The study commissioned by the beverage giant revealed that three in five people admit to snacking more during quarantine.
Being ‘hangry’ means being bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger.
At their hangriest, nearly half (48%) of the nation said they would walk over a mile to fulfil their craving for a salty snack paired with a sweet cola, which is another reason why Coca-Cola wanted to uncover America’s most craved Coca-Cola flavour and snack combinations.
Snackable data
The iconic fizzy beverage comes in four flavours – Coca-Cola Cherry, Coca-Cola Cherry Vanilla, Coca-Cola Orange Vanilla and Coca-Cola Vanilla (each offered in Zero Sugar varieties, too) – which the maker contends are the perfect accompaniment to salty snacks.
The findings from the survey backed this up, revealing that:
Generations universally admit to snacking more during the pandemic.
However, Gen Zs (73%) are the most dedicated to the snack search, with 8% claiming to be willing to trek over four miles to get their hands on the snack that they are craving the most at that particular time.
54% of Gen Xs and 48% of Baby Boomers also concede to indulging more since the pandemic broke out in March last year.
Across America, the nation’s most craved Coca-Cola flavour is Cherry.
While the majority (52%) of those surveyed opted to pair the beverage with a cheesy pizza, depending on where they live, fans generally differ on salty snack choice.
For example, the pizza-cola combo was mainly picked by Americans who abide in the West and Southwest of the country.
The survey found that 58% of those living in the Midwest prefer to pair their drink with a packet of potato chips, while 51% of the population in the Southeast like French fries.
49% of those living in the Northeast part of the country crave the sweet/salty combo of Cocoa-Cola Cherry with chicken wings.
The survey also revealed that Coca-Cola Vanilla is the most versatile beverage, pairing easily with pizza, pretzels, popcorn, French fries and cheese & crackers, as well as healthier snacks like hummus with veggies.
Men (42%) are bigger combo-snackers than women (40%), possibly driven by the need to enhance their sport-watching moments. Women tended to go for the combo on a weekend afternoon.
That said, Americans also love to pair the two while bingeing on shows and movies (38%); while on a family road trip (35%); while playing video or board games (35%); and when they want a caffeine boost (31%).
Coca-Cola flavour curators
Coca-Cola has crowned social media sensations The Merrell Twins as its official flavour stewards – or Coca-Cola Flavour Curators – to spread the snacking word.
Veronica and Vanessa Merrell work together as social influencers, actresses, singers and producers and have a dedicated fan base of 1.6MM followers on Instagram and 4.4MM combined followers on TikTok. The duo has three YouTube channels – namely, ‘Merrell Twins’, ‘Merrell Twins Live’ and ‘Roni & Nessa’ – and have appeared in ‘Jane the Virgin’, ‘Faking It’ and ‘Switched’.
The twins will share their favourite sweet/salty combo on Instagram, encouraging others to share their own favs using #unbelievablydelicious.
