Vanilla Coke has been available in Australia since its initial introduction in 2002, being produced by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners.

For decades, this remained common practice in ice cream shops where vanilla syrup and Coca-Cola were both available.

It was not until April, 2002 that rumors began to circulate that the company was planning a new variation to their classic soft drink.

One of the first notable advertisements was a television ad created by The Martin Agency which was based upon the product's original campaign line of "Reward Your Curiosity".

The ad featured actor Chazz Palminteri, in which he and another man pull a teenager (played by a young Aaron Paul) into an alley after catching him peering into a hole.

Half of it was about new, different and change of pace, and the rest of it was about how people love and trust Coca-Cola.

"[4] The Coca-Cola Company announced in 2002 that Vanilla Coke would be introduced initially in the United States with distribution starting May 15, followed by a rollout in Canada.

The introduction of vanilla flavor was hailed by The Coca-Cola Company as "the greatest innovation since Diet Coke in 1983".

[7] As of 2003[update], Vanilla Coke was marketed in several European countries as well as Australia and New Zealand (in mid-to-late-2002).

During the 2016 Summer Olympics the vanilla and cherry version was presented to selected markets in Brazil.

[10] In November 2005, after slumping sales, The Coca-Cola Company announced that Vanilla Coke would be discontinued in North America and Great Britain by the end of the year.

"[11] Vanilla Coke beverages were never discontinued in some markets, such as Australia, France, Russia, Malaysia, and Germany.

[12] The official re-introduction of Vanilla Coke in the US began May 25, 2007 at the World of Coca-Cola Museum in Atlanta, Georgia.

The Coca-Cola Company announced a partnership with Edy's Ice Cream to co-advertise with Coke on the launch, and featured a 10-ton Vanilla Coke float, which was certified by the Guinness World Records as the largest ice cream float in the world.

In June 2010, certain convenience stores in Ontario, Canada have re-introduced it by importing it from the neighbouring United States.

Coca-Cola has made Coke Vanilla available in their Freestyle beverage machine in Canada; however, bottled and canned versions were not available until 2016.

In July 2018, Coca-Cola Vanilla re-appeared in Russia as limited edition in Magnit supermarkets,[15] but due to high sales, it became available in all retail chains as a permanent product.