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Crystal Pepsi

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Crystal Pepsi
TypeClear cola
ManufacturerPepsiCo
Country of origin  United States
Introduced1992‒1993; 2015; 2016
VariantsDiet Crystal Pepsi, Crystal From Pepsi, Pepsi Clear
Related productsPepsi, Pepsi Blue, Tab Clear

Crystal Pepsi is a soft drink made by PepsiCo from 1992 to 1993, and briefly in December 2015 in the United States; it was also sold for a short time in Canada and Australia. Crystal Pepsi was sold for a longer time in Europe during the early 1990s. The drink was re-released in late 2015 as a promotion to go along with the launch of Pepsi's new signature smartphone app Pepsi Pass. Crystal Pepsi was first made at the Beer Arena.

History

In the early 1990s, a marketing fad equating clarity with purity began with the remake of Ivory soap from its classic milky solution;[1] the idea spread to many companies, including PepsiCo. Crystal Pepsi was marketed as a caffeine-free "clear alternative" to normal colas, equating clarity with purity and health.[2] Its marketing slogan was "You've never seen a taste like this."[1]

In 1992, PepsiCo introduced Crystal Pepsi to test markets in Denver, Sacramento, Dallas, and Providence,[3] and the product generated a positive response.[2] Pleased with the results, PepsiCo launched the cola on April 12, 1992,[4] and began to sell it nationwide in 1993. A large marketing campaign was launched, for which the company invented the world's first photo-realistic, computer-generated bus wrap printing. A series of television advertisements featuring Van Halen's hit song "Right Now" premiered on national television on January 31, 1993, during Super Bowl XXVII.[2] Another marketing ploy was to give out full sized sample bottles with the Sunday paper deliveries such as the Boston Globe in Massachusetts. In its first year, Crystal Pepsi captured a full percentage point of U.S. soft drink sales, approximately $474 million.[5] Coca-Cola followed suit by launching Tab Clear on December 14, 1992.[6]

Initial sales were good but quickly fell.[citation needed] By fall 1993, Pepsi pulled the drink off the market, and the final batches were delivered to retailers during the first few months of 1994. Pepsi returned several months later with a reformulated citrus drink titled Crystal From Pepsi, but that was short-lived as well.[7]

According to Coca-Cola Chief Marketing Officer Sergio Zyman, Tab Clear was an intentionally "suicidal", "kamikaze" effort to create an unpopular beverage that was positioned as an analogue of Crystal Pepsi in order to "kill both in the process." The "born to die" strategy included using the poor-performing Tab brand rather than Coke, labeling the product as a "sugar free" diet drink to confuse consumers into thinking Crystal Pepsi had no sugar, and marketing the product as if it were "medicinal." Zyman said "Pepsi spent an enormous amount of money on the brand and, regardless, we killed it. Both of them were dead within six months."[8][9]

Pepsi Clear

In 2005, a new clear Pepsi was sold in Mexico as Pepsi Clear for a limited time. On August 22, 2008, PepsiCo filed for trademarks on the product names "Pepsi Clear" and "Diet Pepsi Clear".[10]

Marketing

Yum! Brands Chairman David C. Novak is credited with introducing the Crystal Pepsi concept, after hearing about the idea from Shaw. In a December 2007 interview,[11] he stated:

It was a tremendous learning experience. I still think it's the best idea I ever had, and the worst executed. A lot of times as a leader you think, "They don't get it; they don't see my vision." People were saying we should stop and address some issues along the way, and they were right. It would have been nice if I'd made sure the product tasted good. Once you have a great idea and you blow it, you don't get a chance to resurrect it.

Revival and re-release

In September 2014, following a Facebook campaign by consumers, The Coca-Cola Company re-introduced the soft drink Surge, leading to speculation in the public and amongst media about the return of Crystal Pepsi.[12]

In March 2015, an online campaign to bring back Crystal Pepsi began. The following month, a second, and the most crucial, petition spearheaded by the online competitive eating personality Kevin "L.A. Beast" Strahle generated enough interest for a call-in and email campaign, circa 37,000 Change.org petition signatures,[13] tens of thousands of Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram tagged comments, 15 billboards erected around the Los Angeles area, and a commitment to ride a mobile billboard truck at Pepsi's Purchase, New York headquarters with a gathering of supporters at a park nearby[14] on June 15 and 16, 2015.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21] The interest from this campaign led to an official response by Pepsi Co. on June 8, 2015, which indicated that Crystal Pepsi may be making a comeback.[22]

