Watch says in the end, all publicity is good publicity.

“While some customers don’t like the new white can, Coca-Cola Co. has managed to gain attention with these cans and its partnership with the World Wildlife Fund. Getting a feature article on the front page of the Personal Journal section of The Wall Street Journal isn’t hurting the company’s sales.”

Regardless - the company is saying goodbye to the new cans and assures consumers the classic red cans will be in stores in time for the holidays.