Sierra Mist

Sierra Mist

Type	Lemon-lime soft drink
Manufacturer	PepsiCo
Distributor	PepsiCo
Country of origin	United States
Introduced	1999
Color	Clear
Flavor	Lemon-Lime
Variants	Diet Sierra Mist, Sierra Mist Ruby Splash, Diet Sierra Mist Ruby Splash
Related products	Sprite, 7 Up
Website	www.sierramist.com

Sierra Mist is a lemon-lime flavored caffeine-free soft drink, introduced by PepsiCo in 1999 and rolled out nationally in the United States in 2003.

PepsiCo owns the rights to the similar 7 Up brand outside the U.S. and therefore has not yet introduced Sierra Mist in other markets.

History

In the summer of 1999, Sierra Mist hit restaurants and hit stores in 2000, replacing lemon-lime Slice and the test-market Storm. Pepsi's selection of the name "Sierra Mist" was based on favorable market research, involving 2,000 people. Sierra Mist was selected from over 1,000 possible names. A Diet Sierra Mist was introduced during this time as well, though from 2005 to 2008 the drink was renamed Sierra Mist Free before reverting back to its original name in November 2008. The product was sold in two thirds of the continental US, until January 2003, when the remaining Pepsi bottlers in the US still bottling 7 Up switched to Sierra Mist.

Sierra Mist contains carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, citric acid, natural flavors, potassium benzoate (preserves freshness), potassium citrate, ascorbic acid and calcium disodium EDTA (protects flavor). The diet version replaces the HFCS with aspartame and acesulfame potassium.

In 2005, a series of improv-based commercials titled "Mist Takes" began airing. It featured Nicole Sullivan, Debra Wilson, Aries Spears, Jim Gaffigan, and Michael Ian Black . In 2006, Kathy Griffin, Tracy Morgan and Guillermo Diaz joined the cast. Also in 2006, a version for Spanish-language channels began airing. The Spanish version stars Diaz and members of the cast of Otro Rollo.

In late 2006, PepsiCo introduced Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash. It was only available during the Winter holiday season. Cranberry Splash returned in the fall of 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 along with Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash.

File:Various sierra mists.jpg

Various Cans of Sierra Mist: (L-R) Design from 2006-2008, Undercover Orange (2008), Lemon Squeeze (2007); and previous design from 2008-2010

File:SierraMist2010logo.jpg

Empty bottle of Sierra Mist with the current design (2010-present)

In May 2007 Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze was introduced. This limited edition featured an extra bit of lemon taste and was only available through September 2007.

In December 2007, PepsiCo trademarked the names Sierra Mist Undercover Orange and Sierra Mist Free Undercover Orange. The two sodas launched in the summer of 2008 (with the faces of Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway on their labels) as a marketing tie-in with the release of the Warner Bros. film Get Smart on June 20, 2008. Sierra Mist: Undercover Orange and Sierra Mist Free: Undercover Orange were both clear sodas, like regular and diet Sierra Mist, but had a mandarin orange flavor.

Sierra Mist's can was redesigned as a part of Pepsico's redesign of its core products in 2008, with Sierra Mist Free reverting back to the Diet Sierra Mist name in the process. The Sierra Mist logo was redesigned again in 2010 with a more retro design featuring a similar typeface as the one used with the current Pepsi design.

An October 2008 report that PepsiCo was planning to launch the Sierra Mist brand in the United Kingdom, in connection with the aforementioned relaunch, has been denied by the company.

In 2009, Sierra Mist Ruby Splash (with a ruby grapefruit flavor) and Sierra Mist Free was released, with the same logo matching the previous one from November 2008 until March 2010.

In August 2010, PepsiCo relaunched the product line as Sierra Mist Natural, a sugar sweetened version of the drink. 2010's version of Cranberry Splash Sierra Mist is also sugar sweetened. The diet versions of both sodas remain unchanged.

Sponsorship

Sierra Mist is an official partner and sponsor of Major League Soccer and two franchises within the league, the New England Revolution and D.C. United.

Sierra Mist variants

Current

Sierra Mist brand

• Diet Sierra Mist (2001–2004 and 2008–present)
• Diet Sierra Mist Ruby Splash (2009–present), a low calorie ruby grapefruit lemon-lime soda.

Sierra Mist Natural brand

• Sierra Mist Natural (2010–present) a sierra mist with natural flavoring and sweet sugar.
• Diet Sierra Mist Natural (2010–present) a diet sierra mist with natural flavoring and sweetners.
• Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash (2010–present) a sierra mist with natural flavoring, cranberries and real sugar. (Cans, 2 Liters and 20 oz bottles)
• Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash (2010–present) a diet sierra mist with natural flavoring, cranberries and sweetners.
• Sierra Mist Ruby Splash (2009-present), a limited edition that has ruby grapefruit.

Former

• Sierra Mist (1999–2010)
• Sierra Mist Free (2004–2008)
• Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash (2006–2010)
• Sierra Mist Free Cranberry Splash (2007)
• Diet Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash (2008–2010) a new name for the sierra mist free cranberry splash.
• Sierra Mist Lemon Squeeze (2007), a limited edition sierra mist. Had more lemon taste.
• Sierra Mist Undercover Orange (2008), an orange limited edition drink.
• Sierra Mist Free Undercover Orange (2008), an orange limited edition drink with low calories.

Possible flavors

• Sierra Mist Mojito Splash -
• Sierra Mist Free Mojito Splash
• Sierra Mist Next

See also

• Sprite, rival soft drink by the Coca Cola Company.
• Slice, PepsiCo's former lemon-lime flagship
• Teem, PepsiCo's first lemon-lime brand

External links

• Official website
• 'Pepsi release Sierra Mist and Mountain Dew in the UK as part of a 70m makeover'