In November 2015, Pepsi hinted on their Twitter page that the beverage would make a comeback. In December 2015, Pepsi announced that fans of the drink could win one of 13,000 six-packs of the beverage by entering a sweepstakes via a mobile application or online at Pepsipass.com between December 10 and 11. Winners selected during the following week would receive the beverage in time for Christmas.[23] Although Pepsi-Co has remained quiet about a possible re-release, 20 oz. bottles of Crystal Pepsi have been seen frequently for sale online. Pepsi officially announced that Crystal Pepsi will be released in Canada for a limited run for July and will be released in the US for a limited time on August 8, 2016. [24]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Garber Jr, Lawrence L. Color as a Tool for Visual Persuasion, p313. Essay included in Persuasive Imagery ed. by Linda M Scott. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003. ISBN 0-8058-4202-0
  2. ^ a b c Zyman, Sergio. The End of Marketing as We Know It. Harper-Collins, 1999. ISBN 0-88730-983-6
  3. ^ Business Digest and Bloomington, Illinois. The Washington Post, April 14, 1992
  4. ^ "Business Digest". New York Times, April 13, 1992
  5. ^ Janofsky, Michael. "Pepsi Tries New Diet Cola Abroad". New York Times, 2 March 1993.
  6. ^ Bryant, Adam. "Coke Adds a Clear Cola To Its New Age Stable". New York Times, December 15, 1992
  7. ^ Brody, Aaron L and John B Lord. Developing New Foods for a Changing Marketplace, p62. CRC Press, 2000. ISBN 1-56676-778-4
  8. ^ Denny, Stephen (2011). "Fighting Dirty — Mutually Assured (Brand) Destruction: Tab Clear Versus Crystal Pepsi". Killing Giants: 10 Strategies to Topple the Goliath in Your Industry. Penguin. ISBN 9781101476215.
  9. ^ Bernard James Mullin; Stephen Hardy; William Anthony Sutton (2007). Sport Marketing, Volume 13 (Illustrated ed.). Human Kinetics. p. 168. ISBN 9780736060523. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  10. ^ Tanner, Steve (11 August 2009). "Is Pepsi Clear the return of Crystal Pepsi?". BevReview.com. Retrieved 7 October 2015. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ Kate Bonamici Flaim, Winging It, 19 Dec. 2007, Fast Company (magazine) at http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/119/winging-it.html accessed 29 Sept. 2009
  12. ^ Rick Aristotle Munarriz. "Coke's Surge Surges Back; Will Crystal Pepsi Be Revived Next?". DailyFinance.com. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Bring Back Crystal Pepsi!", at change.org
  14. ^ "L.A. Beast - Facebook". facebook.com. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  15. ^ ABC News. "You Can Thank This Guy If Popular '90s Drink Crystal Pepsi Returns". ABC News. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  16. ^ http://m.nydailynews.com/crystal-pepsi-return-response-online-campaign-article-1.2251877
  17. ^ E.J. Schultz. (9 June 2015). "Crystal Pepsi Is Poised for a Comeback". adage.com. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  18. ^ MAJOR BREAKING NEWS - Bring Back Crystal Pepsi. YouTube. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  19. ^ Charles Riley and Cristina Alesci (11 June 2015). "Remember Crystal Pepsi? It might be coming back". CNNMoney. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  20. ^ "Crystal Pepsi Might Be Making a Comeback! - Us Weekly". usmagazine.com. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  21. ^ "PepsiCo poised to revive 1990s flop Crystal Pepsi". cbsnews.com. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  22. ^ Ledbetter, Carly. "Crystal Pepsi Might Be Making A Comeback Thanks To One Man's Excitement". Huffpost. Huffington Post. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  23. ^ Whitten, Sarah (December 9, 2015). "A six-pack of Crystal Pepsi could be yours...if you win this sweepstakes." CNBC.
  24. ^ Emmert, George. "Bring Back Crystal Clear Pepsi". Facebook. George Emmert. Retrieved 4/26/16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
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