The holiday-themed Coke can is an annual tradition for the soft-drink company, which has adorned its beloved red can with Christmas-y decorations like snowflakes and Santas over the years. This year's can boasted a silver-and-white design aimed to raise awareness about the plight of the polar bears -- creatures who are increasingly at risk thanks to climate change.

There was just one small problem: Consumers hated the new cans. Among their biggest complaints was the silvery-white colour, which made many mistake the classic beverage for its low-calorie counterpart Diet Coke.

As that "shock to the palate" comment suggests, many cola drinkers were convinced the new, white-canned beverage tasted different from the classic Coca-Cola drink they were used to.

Amidst the hue and cry, Coca-Cola issued a press release, announcing the white cans will remain on shelves while supplies last, but will soon be replaced by "Phase II" of the "Arctic Home" campaign. In Phase II, the image of the polar bears will appear on the red can consumers have come to associate with Coke.

Some irritated social media users noted that somehow the polar bears got lost in the debate, and took time to bring some much-needed perspective to the soda-pop controversy.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola marketing employees were undoubtedly having flashbacks to a previous Coke debacle from 1985: New Coke.