@Gargron A Conspiracy Theory from that time suggested that the "blunder" was deliberate. Coke allegedly wanted to switch from a corn syrup/cane sugar mix to 100% corn syrup (much cheaper), but it kept failing side-by-side taste tests.

Solution: Replace Coke with "new" Coke, wait two months, then, after everyone's memories have gone hazy, introduce Classic Coke using 100% corn syrup which tastes *almost* the same as the original. Coke looks silly, but saves millions in costs.